After the Lions blew a 17-point halftime lead in the NFC Championship last year, coach Dan Campbell told the players, “This may have been our only shot.”
A year later, after exiting the playoffs without even getting back to the conference title game, the Lions have real work to do in order to keep Campbell’s prophecy from being fulfilled.
As noted by Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, the Lions have lost five assistant coaches in the six days since losing at home in the divisional round to the Commanders.
Gone are offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, defensive line coach Terrell Williams, receivers coach Antwaan Randle El, and assistant quarterbacks coach J.T. Barrett.
More could eventually go. All will have to be replaced.
Fortunately for the Lions, they had a year to prepare for the potential promotions earned by Johnson and Glenn. The Lions surely won’t wander into the challenge of reloading the coaching staff unprepared.
But things will be very different in 2025. Will they be better? Will they be as good?
The roster still has plenty of talent. Bad luck on the injury front went a long way toward derailing what seemed to be destiny. Still, a franchise that waited decades to become a top dog now must deal with the growing pains associated with contending at a high level.
They have 22 players due to become unrestricted free agents. Other teams — starting with Johnson’s Bears and Glenn’s Jets — could be targeting more than a few of them.
Regardless, the Lions still have quarterback Jared Goff, running back Jahmyr Gibbs, receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, receiver Jameson Williams, running back David Montgomery, tight end Sam LaPorta, and four of the five starting offensive linemen under contract. And defensive end Aidan Hutchinson will return to anchor a defense that, if healthy, should be better than it was in 2024.
Building the current team was harder than maintaining it will be. But maintaining the roster and reshaping the coaching staff become the biggest challenges for a 15-2 team that needed until Week 18 to win the division and then went one-and-out in the postseason.
Add a schedule that includes 11 games against 2024 playoff teams (Vikings twice, Packers twice, Steelers, Buccaneers, at Eagles, at Commanders, at Ravens, at Chiefs, at Rams), two games against Johnson’s Bears, and a trip to Cincinnati, and the 2025 will be a much different experience for the Lions. The overriding question will be whether the next postseason will have a different ending.
The first big hurdle will be getting there.
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