The Friday before the Detroit Lions took on the Washington Commanders in Week 10, head coach Dan Campbell teased changes to the offense without going all the way with his words.
"You’d be shocked by—you tweak one little thing, I’m telling you, you tweak one little thing and all of a sudden it just cleans everything up and it just takes off, and the knock in the engine is gone,” Campbell said. "It’s not as bad as people think it is. And it really doesn’t take much, just a little tightening here.”
"I've got a million ideas. And I believe it’s going to work this week. And if it doesn’t, then I’ve got another idea. I’ve got plenty. We’ll get this thing going."
The full reveal of changes to the Lions' offense came on the field that Sunday afternoon. Campbell wears a headset all the time, and he carries a sheet with the offensive plays on it. But the glasses he was wearing told the world he was actually reading the play sheet, and calling the plays.
Campbell took over the play-calling in the middle of his first season as Lions' head coach, and it was an obvious pre-cursor to letting offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn go when the season was over. This time, John Morton's weeks on the Lions' coaching staff were going to be numbered after he had play calling duties taken from him.
There's a slim possibility Morton stays on the Lions' staff in a similar role to what he had in 2022, as a senior offensive assistant. But it's far more likely he is amicably let go, or he finds a better opportunity elsewhere. No amount of his willingness to stay around can cover up having play calling taken away, and everyone involved knows it.
It's clear that Campbell should not retain play calling duties next season, just as he didn't in 2022 after taking them in 2021. He also should have little trouble finding the kind of experienced offensive coordinator/play caller he needs, and no stone should be left unturned on that front.
An internal hire would be comfortable and easy, but that's practically what Morton was and the lesson there should be clear. A fresh voice, with new ideas, is practically necessary after the offense broadly underachieved like it did this season.
An ideal offensive coordinator candidate is lined up to fall right into Dan Campbell's lap
Week 18 brings all kinds of reports and speculation about head coaches who will be fired. The sentiment on a few names was clear-cut, and one of those names was Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski.
A win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday gave the Browns a 5-12 record this season, and a 8-26 record over the last two seasons. Name a national reporter, and they were expecting Stefanski to be fired.
And, at almost 9 A.M. on the dot on Monday morning following the Browns' Week 18 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Stefanski had been canned.
All things considered, a 45-56 record over what would be six seasons as Browns' head coach would not be a huge black mark on Stefanski's resume. He was not put in a position to succeed over the last two seasons, rooted in the fallout from the disastrous trade for Deshaun Watson.
He won Coach of the Year twice in his first four seasons in Cleveland, with a 37-30 record and two playoff appearances over that span.
He could be a candidate for head coaching jobs elsewhere. Maybe his availability will spur a surprise firing. Or, he could be a candidate for offensive coordinator openings. If he wants to coach next season, he's in line to have some options.
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Counting his one season as Minnesota Vikings' offensive coordinator in 2019, Stefanski has guided two top-10 scoring offenses and four top-10 rushing offenses in seven seasons as a play caller. As the Lions look to get their run game back on track next season, rooted in fixing the offensive line, Stefanski seems to align well with what Campbell wants the core of the offense to be.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk added to the idea Stefanski could land on his feet quickly after being fired by the Browns, but moreso potentially as a head coach.
"For Stefanski, the next question becomes whether he lands on his feet immediately, not as a coordinator but as a head coach. We’ve already caught wind of one team that would potentially view him as a viable option, if that team makes a change."
It's also possible Stefanski, even if he has an option or two, will not want to go right to being a head coach somewhere else after his experience in Cleveland. That would theoretically push him toward considering offers to be an offensive coordinator somewhere, and the Lions will have an opening when whatever move that's made with Morton is made official.
As Campbell considers offensive coordinator candidates he'd like to interview, which he has probably been doing for weeks, Stefanski should be high on the list as he's now officially available.