New Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Drew Petzing will be called upon to get the Lions’ offense playing with more efficiency and consistency after some major struggles in both of those areas last season.
Petzing, hired from Arizona after three seasons as the Cardinals’ offensive coordinator, spoke to reporters for the first time since the NFL combine in February.
“It's been great,” Petzing said of the OTA experience. “I mean, it's been fun out there now, even in pajamas. I think guys are working hard, trying to come together as a unit, trying to improve as individuals. It’s been a lot of fun.”
Dan Campbell on Sunday: “Listen, we did not handle some of the communication well. ...That’s the bottom line. We’re better than that. We just are.”
— Colton Pouncy (@colton_pouncy) November 6, 2025
John Morton on Thursday: "Our communication has been really good, ever since the Green Bay game. It's been really good."
On Thursday, head coach Dan Campbell was asked about the biggest improvement Petzing has brought to the offense and suggested those same issues have not existed with the new guy so far.
“I think just everything being tied together,” Campbell said. “There’s one voice and then it spreads from there. We have an outstanding staff, I really believe that. I think, man, those guys across the board are really good. And so, I think just having that one voice, clear communication.”
Campbell explained the benefit of Petzing clearly identifying how he wants certain concepts and protections to look, and how it makes it easier for players to understand their roles and execute without thinking.
“We can always change it if we need to, but at least we’re all on the same page just from the get-go,” he said. “He’s done a good job with that.”
Petzing's communication already seems to be helping the Lions
Even though he’s had a few months of onboarding, Petzing is still fairly green in his role as the Lions offensive coordinator – it’s June, after all. This time of year is all about teaching and laying the groundwork for what he wants the offense to be.
Petzing was asked about his process as a teacher, and how he gets to understand the different ways each player in the offense learns things. He said reaching that understanding for each player may be “the most important thing we do” as coaches.
“I feel like my job is to stay on top of that,” he said of adjusting to each player’s learning style.
“The position coaches do that at a really high level, and I love the guys that we’ve got and the way that they’re going about that so far this offseason. But it is an individual thing, and you pull from other experience and other guys you’ve worked with. You try to get that guy to communicate with you on how he learns best and what he needs from us to be successful.”
The Lions believe their issues from last season are correctable. They’ve got a world-class collection of skill player talent, a cerebral veteran quarterback and a revamped offensive line— after the unit collapsed last season in both run blocking and pass protection.
Petzing understands this, and isn’t out to overhaul things completely even if it’s understood the Lions need some new ideas in the mix.
“There's a number of vets [here] who have played at a really high level,” Petzing said. “So, I don't want to come in here and rip it all up and make them learn an entirely new language, but there's going to be tweaks. There's going to be changes, and I think they've done a great job of handling that.”
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Quarterback Jared Goff is arguably Petzing’s No. 1 priority in terms of finding a connection. Goff and former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson enjoyed a very collaborative relationship, where Goff could bounce ideas off his offensive coordinator and give his own input.
Their partnership resulted in one of the most prolific offenses in NFL history, and so Goff has an idea of what a great offensive coordinator is to him.
"It's knowing when to balance simple, easy concepts with complexities that we can all handle and then knowing how to install and how to keep it fun and then keep the energy up," Goff said. "And then how to hold guys accountable, lead and be able to be in front of a room. [Petzing’s] great at it. He's awesome and it's a lot of fun working with him."
It already sounds like Goff and Petzing are starting to find a groove– one where Goff’s perspective is valued in a way it might not have always been under Morton.
“He's got a lot of his own ideas and he's also very open to listening to everything that we want to do,” Goff said. “It's been a fun synergy between him and I, and our whole offense, our whole offensive staff, everything.”
Petzing clicking with the rest of the organization could be the difference between the Lions getting back to their former 2023-24 selves offensively, or another frustrating roller coaster of a year in 2026.
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