Dan Campbell talks Detroit Lions free agent additions: OL even better with Kevin Zeitler
ORLANDO, Fla. — The Detroit Lions had one of the best offensive lines in the NFL last season, and despite losing left guard Jonah Jackson in free agency, Lions coach Dan Campbell said the group should be even better in 2024.
"I feel like we have not stepped back as an O-line," Campbell said Tuesday at the NFL's annual meeting. "We've probably taken a step forward. So that's exciting."
The Lions return four starters on their offensive line but shuffled personnel at the guard spots after signing Kevin Zeitler to replace Jackson in free agency.
Zeitler, a Pro Bowler last season with the Baltimore Ravens, will play right guard this fall, and Graham Glasgow, the Lions' primary starter at right guard in 2023, will shift to left guard. Left tackle Taylor Decker, center Frank Ragnow and right tackle Penei Sewell also return as starters.
Jackson, a starter the past the four seasons at left guard, made the Pro Bowl in 2021 but missed nine games in 2022-23 with injuries. He signed a three-year free-agent deal with the Los Angeles Rams.
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Campbell said the Lions prioritized Zeitler after losing Jackson to the Rams and were surprised the veteran lasted as long as he did in free agency. The 34-year-old has long been considered one of the most reliable offensive guards in the NFL and was an anchor on Baltimore's league-best rushing offense last season.
He agreed to a one-year deal with the Lions a week after the free agent negotiating window opened.
"You're going to be hard-pressed to find a guy who’s played as long as he has and been as consistent and as durable as he's been," Campbell said. "So he'll be, between Frank and Penei, he'll be a steady force in there, a consistent force. And really, we just became a really veteran group, a very smart, consistent group, in my mind, especially getting Graham back."
Campbell shared his thoughts on the Lions' other new additions Tuesday and his vision for how they will fit into the team this fall:
On cornerback Carlton Davis, who the Lions acquired in a trade with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers: "We know he’s a good cover guy, and he'll tackle on the perimeter. He just, there’s things that he can do where he can take a little bit of his side of the field away, at times, which, just to have some of that, man, goes a long way for the rest of the defense and what (defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn is) going to be able to call. So that, man, that's going to help. And that's really something we feel like we haven't had here since we've been here."
On cornerback Amik Robertson, a free agent signing who spent the past four seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders: "His tape was outstanding. People say, 'Well, he's 5-8.’ Yeah, but he doesn't play like he's 5-8. This guy plays like a big corner. He's aggressive, he's competitive, he's got good man-cover skills, and he's smart. He's a ball guy. He's a football player." Campbell said the additions of Davis and Robertson should allow the Lions to play more man-to-man coverage next season. "We want to vary the scheme," he said. "We don’t want anybody to have a beat on what we’re doing defensively. But you do want to know, there comes a time when you want to pressure and you want to play man-to-man and know that you can do it. And to be able to have that ability now, what’s funny is there’s a lot of times where it really helps is, well, certainly third down you want to play some man-to-man and get off the field, but also on base downs. A lot of times, you would love to be able to say, ‘You know what, we’re going to play man this series,’ or ‘We’re going to play man this opening drive’ and feel confident about being able to do it, and especially if you’re going against tendencies that you’ve done."
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On defensive tackle D.J. Reader, who will pair with Alim McNeill in the middle of the Lions' defensive line after spending the past four seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals: "He popped off the tape immediately. You start going through ‘em and everybody has their own evaluations. Myself, Brad (Holmes), the scouts, the coaches, and I mean, every one of us had full buy-in on Reader. Like, 'Man, did you see this Reader in Cincinnati?' It's like, his tape was - this guy’s relentless. He plays the run, he can get an edge in pass, and he just fits us, man. And his character, he's got leadership qualities about him. Everybody raves about him, so the idea of he and Mac opposite of each other, we felt like was going to help us significantly. "
On defensive end Marcus Davenport, who played for the New Orleans Saints when Campbell and Glenn were assistant coaches with the team and who gives the Lions another big end to play opposite Aidan Hutchinson: “Really what you're getting is you're getting athletic, explosive player with length. He plays hard and I think a lot of it is who’s this guy opposite of Hutch that can really crush the pocket and close it down, and whether he makes it or he sends it to Hutch was really a lot of what this is. So we kind of feel like we've got to complement to Hutch, we've got a complement to Mac, and these guys collectively are going to make each other better."
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Dan Campbell: Detroit Lions OL 'taken a step forward' with Zeitler
