Drew Petzing was named the Detroit Lions offensive coordinator this past week, a decision that caused mixed reactions among the fan base. It appears that the decision to add Petzing to the Lions coaching staff was influenced by someone working under Dan Campbell.
According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, Lions offensive line coach and run game coordinator Hank Fraley gave his recommendation of Petzing to become the offensive play-caller. A year after Detroit kept Fraley and added run game coordinator to his title, the long-time coach had some sway in convincing Campbell who to hire to replace John Morton.
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Heading into 2026, Campbell and Petzing had never worked together. However, Fraley and Petzing were colleagues on the Minnesota Vikings coaching staff from 2014–16. During that time, the new offensive coordinator for Detroit worked as an offensive assistant and later as the assistant wide receivers coach.
Some could see this as the organization repeating its mistake from last offseason, when Campbell went with familiarity by hiring Morton to replace Ben Johnson. However, coaches bounce around the league when working their way up the proverbial ladder, and there would likely be crossover on the Lions coaching staff regardless of who was hired to take over for Morton.
There is another potential appeal here for Detroit. Given how his tenure ended as the Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator, Petzing likely will not be viewed as a top NFL coaching candidate in 2027. That could mean continuity for the Lions offense over the next two-plus seasons, something they have not had since 2024.
Besides, the primary reason Petzing was brought in is because of his background in orchestrating an effective and explosive rushing attack. Campbell clearly wants to get back to the offensive identity the team had during its peak seasons, which means running the football more in 2026.
