Detroit Lions move on from Jim Bob Cooter: Who’s the next OC?
The Detroit Lions made the decision to move on from offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter on New Years Day. Who will be the next OC in Motown?
It was nearly four years ago when Jim Bob Cooter took over as offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions. And during his tenure, the Lions’ passing offense one of the most lethal in the entire NFL. Now, Detroit has decided to part ways with the 34-year old coordinator.
On Tuesday, the Lions announced they will not be renewing Cooter’s contract in Detroit. Once a hot name as a possible head coach, Motown’s recent offensive woes and past inability to run the ball make his future uncertain.
During his tenure, the Lions fielded one of the top passing attacks in the NFL. But in 2018, Detroit ranked a lowly 20th through the air averaging 224 yards per contest. That’s the passing offense’s lowest ranking since 2009.
It was a bit of a surprise that Cooter remained on the coaching staff in 2018 with Matt Patricia taking over as head coach. But quarterback Matthew Stafford and many of the wideouts in the Lions’ receiver corps supported their offensive coordinator publicly. But their stance seemed to soften this year as the holdover from the Jim Caldwell era failed to impress in what was essentially an interview of a season.
The past season the Lions placed 24th in total offensive yards (5,236), 25th in scoring offense (20.3), 20th in passing yards per game (223.5) and 23rd in rushing yards per contest (103.8). Detroit’s season-ending 6-10 record is their worst since 2012.
Lions All-QB mock draft, 7 rounds to find the future. dark. Next
The Detroit Lions are now in the market for an offensive coordinator. Some of the names that have been speculated about are Lions’ current quarterback coach George Godsey, Los Angeles Ram’s passing game coordinator Shane Waldron and current Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Scott Linehan.