The Detroit Lions' hiring of Drew Petzing as their new offensive coordinator has landed with a general thud among the fanbase, and there's a fair amount of gymnastics being done to talk fans off that ledge.
Before we see what the Lions' offense looks like with Petzing calling the plays, it's unfair to draw any firm conclusions. But at the same time, Honoluluu Blue-shaded blind faith that Dan Campbell nailed his offensive coordinator right this time around is misplaced. In that case, to reverse paraphrase a very old song, two out of three have been bad.
Jeremy Reisman and Erik Schlitt of Pride of Detroit dedicated a recent podcast episode to the hiring of Petzing as offensive coordinator, and all the tentacles of it.
With Petzing's strong tendency toward using "13" personnel in Arizona (one running back, three tight ends), the Lions are in line to invest some resources into the tight end position this offseason
With that in mind, a live listener to Reisman and Schlitt's podcast inquired about the possibility of signing Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku, whose contract is set to void on February 13.
Before becoming the offensive coordinator in Arizona, Petzing was on the staff of former Cleveland Browns' head coach Kevin Stefanski for three seasons. The first two of those seasons, 2020 and 2021, he was the tight ends coach. So that's the tie that brings Njoku into the conversation for the Lions.
The Browns would take on $24.3 million in dead money attached to Njoku as things are right now. But Reisman also noted how the four void years in his contract, including this year, of course, could be ripe for some kind of contract extension to keep him and reduce that cap number.
Free agent TE with a Drew Petzing tie could easily be on the Lions' radar
In a broader sense, Njoku could be fairly expensive to sign as a free agent if he were available. He'll also turn 30 in July, and he has a noticeable injury history.
With price tag as a consideration, in light of other needs on the Lions' roster, Schlitt brought up a another free agent tight end who also has a tie to Petzing.
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"If you look back to those Cleveland days, Njoku was tight end No. 1", Schlitt said. "But Austin Hooper was TE2, and there was even a season when Hooper was No. 1 and Njoku was No. 2. Well, Hooper's a free agent as well....So maybe this is a guy they take a look at."
Outside of back-to-back 70-plus catch seasons for the Atlanta Falcons in 2019 and 2020, Hooper's numbers don't leap off the page. But he is a reliable pass catcher (two drops over the last four seasons, according to Pro Football Focus), he has averaged more than 10.5 yards per catch in three of the last four seasons, and he has generally been passable as a blocker.
Sam LaPorta's recovery from back surgery possibly already bumped tight end up a notch or two on the list of offseason needs for the Lions. Now, it seems having a TE2 who's better than Brock Wright is a requirement for Petzing's offense to function at its best.
Hooper is surely in that TE2 upgrade conversation. Add in how Petzing has worked with him (and may endorse him), along with the cost not being great, and you've got an easy free agent fit for the Lions.