Lions' Campbell talks o-line, adding more depth at defensive line and WR, motivating road schedule and more

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West Palm Beach, Fla. — Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell met with the media Tuesday morning at the league meetings. Here are the highlights from that 40-minute session.

O-line not settled

An offensive line is only as strong as its weakest link. Last season, particularly down the stretch, that weak link was Graham Glasgow. There were clearly some injury factors at play, so I asked Campbell about his confidence in the veteran lineman.

"You know, every year, certainly, you play that position, and it's a year later, you know?” Campbell said. “But Graham's somebody that we still value because he's got versatility. …I think people forget that some. Man, he can do an excellent job at center, as a matter of fact. So I think there are things that he brings to us that are not always easy to find.

“So, yeah, we have confidence in him,” Campbell said. “And there again, the fact that you know he can play all the positions, man. That lets you breathe easy."

That’s an endorsement, but at no point did Campbell declare Glasgow a starter. There was a follow-up about whether the team was considering moving the veteran back to right guard, where he thrived in 2023. The coach said that’s one of a number of options being considered, including kicking Giovanni Manu inside.

“That's a thought, man,” Campbell said about moving Glasgow. “We've talked about that. Do you go back to right and is it Mahogany left? Is it somebody we drafted? You know, you're gonna do your best to let these guys compete and see where they're at. I mean, do we try Manu guard? That's a thought. So, we're gonna try to let these guys compete a little bit and move them around and see what's right, see where we're at. It's not gonna be set in stone."

With Manu, Campbell said the young tackle got very little work at guard as a rookie.

”It was only scout team and it wasn't a lot of it,” Campbell said. “You're gonna kind of take a leap of faith and push those reps and see if he can grow from them, you know? Do you do that or do you keep him outside? Those are just some of the thoughts that I've had, we've had."

In good shape, but more to come

Echoing comments made by general manager Brad Holmes a day earlier, Campbell expressed contentment with the way the team's defensive line has been taking shape.

"Yeah, look, where we're at right now, we're excited," Campbell said. "We really got everybody back that we wanted to get."

That plan included re-signing Levi Onwuzurike and Marcus Davenport. Asked about concerns with the latter's durability, the coach noted it was an obvious consideration, but feels the reward outweighs the risk.

"Those are things that always weigh," Campbell said. "We think it weighs on us, it weighs on the players, too. But you want to know, I think for us, that he still wants to go. Like, 'Man, I'm willing to attack this, continue to get better,' which he has. I think as long as he's willing to make another push, believes he can get this done, and we feel like the rehab and everything has gone well, we think this will heal, everything is right about it, then, yeah, we feel good.

"If it goes the way we think it's going to go, Davenport is going to be a hell of player."

Still, even though Holmes said the room was getting full, Campbell said the team is eying the addition of more talent.

"We're not done, either," Campbell said. "We don't know when. Maybe it will be the draft. We're looking at everything. It could be after the draft. It could be any time. But, at this point with where we're at, we do, we like where we're at. Getting Levi back was big."

More joint practices on the way

Campbell has typically shared the team’s joint practice plans at this event. However, after getting some grief for prematurely letting the cat out of the bag, he’s keeping things closer to the vest this spring.

“I’m not going to say yet, because it seems like every year I’ve done that, it’s been this explosion, like, ‘Hey, I wish you would’ve told us before you did that, because we haven’t told our media,” Campbell said. “I was like, ‘All right.’ So, yeah, we’ve got something in the works. We’ll see what happens.”

Campbell said he’s hoping to have sets of joint sessions with two teams this offseason.

Bring it on

Earning a first-place schedule after winning the division last season, the Lions are set to face a brutal gauntlet of road matchups. Beyond the annual trio of NFC North games, the slate also includes trips to Kansas City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Los Angeles and Washington.

Campbell, unsurprisingly, is excited by the daunting challenge. He's even hoping Mother Nature steps up her game, making things even more trying.

"Yeah, it's like anything else, you're always looking for these nuggets, man, of motivation," Campbell said. "This is a challenge. We're competitive, I'm competitive, so yeah, I love the thought of it. These are going to be outdoors, (on) grass. I hope it rains, it's mud, it's everything, the whole deal.

"This is going to be a meat grinder, you know?" Campbell said. "I've said this before, we could be a better team than we were last year and have more losses. There is a chance that could happen. That's OK. As long as we learn from what those are and we get better coming out of them, we'll be good."

Campbell said the team's goals remain unchanged — win the division and earn the No. 1 seed. But regardless of how they get there, he embraces the idea that any team in the playoffs has a realistic chance to win it all.

