The Detroit Lions have clearly been inundated with too many decent candidates for their open offensive coordinator role, and there was bound to be at least one dud in the bunch of names being thrown into their general direction as good John Morton replacements.
Finally, the Lions found that name: Greg Roman. The Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator was fired after the team lost in embarassing fashion to the New England Patriots in the AFC Wild Card, ending what was clearly a bad fit from the jump between Roman and the Chargers' offense.
Roman is the perfect embodiment of what the Lions need to avoid in their next offensive coordinator: predictable play-calling and a lack of preparedness for strong defensive fronts.
We saw what happend against the Patriots, and with Chargers players coming out after the game to say that they had no idea what New England was even throwing at them. It's both a nod to Mike Vrabel's work, but also, to just how weak Roman's reign was over the Chargers' offense.
Chargers writer perfectly encapsulates why Lions must avoid Greg Roman
Jason Reed of Bolt Beat wrote of Roman's firing:
"The real key for the Chargers is finding a new offensive voice that can inject fresh life into the offense. The last thing the Chargers need is another retread offensive coordinator who has a dated offensive style. It didn't work with Roman, and it won't work if the team simply brings in an offensive coordinator with a similar mindset."
Sound familiar?
One of the biggest issues with Morton this season was his inability to get creative with two key tools on the Lions' offense: Jameson Williams, and David Montgomery. Both struggled to find consistent touches in his offense, which is a huge indictment on any OC - how can you not find a way to get Williams involved in your pass game, unless you just hate explosive plays?
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Detroit has to aim higher for their next OC. Mike McDaniel would be an excellent fit for their current roster, as well as the other coordinator linked to them this week, Mike Kafka. Even if they did stay internal, someone like Scottie Montgomery would be perceived a whole lot better given his familiarity with the teams' receiving corp and running back room.
The Lions finally have a coordinator they won't have to worry about courting, because it doesn't seem like Roman would be a great fit for them, anyway. Or really, for any offense looking to make strides in 2026.