Allen Park — In his first attempt at replacing Ben Johnson, Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell tried to rock the boat as little as possible.
The thinking behind tapping John Morton as Detroit’s offensive coordinator in 2025 was sound, at least on paper. Morton had a familiarity with the team (namely, with quarterback Jared Goff) because of his time on staff in 2022, and he didn’t intend to make signifiant changes to the scheme behind one of the NFL’s best units.
In practice, though, results fell below expectations, leading to Campbell calling plays from Week 10 onward. The offense finished top five in both points (28.3) and yards (373.2) but week-to-week consistency waned, particularly on the ground; the Lions ranked in the bottom third of the league in rushing success rate (40.7%) and EPA per rush (-0.06), according to Next Gen Stats.
Campbell’s second crack at filling Johnson’s old role led him to former Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, who has overlapping values with Detroit’s already-existing strengths — use of under-center formations and an emphasis on play-action stand out — but is, in some respects, an outsider, having never previously worked with Campbell. He also doesn’t stem from Sean Payton’s coaching tree.
Maintaining what the Lions have done well while also adding his own unique flavor is a fine line Petzing has had to walk since being hired. Installation of his offense has been underway since players reported to Allen Park on April 20 for the team’s offseason program. Work will continue across Detroit’s final batch of OTAs (June 9-11) and mandatory minicamp (June 16-17) before training camp begins later this summer.
“I think it’s a mix,” Petzing said Thursday, when asked whether he’s bringing in his own terminology or keeping what the Lions already had. “(It’s) a little bit of a unique situation because there’s a number of vets who have played at a really high level, so I don’t want to come in here and rip it all up and make them learn an entirely new language. But there’s going to be tweaks, there’s going to be changes, and I think they’ve done a great job of handling that.”
The Lions are set to return nine of their starters on offense from last season, with Taylor Decker and Graham Glasgow being the exceptions. Goff, the only quarterback in the NFL to throw for 30 or more touchdowns in each season since 2023, is entering his sixth campaign with the Lions. He’s been someone Petzing has leaned on throughout the process.
Petzing and Goff have been exchanging ideas since “probably my first day on the job,” Petzing said.
“I think that is a day-to-day, minute-to-minute process,” he added. “It’s happening on the field, happens in the meeting room, it happens via text or via FaceTime during the week when things come up or things are on his brain or vice versa. It’s been a ton of fun as we talked about his experience and where he can pull from.
“I come from a different background and haven’t been around him as much, so … he’s asking questions, I’m asking questions. I think to some extent, when you get into this business, those are the things you love about the job and love about the game, so it’s been great.”
Earlier this month, Goff described Petzing as a “great listener” who “really puts the players first.”
What the Cardinals produced under Petzing from 2023-25 was largely underwhelming, but injuries and a general lack of talent, especially when compared to what the Lions have on offense, can’t be ignored, and the highs were certainly promising; Arizona ranked in the top 10 in rushing success rate and EPA per rush in 2023 and 2024.
In a perfect world for the Lions, Petzing gets the offense back to being one of the league’s most efficient rushing attacks while also maintaining its explosiveness, as well as its potency through the air. The new coordinator intends to rely on his established players to help make those ideals into a reality.
“You have some vets in the room that have played a lot of football that I can lean on to coach some things and to say, ‘Hey, you’ve done this at a really high level,’ (like) Saint (Amon-Ra St. Brown), Penei (Sewell), even Jamo (Jameson Williams) and Gibby (Jahmyr Gibbs),” Petzing said. “Like, ‘Hey, you guys have done some great things. How do you think about this? How do you coach this? Let me hear that in front of the room. Let other guys learn from your experience.’
“And I think they’ve done a great job of embracing that and trying to make the players around them better.”
rsilva@detroitnews.com
@rich_silva18
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Lions OC Drew Petzing leaning on vets as offensive install continues
Reporting by Richard Silva, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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By Richard Silva, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
