The offseason move that will have the biggest impact on the Detroit Lions‘ season was hiring offensive coordinator Drew Petzing. ESPN broke down the Lions offseason and pointed to the change in playcallers as a reason to think things will be different in Detroit.
The Lions lost Ben Johnson to the Chicago Bears and went from one of the most dominant teams in the NFL to a team that missed the playoffs. To be fair, other factors led to the drop off, but it was clear that the offense was missing Johnson. The Lions tried John Morton for one year, and it did not work.
Now, they are passing the baton to Drew Petzing, who has been the Arizona Cardinals‘ offensive coordinator for the past three years. While the Cardinals’ offense did not set records, and his stint ended poorly, there are reasons to be optimistic about the fit.
The Detroit Lions are Confident in Drew Petzing
GettyNFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported the Detroit Lions promoted Steve Oliver to tight ends coach under Drew Petzing.
First, the Cardinals dealt with injuries at four of their five offensive line spots, most notably left tackle, where their star Paris Johnson Jr. missed five games. They were without their top two running backs for the majority of the season, and of course, their star quarterback, Kyler Murray, missed significant time.
While the defense was getting the team into shootouts, Petzing had Jacoby Brissett, Michael Carter, and a few backups on the offensive line scoring high volumes of points late into the season.
More than that, Petzing has a strong background and track record that should fit the Lions offense better than Morton.
Drew Petzing fits the Lions Philosophy
Petzing got his first real shot in the NFL in 2014 with the Minnesota Vikings. He was working under Norv Turner, but worked with Kevin Stefanski and Klint Kubiak.
When Stefanski took over as offensive coordinator, he promoted Petzing, who then began to work with Klint’s dad, Gary Kubiak, a legendary offensive mind. When Stefanski went to the Cleveland Browns, he brought Petzing with him. Petzing rose from tight ends coach to quarterbacks coach before moving to Arizona.
Now, Klint Kubiak is one of the hottest offensive minds in the NFL, Stefanski was hired as a head coach after the Browns stint did not work because his offense has always been impressive, and Petzing has jumped to Detroit. If Petzing is next in line, like Kubiak and Stefanski were, the Lions are the perfect team to allow him to break out.
The Kubiak and Stefanski offenses feature multiple tight end usage, wide runs that get their running backs with speed in space, and then shot plays off of that. For a team that has Sam LaPorta, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Jameson Williams, you could not name a better system to put these players in a position to succeed.
It is easy to brush off the issues in Arizona, but it is also fair to be a little wary about how things ended there. Still, most Lions should proceed with optimism when it comes to what Petzing can do in 2026.
ESPN Points to Drew Petzing as Key Lions Move