"The bottom line is this, it doesn't matter, just get your ass in the playoffs," he said. "Just get in and it's about the matchups and making the most of that day. And along the way, we've got to get better throughout the year. We've got to be much better than we were to start the season."

Farewell to The Commish

Defensive end John Cominsky, who spent three years with the Lions but missed last season with a knee injury, announced his retirement via social media on Monday, citing an accumulation of injuries.

Cominsky, 29, was a fourth-round pick out of Charleston in 2019. He played three years for Atlanta before he was waived and claimed by the Lions ahead of the 2022 season.

"You know, that was a heck of a find by Brad, being able to get Commish," Campbell said. "…He was kind of the model of what we were early in this thing. The value that he brought to us, the type of teammate he was, the type of player that he was. That'll be missed, man.

"Unfortunately, it's part of this game," Campbell said. "You get these injuries and some of them, it's just hard to recover from. So, I wish him the best of luck, certainly, and love him to death, man. He was the best. But that's part of the tough side of this game, is the injuries."

For his career, Cominsky appeared in 57 games, including 20 starts. He recorded a career-high 4.0 sacks in 2022, earning a two-year extension from the Lions.

Looking for fresh talent

It's sounding more and more like the Lions will be adding receiving depth via the draft. Campbell was asked about his comfort level with the team's current corps and emphasized a desire to inject youth into the room.

"Love that group, but we were fortunate that we got out last year, during the season, for the most part, unscathed, as far as injuries and things of that nature," Campbell said. "That group, TP (Tim Patric), Leaf (Kalif Raymond), obviously Saint (Amon-Ra St. Brown) and Jamo (Jameson Williams), those guys that we've got have been big for us. We would love to bring in more competition, particularly some youth. That would help, and let them all mix it up. Get in there and see where it all falls."

As it stands, the team's offseason roster is light at the position. The Lions will likely add at least three receivers between now and the start of the offseason program. An early-round draft pick could help stabilize the long-term outlook at the position, with Patrick and Raymond both over 30 and on expiring contracts.

Additionally, Holmes acknowledged Detroit's intention to pick up Williams' fifth-year option on Monday. Still, he pumped the brakes on a longer extension for the fourth-year pass-catcher.

Staying the course with the right pieces

There was a lot of talk about continuity and player ownership during the session. I asked Campbell if there are inherent challenges with motivating the roster's core when it's been together as long as it has.

"I think that's why you've got to get the right guys, man," Campbell said. "Look, I've said this from the get-go: My job is to — I'm going to be the leader of this team until they're ready to take it over themselves, and they're ready to take this over. Every year has gotten more and more where our leaders — St. Brown, (Penei) Sewell, (Jared) Goff, (Aidan Hutchinson) Hutch, Alex (Anzalone) — have begun to take this thing over. So now you don't have to worry about my voice, you know what I mean? It's their voice. They're the ones who set the tone for the team. So, no. I think we're in a good spot. We've got guys that are hungry."

It's that investment in players taking ownership that also gives Campbell faith in being able to overcome the losses of the team's offensive and defensive coordinators this offseason.

"The nuts and bolts of what we are — of course, we've got our coaches — man, this offense is Jared Goff, St. Brown, (Jahmyr) Gibbs, (David) Montgomery, it's Frank (Ragnow), it's Sewell, it's (Taylor) Decker. I can keep (going). It's Jamo. The defense is Hutch, it's Alim (McNeill), it's freaking Alex, it's TA (Terrion Arnold), it's Kerby (Joseh), it's (Brian) Branch. It's now (D.J.) Reed. I can keep going. It's (Derrick) Barnes. That's what we are. We can say, 'Well this is our scheme, this is what we're running.' No, no, no. They're the ones who make it what it is. That's our playbook, those guys."

On that front, Campbell was asked where he saw growth from Goff last season. The coach provided an example of that ownership taking hold.

"Everything we wanted him to do in the offense, he did," Campbell said. "And then he began to bring stuff to us, as 'Hey, man,' I can see this look. Let me get to this play. I know I've got these options in the bag. But let me get to this, as well.’ Those are the things where it's like, 'OK, here we go, man.' That's beginning to show. I would anticipate to that to take another step up."

No push from Detroit to ban push

Even though there was decent support for banning the “Tush Push” play that’s been popularized by the Philadelphia Eagles, the league tabled the conversation until later this summer.

Restating a position he’s shared in the past, Campbell isn’t among the coaches who want the play banned.

“I am of the school that, hey, they found something and it's up to everybody else to stop it,” he said.