Phoenix, Ariz. — Dan Campbell was drafted and developed by Bill Parcells, but no one has had a greater influence on the Detroit Lions coach than Sean Payton.
Payton was with the New York Giants when the team drafted Campbell in 1999. And when Payton followed Parcells to Dallas in 2003, Campbell came along with them, on Payton’s recommendation. Then, when Campbell made the transition to coaching, Payton had to wait five years before getting a chance to hire his former player to the coaching staff in New Orleans.
And even though the two are now competitors, with Payton re-entering the coaching ranks as the head man in Denver this offseason, he’s admired his pupil’s rise in Detroit and been thrilled with Campbell’s recent success.
“He’s smart, he’s tough, he’s passionate,” Payton said at the NFL’s league meetings on Monday. “I think we are in the passion business, and certainly Dan is. He’s a tremendous teacher. And he is someone that communicates extremely well with his players. Like, extremely well. Sometimes, it’s not what they want to hear, but I think they appreciate that, and it’s really good to see him doing well.
“I felt like we watched some of the toughest games for Detroit there for a stretch, and it was great to see that turn (around),” Payton said. “We’ve seen a 60-some-yard field goal bounce off the crossbar; I mean, you lose track of the many ways, but (Dan) epitomizes grit and toughness.”
Campbell joined Payton’s staff in New Orleans after serving the Dolphins’ interim head coach for the final 12 games of the 2015 season. With the Saints, he coached the tight ends and worked as Payton’s assistant head coach, where he had an opportunity to refine his coaching resume for his next opportunity, which didn’t come until 2021, when the Lions hired Campbell to replace Matt Patricia.
“I learned more under Sean than any other head coach in my time as a player,” Campbell said last offseason. “I was with him for eight of my 11 years, as a player under him, and then to coach under him for five years, I got both facets of it, as a player and a coach. And so really, everything that I am, or what I’m about, or how I think, really does come from him, in a sense.
“I think he was always ahead of the game, he was innovative, he knew how to pull the most out of his players, he knows how to put his players in a position to have success — better than anyone I’ve ever been around,” Campbell said. “He knows how to use the totality of the roster on game day. And man, I think his ability to know, hey, this is what this player needs. This player needs a boot in the rear, or this player needs a hug, or just how to motivate. Those are things you never forget.”
A beautiful mind
Prior to signing with the Lions in free agency, cornerback Cam Sutton spent six years with the Pittsburgh Steelers. A third-round draft pick in 2017, he only managed to see the field sporadically in his first three seasons on those veteran-laden squads before developing into a key defensive cog in the past three years.
Often praised for his football IQ, Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin echoed those sentiments about Sutton, while noting the Lions are getting a premium talent in the defensive backfield.
“First of all, I always hesitate, because the first thing I think about is his above-the-neck game, his maturity and his preparation,” Tomlin said. “But, in stating that first, you’re almost disrespectful to his talent. He’s a talented guy. But beyond that, I think the things that are his calling cards are his intellect and his prep, his communication skills. I just think it allows him to be versatile. He does a good job of getting people around him on the same page and I’d imagine those are skills that are going to travel.”
The Lions awarded Sutton a three-year, $33 million contract this month, the biggest contract the team handed out in free agency. The versatile defensive back, who averaged more than 1,000 defensive snaps in the past two seasons, is coming off his best campaign. He racked up 15 pass-breakups and held opposing quarterbacks to a 47.9 completion percentage and 65.3 passer rating when targeted in 2022.
A fierce competitor
Similar to Tomlin’s familiarity with Sutton, Houston Texans coach DeMeco Ryans has been around new Lions cornerback Emmanuel Moseley for his entire pro career. Ryans was coaching the San Francisco 49ers linebackers when the team signed Moseley as an undrafted free agent in 2018, then worked as the player’s defensive coordinator the past two seasons.
Both Ryans and Moseley moved on from San Francisco this offseason, with Ryans taking the head-coaching job in Houston and Moseley joining Sutton, his former college teammate at the University of Tennessee, in Detroit. Ryans said Detroit is getting a top-flight competitor with experience playing under the brightest lights.
“In Emmanuel, Detroit is getting a tough, hard-nosed corner,” Ryans said. “E-Man is battle-tested. He’s played in big games, he’s played on the big stage and he has big-time playmaking ability. I’m happy for E-Man. To see him go from undrafted free agent and to battle — and he’s gone through ups and downs through his career with injuries — I’m happy to see him get a shot there in Detroit.
“And you’re getting an unbelievable person off the field and you’re also getting a competitor,” Ryans said. “In practice, each and every day, E-Man is a competitor. Every rep is a game rep for him. That’s what has set him apart and allowed him to make it in the NFL.”
That competitive spirit and proven ability to fight through adversity should serve Moseley well in Detroit, where he signed a one-year, prove-it deal coming off a torn ACL. He’s aiming to be medically cleared by the start of training camp, where he’s expected to compete for the starting corner job opposite Sutton.
jdrogers@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @Justin_Rogers