The Lions had the best record in the NFC last season at 15-2. But after Dan Campbell lost his top two coordinators, there's a feeling that Detroit could take a step back.
A couple rival execs have questions about the Lions in the wake of Ben Johnson's departure to the Bears and Aaron Glenn's to the Jets. Campbell replaced Johnson with John Morton, who will be calling plays for just the second time in the NFL, and Glenn with Sheppard, who will be calling plays for the first time.
That creates some uncertainty entering the 2025 season.
"There would be a lot about Detroit that scares me, but it's not the players," an NFC executive told The Athletic.
Morton, even with a long history of coaching offense in the NFL, is a pretty big unknown from the outside looking in. He did coach under Campbell and Johnson in 2022, but in a behind-the-scenes role. Meanwhile, Johnson was one of the best coordinators in the business the last three seasons in Detroit.
"Ben Johnson took total advantage of the four-down game-management approach because he's a really, really good play-caller, an evil genius, really," said another exec. "Losing him would almost be like the Rams losing Sean McVay."
On the defensive side of the ball, Sheppard will have to prove that he can maximize his depth players, like Glenn did for most of last season when the Lions were crushed by injuries. The defense will be healthier this season, but resources will get tight in the years ahead with extensions coming for the likes of Aidan Hutchinson and Kerby Joseph.
"I will be curious with role players if there is a dropoff because you have to have a vision for how to deploy these guys," said an exec. "Glenn was really good at that, getting the best out of a Derrick Barnes and those guys."
