Detroit Lions wear Jack Campbell's No. 46 jersey to honor injured captain

Detroit Lions players and coaches wore Jack Campbell's No. 46 jersey to Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday to honor their defensive captain, who is recovering from a neck injury.

Aidan Hutchinson brought his signature gallon water jug to the Miami Dolphins game with "Jack" written on it. Just a week earlier, Hutchinson was seen crying while trainers and doctors cared for Campbell on the turf.

.@aidanhutch97 honoring Jack Campbell in Miami

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) November 8, 2026

Derrick Barnes, Malcolm Rodriguez, K.J. Britt, Trevor Nowaske and Joe Bachie, all linebackers, wore Campbell's jersey on arrival, along with defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard. ESPN included Amen Ogbongbemiga among the players in the jersey. The Lions shared arrival photos on X captioned "For 4️⃣6️⃣".

For 4️⃣6️⃣

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) November 8, 2026

Detroit's preparation during the week centered on "playing like 46."

"The way you honor him is to wipe those tears from your eyes and make sure we prepare and play like him," Sheppard said.

Barnes said one of the keys to a Detroit victory was preparing to play as Campbell does. "This is for him, man," he told reporters.

Campbell suffered the injury Nov. 1 during Detroit's Week 8 home victory over the Minnesota Vikings. He was hurt after a tackle on Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson. He was loaded onto a backboard, and a cart took him off the field.

Detroit put Campbell on injured reserve Saturday.

"I have full movement in my lower body, and I'm continuing to make progress with movement in my upper body," Campbell said in a Nov. 4 statement shared through the Lions' X account.

"I know there's still work ahead, but I remain very optimistic," he said in that statement.

Campbell thanked the Henry Ford Hospital medical team and the Lions' medical staff. "This team is a family to me, and the way everyone has been there for me means everything," he said in the Nov. 4 statement.

On Nov. 3, head coach Dan Campbell told 97.1 The Ticket that Jack Campbell was improving. "It's not easy because he's always going to be on our minds over here," Dan Campbell said.

Jack Campbell, 26, is in his fourth NFL season, all with Detroit. The Lions selected him out of Iowa with the 18th overall pick in 2023.

He earned first-team All-Pro honors last season after making 176 total tackles. The Lions signed him to a four-year, $81 million extension in May.

After Iowa defeated Northwestern 24-10 on Saturday, coach Kirk Ferentz announced a game ball for Campbell, USA Today reported, citing HawkCentral. "Glad we won, cause otherwise you're kind of screwed, ya know?" Ferentz said.

Campbell remains at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit and his condition is improving, CBS Sports reporter Melanie Collins said during the network's broadcast, according to USA Today. Collins said Campbell wants to return to the field rather than receive tears or sympathy.

"He is determined to get back on this football field, telling Dan Campbell: 'Just make sure the house is taken care of until I can get back,'" Collins said.