Detroit Lions fans are still wrapping their heads around the teams' decision to buck Mike McDaniel and hire Drew Petzing as their next offensive coordinator. Sure, the Lions have enough talent currently on the roster to make almost any hire look good, but they went with a very safe option considering everyone available this season.
Petzing, who had one season of success with the Arizona Cardinals and several others of mediocrity (mostly due to injuries, although, it's not like the Lions are any healthier), will have the weight of Detroit on his shoulders to open up the 2026 season. But, he'll at least have a familiar face already on the Lions' coaching staff to help him along.
Hank Fraley, the Lions' run game coordinator and offensive line coach, worked with Petzing on the Minnesota Vikings between 2014 and 2017. That's a great fit between an OC that will want to get the run game going again and a line coach that is hoping to see some major improvement with a revamped O-line headed into 2026.
Tidy relationship between Fraley, Petzing could help along Lions offense
By the numbers, the Lions had an OK rushing season: 120.1 rushing yards per game, with an average of 4.6 yards per carry between their most utilized duo in Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. But, obvious run blocking issues made it so that the Lions lived and died by their run game. When they weren't getting much going on the ground, they were losing - and badly.
The Cardinals, on the other hand, finished up second to last in rushing yards per game with 93.1. They had 4.3 yards per carry on the year, but could barely get a healthy stretch out of their room featuring Michael Carter, James Conner, Emeri Demercado, and Corey Kiner.
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Obviously, not the same firepower featured here compared to what the Lions roster. And, it's worth noting that Demercado actually had his best season under Petzing in 2025, despite the injuries plaguing the rest of the Cardinals' offense.
The run game is going to be a point of emphasis for as long as Dan Campbell is the head coach of the Lions, and Petzing fits that mold nicely. More notable than Campbell, though, will be Petzing's ability to work with O-line and run game coach Hank Fraley.
An already existent relationship between himself and Fraley is a great thing as they work towards the goal of revamping their run game for 2026. Fraley is familiar with Gibbs and Montgomery's work, and also knows what holes have to be plugged on the line to make them more like the Sonic and Knuckles duo fans have grown to love.
It's also extremely important considering the situation that Petzing is leaving behind in Arizona. While there, he thrived while working alongside then-offensive line coach Klayton Adams. Adams helped to establish a run game that relied on a gap scheme that was helped along by a healthy offensive line in 2023 and 2024.
However, Adams walked for an offensive coordinator gig with the Dallas Cowboys in 2025, and then injuries completely disparaged the Cardinals' offensive line. With a relationship having already been established between Petzing and Fraley, you skip over the need to create chemistry between two of the most important coaches for the Lions and their offensive identity.
Of course, the Lions will need to recreate the magic that was their 2024 and 2023 offensive line in order to get the most out of that Fraley-Petzing partnership.
The jury is still out on this hire, but it does feel like the Lions did their homework on Petzing and his fit with what they're looking to get out of the Lions' current roster.