The Detroit Lions are still seeking to replace John Morton this offseason, almost two weeks removed from their last game against the Chicago Bears in Week 18. There are a few solid candidates on the market at the moment, including Mike McDaniel and Mike Kafka, and some less desirable candidates.
One name that hasn't popped up for them on their interview docket, though, is Brian Daboll. Daboll had a bit of a tumultuous final year as the New York Giants' head coach, getting accused of being reckless with Jaxson Dart's safety and being generally difficult to work with as the head snake in charge of the team.
But, Daboll had some really successful years as the offensive coordinator for Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills' offense, which has to win over some goodwill from teams like the Lions looking to generate that same success deep in the postseason.
Daboll is reportedly set to take several OC interviews in coming weeks, and it'd make sense for the Lions to bark up that tree.
Daboll would make perfect sense to interview for Lions' OC job
Assuming McDaniel isn't swayed to take a demotion from head coach back to OC this coming season, Daboll could be a nice pivot for the Lions and head coach Dan Campbell. Campbell and Daboll have a friendly history with one another, going back to Daboll's days as the OC for the Miami Dolphins back in 2011.
The two shared an impassioned interview back then, with Campbell seeking to take the Dolphins tight ends coaching job under Daboll:
Daboll, then the Dolphins OC, interviewed Dan Campbell for the TE coaching job in 2011. Daboll said Campbell slamming chairs and hitting walls, was out of breath for half of the interview.
— Dan Duggan (@DDuggan21) November 16, 2022
Campbell got the job ... and was in the next day at 5:30 am power cleaning and squatting.
These are two pretty passionate coaches, which could either go really well or really horribly. Campbell and Ben Johnson worked really well alongside one another, but Johnson wasn't known to be difficult to work with. However, it does feel like a change in responsibilities for Daboll could help contain some of that fire, so to speak, to the booth.
There's also a question of how well that passion would work for Jared Goff, who responded well to Johnson's coaching but clearly didn't mesh completely with Morton during his tenure at OC. Goff is pretty set in his ways as a quarterback at this point in his career: a great pocket passer who can extend plays with an elite offensive line in front of him, and one that cannot if faced with relentless pressure.
Daboll wouldn't have much flexibility to mold Goff in this offense, but rather mold the offense around Goff and the Lions' other huge weapon in Jahmyr Gibbs. Any coordinator would have a field day with the weapons on this Lions roster, but it's a matter of fit.
One important thing to note about Daboll, though: he hasn't fare very well outside of two specific seasons with the Bills. The team ranked 2nd in points and yards in 2020, and 3rd in points and 5th in yards in 2021. Aside from that, he's been hovering around last place or in the middle of the road in those offensive categories. Just something to keep in mind for Lions fans that might be 100% sold on Daboll as a fit.
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Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton perfectly described what Lions fans might expect from Daboll if he were to be interviewed and brought on by Campbell this offseason back in 2024, when Daboll first began to take over play-calling for the Giants in addition to being the head coach:
"I think he's definitely come out and made an emphasis on we need to make more plays down the field. We need to create more explosives -- not just downfield but also catch-and-run scenarios, too. It's something he's really emphasized and I think it's shown if you've watched practice. Even though we haven't hit them all there has been an intention to try to get the ball down the field more."
Explosives, aggressive play-calling, and catch and run scenarios would all fit unbelievably well for this Lions offense assuming the team fixes their holes on the offensive line. Without that, Daboll's style simply might not work. Regardless, he's worth an interview, and it's clear he already has some nice rapport with Campbell from the past.