What Football Heaven Looks Like For Lions DL Who 'Gets No Love'

Detroit Lions Dan Campbell shares why DL Chris Smith has stood out to him.

Detroit Lions defensive lineman Chris Smith (90) walks off the field following training camp practice. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There are many players on the Detroit Lions' roster who are talked about or written about seemingly on a daily basis.

Head coach Dan Campbell also values those who are not as widely discussed and who are willing to do thankless jobs out on the football field.

Prior to practice Saturday, the sixth-year head man shared why defensive lineman Chris Smith stood out to him, when he watched tape of the Bengals game.

"Sometimes you can't always see all the dirty work that goes on and you're not going to know until you get in there. Like Chris Smith, I thought played his tail off. The amount of just slug it out dirty work that guy does. I mean, we had one clip, we only got 10 on defense and he's smart enough to say, 'You know what? Fine.' He just gets to a zero nose (0-technique) to balance out the front," said Campbell. "We only got three. And he battles in there. He takes three guys on. I thought he played well. And you don't always get to see that stuff because there's so much going on in there. He did a good job."

The 26-year-old went udrafted back in 2023 following a collegiate career at Harvard and Notre Dame. He has bounced around from the practice squad to the active roster for the early duration of his NFL career.

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He was able to make the roster coming out of training camp back in 2025.

What is appealing about Smith is his willingness to do the dirty work on a daily basis, his selfless attitude and his diligence trying to improve his game.

“He just does everything right. He does all the little things right. He doesn't make the same mistake twice. He's the guy you love to coach because he's up here all offseason, works his tail off, is always trying to hone his game. He plays discipline football. He's a grinder, man," said Campbell. "He'll do it. He'll take on double teams for 60 plays if you ask him to do it.

"And that's a thankless job and it's hard," Campbell continued further. "Nobody really sees that. You don't get any love. But, he doesn't care. To him, that means more to him to know that he's keeping his linebacker free, like that's his heaven. So, it's unselfish and it's hard. It's a nasty job and it's not for everybody. And so that's why you appreciate it."