Dan Campbell is proving his elite status despite coordinator changes
The Detroit Lions gave us a scare in Week 1, but since then, it's clear that this team is as well-coached as there is in the NFL. It's rare for a team to lose an offensive and defensive coordinator in the same offseason. That happened to the Detroit Lions in 2025, as Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson earned head coaching jobs with the New York Jets and Chicago Bears.
It's been a mixed bag for those two, as their teams are a combined 2-7 through nine games, but Johnson's Bears seem to be on the right track. Well, the Lions replaced each with John Morton, formely of the Denver Broncos, and Kelvin Sheppard, who is a former NFL player and has spent his entire coaching career with the Lions.
The team's Week 1 loss against the Green Bay Packers was about as bad of a game as we've seen this Lions' team play in quite some time, and the chatter about Detroit regressing only got louder. Well, in the month after that, Detroit has gone 4-0 and now found themselves at a sensation 4-1. It's clear that despite both coordinator losses, the Lions' ship is stable with Dan Campbell at the helm.
Dan Campbell is taking his coaching to the next level in 2025 with the Lions
The last time an NFL team saw both coordinators leave in the same offseason for head coaching jobs was the Philadelphia Eagles after the 2022 NFL Season. Shane Steichen and Jonathan Gannon both got poached for jobs, and the Eagles proceeded to regress big-time and went one-and-done in the postseason.
And in this last offseason, there were a ton of predictions that had Detroit set to endure a notable regression. Fortunately, though, that hasn't happened, and the Lions are still so good that they're likely to beat both the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the coming weeks.
I will be the first to admit that I was quite 'out' on Dan Campbell from the beginning, as it felt like he was all bark, no bite. However, he could not have proven me any more wrong thus far, and his toughest year of coaching with the Lions is indeed 2025.
Keeping both sides of the ball at their previous level despite losing Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson would have been a tall task for any coach. While the Lions are among the most talented teams on paper in the NFL, they will only go as far as a coach will take them.
For Campbell, that seems to be pretty far, as the 4-1 Detroit Lions feel like the best version of Campbell's Lions that we've seen.
49ers Work Out 3 QBs Amid Injury Issues, Including 18-Game Starter
Desmond Ridder worked out for the 49ers this week.
When an NFL team brings in three quarterbacks for workouts in October, it’s usually not a good thing, but that’s exactly where the San Francisco 49ers find themselves heading into Week 6.
With Brock Purdy sidelined by a nagging toe injury and Mac Jones nursing multiple ailments of his own, the Niners are understandably looking around at who else is available.
With Purdy out and a banged-up Jones leading the 4-1 Niners into a huge showdown with the also 4-1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers this weekend, Adrian Martinez will be the 49ers backup once again. Martinez has never played in an NFL game, and it’s clear Kyle Shanahan and company still aren’t sure what they have in him.
“This week, Shanahan said Martinez took more reps with the first team, so the team had the chance to evaluate him running the offense as opposed to running scout team cards, where the cards tell you who to throw the ball to before you leave the huddle,” Niners Nation’s Kyle Posey wrote, adding:
“Shanahan said, to a degree, he has a package of plays in his head about what he’d potentially have to run for Martinez. And a better feeling about Martinez than he had in the past few weeks. Coincidentally, after seeing Martinez practice for a week, the 49ers worked out three quarterbacks.”
San Francisco 49ers Bring QBs Desmond Ridder, Nathan Peterman & Quinten Dormady in for Workouts
GettyDesmond Ridder was one of three QBs the San Francisco 49ers worked out this week.
As reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero on October 10, the 49ers brought quarterbacks Desmond Ridder, Nathan Peterman and Quinten Dormady in for workouts, but didn’t sign any of the three. While that means Martinez will be QB2 once again vs. the Bucs, it doesn’t mean San Francisco won’t sign any of them in the near future.
Ridder is the most intriguing of the group. The 26-year-old has played in 25 games, starting 18. A third-round pick for the Atlanta Falcons in 2022, he has completed 63.6% of his passes for 4,002 yards, 16 touchdowns and 14 picks.
He’s bounced around this year (Cincinnati, then Minnesota), but Ridder has mobility, and far more experience than Martinez. If San Francisco wants someone who could run a functional offense on short notice, Ridder’s the most obvious candidate of the three.
Peterman is kind of the “break-glass-in-case-of-emergency” option for the 49ers. He’s functional, technically, although watching him is always a white-knuckling adventure.
Over seven seasons, Peterman has appeared in 15 games, with five starts. He has 712 yards, four touchdowns and 13 interceptions in that span. The numbers aren’t pretty, but he’s experienced enough to be somewhat useful if things spiral further.
Then, there’s Quinten Dormady. He’s never been on an active NFL roster, but he’s piled up decent numbers in spring leagues: 1,507 yards, 10 touchdowns and five picks in the XFL, followed by 1,206 yards and six scores in the UFL. He’s more of a developmental piece than anything else, but as a practice squad arm or third-stringer, he’s worth a look.
49ers Injuries to Brock Purdy & Mac Jones Could Force San Francisco’s Hand
Purdy’s turf toe has cost him three of the last four games and kept him off the practice field again this week. He’s not on injured reserve, which is likely a sign the team thinks he’ll be back soon, but he’s also not playing this week. It remains to be seen whether the tow issue continues to linger, but if it does, the Niners could be in trouble.
Jones, meanwhile, has been holding things together, but just barely. He’s dealing with a lingering knee injury he got Week 3, and now an oblique strain from the Niners’ Week 5 overtime win over the Rams. Jones will be under center again Week 6, but if he suffers any type of setback, the 49ers could give Ridder, Peterman, Dormady — or someone else entirely — another call.
