ALLEN PARK, Mich. – Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell talked about some key players returning from injury in time for their NFC Divisional Round rematch against the Washington Commanders.
Campbell also spoke about the Commanders’ head coach, Dan Quinn, ahead of the matchup and how he felt empathy for his decision to leave reigning NFL Rookie of the Year Jadyn Daniels in the game against the Seattle Seahawks during a blowout, where he suffered a dislocated elbow in his non-throwing arm in the process.
Offensive line
Campbell gave updates on injured offensive linemen Miles Frazier, Giovanni Manu, and Christian Mahogany.
“We start Miles’ clock today. He’s going to start practicing today. First one back, no training camp, so it’ll be a little baby fawn at the beginning, but he’ll quickly go,” Campbell said. “It’s a little bit like Mahogany. It took a while, but once we got him, he quickly grew with practice reps. So we’ll start him, and Gio’s still a few weeks out. I don’t see us starting him within the next week or two, but he is getting better.”
Campbell said it was good to get Frasier back, who the team liked during the draft process.
“He’s versatile. He can play guard, he can play tackle. He can sustain blocks, he’s got power, he’s tenacious, he finishes,” Campbell said. “He just needs reps in practice.”
Campbell also addressed potential changes on the offensive line.
“We’ll start right now as usual. Yod goes in, then we may start putting Cologne in some spots and move these guys around,” Campbell said. “I’d like to do it today, at least a play or two, and see what that looks like.”
On helping quarterback Jared Goff with pass protection, Campbell acknowledged the team’s own mistakes caused some issues.
“We opened up this can of worms ourselves because we really had a bust,” Campbell said. “The protections are sound. Can we do things better? Yes. Goff’s going to be fine. He studies, knows what he’s getting.”
When asked about moving Graham Glasgow to guard, Campbell said he has considered everything.
“That’s one of the things you might look at this week,” Campbell said.
Commanders matchup
Campbell expressed respect for what Quinn has accomplished with his team.
“Good program. They’ve gotten some injuries, some things that they’ve been trying to overcome here, and really no different than us, though, coming off a loss and getting back on their feet,” said Campbell. “We’re getting back on our feet, clean things up, and find a way to be competitive and get the win.”
Campbell expressed empathy for Dan Quinn’s recent coaching challenges.
“You can’t second-guess that. I do feel for him,” Campbell said. “It’s unfortunate. I hate that for JD. It’s tough, but it’s not his fault.”
Campbell wants to see the team play their style of football with intensity and focus on Sunday (Nov. 9) inside Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland.
“I want to see the urgency, the intensity, the focus, the finish on the football, offense, defense,” Campbell said. “I want to see our playmakers making plays within the scheme, our coaches coaching at a high level. I want us playing and coaching on a championship level. I want to see us playing better than we did last week.”
In football, there can sometimes be no room for empathy, especially for head coaches, as players are lost to injury every week.
But leaving your starting quarterback in the game after they were getting blown out to find a rhythm, as he just came back from injury, only to have the starting quarterback, Jayden Daniels, dislocate his non-throwing elbow, has brought in a lot of backlash.
Campbell expressed empathy for Quinn. He acknowledged the difficulty of second-guessing decisions in hindsight.
“You can’t circumspect that. That’s me. He just got back, and I’m sure trying to get him on a roll, a rhythm, a flow,” Campbell said. “It’s hard to second-guess that, and I know hindsight and all this and that, but yeah, I do feel for him.”
Campbell added that Quinn should not have to feel responsible for the injury.
“I don’t feel like he should have to feel that way, trying to get your guy going back in a rhythm,” Campbell said. “It’s unfortunate. I hate that for JD, man. That’s tough. But it’s not his fault.”
The Lions will take on the Commanders at 4:25 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025, in a rematch of the 2025 playoffs, when the Daniels upset the Lions 45-31 at Ford Field.
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