NFL Execs Shower Dan Campbell, Brad Holmes with Midseason Awards

Lions praised heavily by NFL executives.

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell talks with reporters about the third day of OTAs / Kirthmon F. Dozier / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Detroit Lions are the talk of the NFL world.

At the halfway point of the 2024 season, Detroit is widely considered the best NFL team and are Super Bowl contenders.

Recently, Sports Illustrated polled 20 general managers, assistant GMs, VPs and pro scouting directors to determine midseason awards, including Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year.

The Lions were heavily featured, including Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes earning top honors, as the NFC North leaders currently sit with a record of 7-1.

Campbell earned 8.5 votes and the nod for Coach of the Year.

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"Prior to Halloween 2022, he was 4-19-1. Since, he’s 29–9. So on a dime, he flipped a .173 winning percentage into .763. That is incomprehensible, and a tribute to Campbell’s ability to reach, motivate and maximize people," writes Albert Breer. "For him to be able to get the guys to maintain a belief in his program, absent real on-field results for that long, is wildly impressive. Then, for that belief to be validated in such an emphatic way? Again, I don’t think there’s enough you can say about the job Campbell and his staff have done."

Holmes earned eight votes and was named Executive of the Year.

"Holmes’s draft record since becoming GM is incredible—with a steady stream of guys such as Penei Sewell, Alim McNeill, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Aidan Hutchinson, Kerby Joseph, Jahmyr Gibbs, Sam LaPorta, Brian Branch and Terrion Arnold selected," Breer writes. "Those pieces have melded nicely with existing cornerstones such as Taylor Decker and Frank Ragnow, and veteran additions David Montgomery and Alex Anzalone. And then there’s Goff, who Holmes brought with him from L.A. as what most people regarded as a throw-in to the Matthew Stafford trade. Add it all up, and you have a team that’s winning now, and looks like it’s going to win for a long time. Holmes deserves a ton of credit for it."