During Tuesday’s organized team activities (OTAs), head coach Dan Campbell of the Detroit Lions had interviews with media. He covered a wide range of subjects, including the team’s increased secondary depth and rookie offensive lineman Giovanni Manu’s play.
With his team favored to win the NFC North for the second year in a row, Campbell is thinking about the Super Bowl.
On Tuesday, Campbell highlighted Brandon Joseph, a 2023 undrafted free agency out of Notre Dame who signed with the Lions, as a guy he thinks might make significant progress this season.
In defense coordinator Aaron Glenn’s lineup, Campbell claimed that Joseph has “noticeably improved” from the previous season and had the skills necessary to “thrive” at safety.
According to reporter Nolan Bianchi, Campbell stated, “In this defense, if you can understand conceptually what an offense is doing, and the freedom you have at the safety position…You can thrive at the safety position in our defense.”
Joseph, who stands six feet two inches and weighs 200 pounds, is a versatile backup safety option whose physique is reminiscent of that of Lions 2023 rookie star Brian Branch.
Prior to transferring to Notre Dame, the former Fighting Irish defense spent his first three seasons of collegiate football with the Northwestern Wildcats from 2019 to 2021. In 2020, his best collegiate football season, he picked up eight pass deflections and intercepted six passes. In his lone season with the Irish, he recorded 15 solo tackles and one interception.
With his X handle altered to “Zuper Bowl Kerb,” star Lions safety Kerby Joseph, who also seemed to predict a Lions Super Bowl appearance before the season, should start the season as Joseph’s primary backup if his development goes as planned.
This season, the Lions pass rush is expected to be among the best in the league, which will inflate the perception of the secondary’s performance and vice versa.
Former No. 2 overall pick Aidan Hutchinson led the NFL in quarterback hits and recorded 11.5 sacks in the previous campaign. As D.J. Reader clogs the middle and Hutchinson offers a daring analysis of the Lions’ increased self-assurance, coach Campbell’s defense could go far in 2024–2025.
