The transparency and honesty that has defined Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell has an origin story from his playing days.
Through three years with the Detroit Lions , coach Dan Campbell has been known for his genuineness and honesty. He’s been extremely transparent with the media, he isn’t afraid to wear his emotions on his sleeve, and ask anyone around him, and they’ll tell you how none of that ever changes on a daily basis.
That leadership style founded on transparency and honesty is critical in his relationships with players. He’s had an open-door policy to his office from the moment he took over the job, and that’s something that offensive tackle Taylor Decker took advantage of in the spring. Wondering what his future status was with the team, Decker approached Campbell during OTAs to see where contract discussions were headed. Unsurprisingly, Campbell laid it all out for Decker.
“I told him, ‘Listen, Brad (Holmes) and I—listen you’re next. This’ll come. Just let’s give it a minute,’” Campbell said. “He was coming off a surgery. ‘Let’s just make sure you’re good, we’ll get you out there moving around in July, and all is good, and we’ll go.’”
“Pretty much what he told me was to a T what (eventually) happened,” Decker said this week.
It turns out that Campbell’s brutal honesty doesn’t just come out of the kindness of his own heart. Campbell has been a player in this league before. He’s been in contract disputes and sought similar transparency. But, unfortunately, that’s not how everyone operates.
“I remember what it was like as a player, and I was lied to at one point, and I will never do that to a player,” Campbell said. “So even if it’s going to hurt a little bit, I want him to know the truth.”
That sort of honesty—whether it’s good news or bad news—has resonated with Detroit’s entire staff. It’s not just players like Decker who appreciate that, it’s the coaches, too. Take new defensive line coach Terrell Williams.
“If I can trust you, then we can have tough conversations and those things, and that’s important to me,” Williams said. “Dan and I have talked for years about having an opportunity to work together, and when this opportunity came, it was an easy decision for me.”
That level of trust undoubtedly has a trickle-down effect on the entire organization—from Holmes to Campbell to the coordinators and the players. It’s a foundational aspect of the organization right down to the three core principles written on a sheet of paper that led to Campbell’s hiring in the first place: leadership, culture, and staff .
“Before we started the interview process, what we were looking for was leadership, (and) an open, honest communicative culture,” owner Sheila Hamp said back in 2023.
There’s a reason that when they interviewed Campbell, their coaching search came to a screeching halt.
“We don’t shy away from those things,” Campbell said. “We’re going to tell you what we feel. We try not, as much as we can, you can’t divulge everything, but man we want to be honest and upfront and not dance around things.”