The Detroit Lions made a sneaky signing earlier this week when they added Roy Lopez in free agency. A rotational player with the Arizona Cardinals, Lopez brings an ability to stop the run and an underrated pass-rushing acumen that will fill in nicely with the Lions’ defensive line.
But free agency is a two-way street. While being a legitimate Super Bowl contender had to help Detroit’s case, Lopez revealed a surprising motive that gave an insight into his plans when he’s done playing football.
Roy Lopez Signed with the Lions to Learn from Dan Campbell
Lopez was introduced to the media on Thursday and had glowing words for the Lions organization. While he commended Detroit for its hard-nosed playing style, he also revealed that he wanted to become a coach when he’s done playing and signed with the Lions to learn from Dan Campbell.
“I look to coach one day when I’m done playing,” Lopez said via The Detroit Free Press’s Dave Birkett. “And to be able to learn from Dan Campbell, like that speaks for itself.”
Campbell’s coaching tree has become a pipeline across the NFL since he took over in Detroit for the 2021 season. Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn learned from Campbell over four seasons with the organization, and both became head coaches during this year’s coaching cycle, with Johnson taking over the Chicago Bears and Glenn joining the New York Jets.
But there’s also a precedent for players learning under Campbell to prepare for their coaching career. The Athletic’s Colton Pouncey documented the path of Kelvin Sheppard, who played under Campbell while he was the tight ends coach with the Miami Dolphins in 2014 and 2015 and reconnected when he decided to get into coaching when he retired after the 2018 season.
Campbell’s tutelage helped Sheppard land an assistant job at LSU and join the Lions staff the following year. Sheppard spent four seasons coaching Detroit’s linebackers, but Campbell was also preparing him for the next step before he was promoted to defensive coordinator earlier this offseason.
“Shep is somebody that I’ve always believed could be an outstanding coach. And about two years ago, I just felt like…he’ll be ready to be a coordinator sooner than later,” Campbell said at the NFL Scouting Combine. “And so AG and I had talked about it and tried to give him more responsibility over the last two years. And with that in mind for him, it meant this is the next step. This is the next step without telling him.”
While Lopez may have several years left in his career, he couldn’t turn down the chance to learn from Campbell and hopes the culture Campbell has built prepares him to succeed both in the present and the future.
“You see it from afar,” Lopez said. “…The whole NFL knows about the Detroit Lions and that’s because of the city, that’s because of Coach Campbell. It’s because of the culture they built here. They believe in each other. They believe in what they’re building and on the outside looking in and as a competitor, as someone that loves ball, it’s intriguing. It’s a huge part of why I chose…Detroit.”
