National Football League

Lions don't need an elite QB, coach Dan Campbell says

Published Apr. 9, 2022 7:33 p.m. ET

In the NFL, common wisdom suggests that the key to long-term success is landing a top-tier quarterback.

But second-year Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell doesn't agree with that narrative, and he shared his thoughts on the topic with reporters on Thursday.

"No, I don’t think you need that," Campbell said, as reported by the Detroit Free Press. "I think that those guys like that are obviously, they’re special. And they certainly can give you a better chance. But no, I don’t believe you have to have one of those guys to have sustained success."

The Lions are poised to enter the 2022 season with Jared Goff once again at the helm. Goff is widely considered to be a good quarterback, yet one who falls below the elite level.

He completed 67% of his passes last season for 3,245 yards, 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions, but was reluctant to push the ball downfield at times. According to the Free Press, no one in the Lions organization has endorsed Goff as their permanent answer at the position.

Yet while the Lions have two picks in the first round of the draft — Nos. 2 and 32 — Campbell says he wants to team to target Day 1 starters at any position.

"I think it's more, man, like, right now, what is best for us right now?" Campbell said. "Now, [GM] Brad [Holmes] got to look at it a little bit farther off than I am, but right now, what gives us the best chance? And man, when — let's build this roster, in general.

"Now, the right guy is sitting there at the right pick at that position, then let's do it. But we like Goff and I like where he's at. He finished strong. Keep adding pieces and then, man, whenever that is — is it next year? Is it this year? Is it two years from now? And the right guy's sitting there, then you figure out a way to get that guy. You figure out a way when it's the right guy."

Colin Cowherd couldn't disagree more, however, and he explained why on "The Herd."

"It's very obvious in that in professional football you have to have a top-10-12 quarterback if you really want sustained success," Cowherd said. "Dan Campbell doesn't get that. Which is amazing because it's actually tied to his employment — if he doesn't get one, he won't be employed in three years."

"The best quarterback won every division last year," Cowherd said. "That's kind of an obvious one."

Cowherd pointed to the fact that both Mike Zimmer (Vikings) and Vic Fangio (Broncos) were fired this offseason while relying on sub-elite QBs, and that Pete Carroll (Seahawks), who just lost Russell Wilson, is "about to be."

He also pointed to one obvious example to prove his point that QBs matter: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

"Their roster is stacked," he said. "They were 7-9 before [Tom] Brady got there, won a Super Bowl in the first year, a pandemic year. Tampa's the greatest example. They just added an old quarterback."

"If you can't figure this out, I can't help you. … Show yourself to the door."

The Lions sat out the quarterback market this offseason even while Wilson, Deshaun Watson, Matt Ryan and Carson Wentz all changed teams.

The Lions, coming off a 3-13-1 season, have a long way to go to becoming contenders. Is Goff good enough to aid the cause?

Stay tuned.