Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell has earned top honors from ESPN analyst Bill Barnwell, who recently identified Campbell as the most successful head coaching hire in the NFL over the past five years.

In a piece published Thursday, Barnwell evaluated every head coach hired between the 2021 offseason and 2025, ranking all 37 coaching appointments made during that span. After weighing performance, impact, and long-term influence, he placed Campbell at the very top of the list.

Although Campbell’s regular-season winning percentage (.571) ranks seventh among coaches with at least two full seasons during that timeframe, Barnwell emphasized that raw record alone doesn’t capture the scope of Campbell’s achievement. Instead, he pointed to the dramatic turnaround of one of the league’s most struggling franchises.

When Campbell took over, Detroit was near rock bottom. The Lions had posted a 14-33-1 record under Matt Patricia and interim coach Darrell Bevell and hadn’t won a playoff game since 1991. The roster Campbell inherited was almost entirely stripped down as part of a full rebuild. Early in the process, new general manager Brad Holmes traded Matthew Stafford to the Rams for draft capital and Jared Goff, who at the time was widely viewed as a contract Detroit absorbed rather than a long-term solution. By 2025, offensive tackle Taylor Decker is the lone significant holdover from the roster Campbell initially coached.

Barnwell framed Detroit’s rise as one of the most comprehensive rebuilds the league has seen in recent years.

Not everyone will agree with Campbell topping the list. Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni finished second despite reaching two Super Bowls and winning one. Recent Super Bowl participants Mike Macdonald and Mike Vrabel placed third and fourth. Other coaches — including Sean Payton, Kevin O’Connell, and Jim Harbaugh — all boast stronger winning percentages than Campbell.

Barnwell also acknowledged that several newer hires could climb the rankings with sustained success. Lions offensive mastermind Ben Johnson (No. 9) and Liam Coen (No. 11) impressed in their debut seasons but will need continued results to rise further.

Ultimately, Barnwell’s evaluation reflects more than wins and losses. He highlighted Campbell’s role in reshaping Detroit’s culture from the ground up, as well as his fearless, aggressive approach to in-game decision-making — particularly on fourth down — which has helped swing close contests in the Lions’ favor, even if the strategy hasn’t worked every time.

Perhaps Barnwell’s strongest endorsement came in the form of a hypothetical question: if one coach from this group were to remain with his team for the next 15 years, who would it be?

For Barnwell, the answer was clear. Campbell, he argued, has grown beyond the role of head coach and now embodies the identity of the Detroit Lions franchise itself.