Overview
- Dan Campbell, who spoke Tuesday on 97.1 The Ticket, said he is “not going to accept mediocrity” and warned players their discipline and trust must improve immediately.
- Campbell publicly backed second-year defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard and said he will give other players opportunities and make personnel tweaks rather than fire the coordinator right now.
- Detroit’s defense remains one of the NFL’s worst through four games, allowing about 423.8 yards and roughly 304 passing yards per game while giving up roughly 31.8 points per game, according to aggregated reporting and Sumer Sports metrics.
- The coach confirmed center Cade Mays and safety Brian Branch are expected to begin practicing this week pending medical clearance, moves that address depth problems in the injury-hit secondary.
- National media have downgraded Detroit in power rankings, and Campbell framed the Week 5 trip to Arizona and the following bye as the near-term tests that will show whether internal fixes can restore the team’s competitiveness.