Jack Campbell Emerges as Lions’ Defensive Leader in Lost Season

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The Detroit Lions did not finish the season the way they hoped. Sitting at 8-8 and officially eliminated from playoff contention with one game remaining, the year will be remembered more for missed opportunities than postseason success. Yet even in a disappointing ending, the Lions found something that matters just as much as wins in December — the emergence of a true defensive cornerstone.

That player is linebacker Jack Campbell.

Campbell didn’t merely take a step forward this season. He vaulted into the conversation as one of the best linebackers in the NFL and, increasingly, a legitimate All-Pro candidate. It is a remarkable rise for a player who entered the league under a cloud of skepticism after Detroit selected him with the 18th overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft. Many fans and analysts questioned whether an off-ball linebacker was worth such a premium selection in a modern league built around speed and passing.

Three seasons later, Campbell has not only silenced those doubts, he has obliterated them.

Campbell’s production this season places him among the most impactful defenders the Lions have had in decades. He surpassed DeAndre Levy’s 151 tackles from 2014 for the second-most tackles recorded by any Lions player in a season since at least 1987. He was named to his first Pro Bowl, becoming the first Detroit linebacker selected since Stephen Boyd in 2000, a drought that underscored just how rare elite linebacker play has been in the franchise’s recent history.

Consistency has defined Campbell’s rise. He has produced 125 or more tackles in consecutive seasons, joining Chris Spielman and Alex Anzalone as the only Lions to reach that mark in back-to-back years since at least 1987. That company alone places Campbell firmly within the franchise’s linebacker lineage, alongside players known not just for statistics but for leadership and toughness.

Campbell’s impact goes far beyond tackle totals. He became just the second off-ball linebacker in NFL history to record at least five sacks and three forced fumbles in a single season, a combination that highlights his versatility as both a downhill run defender and a disruptive presence in passing situations. He is also only the second player in Lions history to log 110 or more tackles and five sacks in the same season, further illustrating how rare his statistical profile is.

The speed at which Campbell reached these milestones is equally striking. He topped 100 tackles by the 11th game of the season, just the fifth time a Lions defender has accomplished that feat since at least 1987. His ability to diagnose plays and close space has made him one of the most reliable defenders in the league against the run.

That reliability shows up in advanced metrics as well. Campbell leads the NFL with 82 tackles made behind the line of scrimmage or within three yards of it. That figure represents the third-highest total by any defensive player over the last decade, a testament to his instincts, film study and physicality at the point of attack.

Around the league, his play has not gone unnoticed. San Francisco 49ers All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner publicly called Campbell the best linebacker in football this season — high praise coming from one of the position’s established standard-bearers. Pro Football Focus backed up that sentiment, grading Campbell with a 93.6 run-defense grade, the highest single-season mark ever recorded for a linebacker.

For the Lions, Campbell’s breakout season offers something critical heading into the future: certainty. While the 2025 season fell short of expectations, Detroit now knows it has a defensive leader capable of anchoring the middle of the field for years to come. In a league constantly searching for difference-makers on defense, the Lions already have one.

The season may not have ended in January football, but Jack Campbell ensured it was far from a lost year. His emergence is proof that even in disappointment, foundations can still be built, and Detroit’s defense now rests firmly on his shoulders.

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