Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell had to navigate the onboarding of two new coordinators last season and is now moving onto his third offensive coordinator in as many years after cutting ties with John Morton in January.
Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur knows a little bit about that and recently spoke candidly about the difficulty of top assistants moving on to different opportunities.
“I do think that is a challenge, obviously,” LaFleur said, per Eric Woodyard of ESPN. “[Campbell] lost both of his coordinators, and there’s a little bit of learning curve there and sometimes you have some growing pains, but I still think they’re an elite team.”
Lions Offense Retained Elite Production Last Season After Losing Ben Johnson
GettyGreen Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur.
While the Lions’ offense was able to rebound and finish fifth overall at 373.3 yards per game, in part because Campbell took over play-calling duties mid-season, Detroit finished 9-8 and tied with the Minnesota Vikings for the worst record in the NFC North Division.
After tiebreakers, it was technically a last-place finish for the Lions, which came on the heels of back-to-back division titles and the No. 1 overall seed entering the NFC playoffs the year prior. Detroit missed the postseason for the first time in three years, but LaFleur added that the team’s struggles in 2026 don’t change how the Packers consider the Lions as opponents.
“Dan Campbell’s a stud. He is an unbelievable football coach. Got a ton of respect for him. What he’s been able to establish here, the culture that they have,” LaFleur continued. “You know you better strap it up when you’re going to play the Detroit Lions.”
Drew Petzing Faces Pressure to Produce High-Level Offense for Lions Immediately
GettyOffensive coordinator Drew Petzing of the Detroit Lions.
How the Lions’ offense goes in 2026 is likely to serve as a barometer of how the team’s season plays out, as new coordinator Drew Petzing is going to have to run up the score frequently to cover for an injury-riddled defense in Detroit.
Petzing, who joined the Lions this offseason as Morton’s replacement following a three-year stint with the Arizona Cardinals, also spoke with Woodyard. During that conversation, he talked in general terms about the type of system he intends to install.
“It needs to be physical, it needs to be tough, it needs to be difficult to defend and it needs to be multiple at times,” Petzing said. “It’s not going to all run through one person, it’s not going to run through one personnel, it’s going to change week to week. I think that’s important in this league. Defensive coordinators, I think, do things at a really high level.”
The coaching crossover in the NFC North alone should provide incredibly interesting matchups in what will likely prove a tight division all season long. Petzing, now the Lions’ OC, was the coordinator under Jonathan Gannon in Arizona for three years. After the Cardinals fired Gannon this offseason, he joined LaFleur’s staff as the Packers’ defensive coordinator.
Meanwhile, former Lions OC Ben Johnson, who Morton replaced last year, took over as head coach of the reigning division champion Chicago Bears in 2025.
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