3 immediate moves Dan Campbell should make for Lions to become Super Bowl contenders in 2025

Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions suffered a disappointing ending to an otherwise impressive 2024 NFL season. They earned a dominant 15-2 record during the regular season, earning themselves a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. It didn't help them after being upset at home to the Washington Commanders in the Divisional round.

Despite their strong year, they actually took a step backward as compared to last season, when they were eliminated in the NFC Championship game. They were knocked out a round earlier this year, so Campbell may need to make some improvements if they want to get back into the mix for a potential Super Bowl in 2026. Here are three things that he could do.

Dan Campbell changes that could improve 2025 Lions

Dan Campbell

#1 - Add pass rushers

When Aidan Hutchinson went down with a season-ending injury, the Detroit Lions lost one of the best overall pass rushers in the entire NFL. While this would be a blow to any defense, the Lions suffered from it more than most would, considering their lack of other edge rushers behind him.

One of Dan Campbell's focuses during the 2025 NFL offseason should be to add more depth of legitimate options to get after opposing quarterbacks. The Lions still found some success getting pressure, but most of it came from aggressive blitzing schemes. This left them vulnerable on the back end at times, so bringing in more edge rushers should imporve their defense as a whole.

#2 - Linebacker depth

The Lions also suffered significant injuries to their linebackers during the 2024 NFL season, which could become more of a problem next year. Derrick Barnes is scheduled to become a free agent this year and Malcolm Rodriguez may not be ready for the start of the season with a knee injury.

While Jack Campbell and Alex Anzalone are a strong duo for their defense next season, they are extremely thin behind them. Adding more depth to their linebackers could be a major boost for them, especially if they get into any in jury trouble again next year.

#3 - Addressing coordinators

Dan Campbell has one of the best pairs of offensive and defensive coordinators in the entire NFL with Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn. The potential issue is that one or both of them could be hired as head coaches of different teams during the 2025 NFL offseason. Regressing in these two spots could change the entire dynamic of their team, so they will need to make sure these roles are secured.