The Detroit Lions will have a lot of changes on their coaching staff, and they are filling out the vacated roles. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter on Thursday morning, former NFL quarterback Bruce Gradkowski is being hired as an offensive assistant.
Gradkowski is best-known for his 11 NFL seasons as a backup signal caller with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, St. Louis Rams, Cleveland Browns, Oakland Raiders, Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers, starting 20 games and appearing in 37 over the course of his career.
Gradkowski got his start in coaching as a volunteer assistant quarterbacks coach at Anthony Wayne High School in Ohio in 2017. From there was head coach at St. Francis de Sales High School for one season before becoming an offensive analyst at Toledo (his alma mater) in 2022.
Gradkowski spent the last two seasons as the offensive coordinator for the St. Louis Battlehawks in the XFL and UFL. In 2023 the Battlehawks had the second-best scoring offense in the XFL (24.9 points per game). In 2024 they had the second-best scoring offense in the UFL (26 points per game), as they went 7-3 during the regular season and lost to the San Antonio Brahmas in the conference championship round.
Battlehawks quarterback A.J. McCarron has two solid seasons at the helm of Gradkowski's offense. In 2023 was the top-rated passer in the XFL (108.4 passer rating) and he also led the league in completion rate (68.8 percent) piloting Gradkowski's offense. His numbers weren't on that level in 2024, but he was still the third-highest rated passer in the UFL with 15 touchdown passes in nine regular season games.
Lions hire Bruce Gradkowkski to offensive staff
Gradkowski's exact title is not yet known. He could be a general offensive assistant in his first NFL coaching opportunity, or he's a possible candidate to replace the departed J.T. Barrett as assistant quarterback coach. Barrett followed Ben Johnson to become the quarterbacks coach for the Chicago Bears.
The only tie Gradkowski seems to have to anyone with the Lions goes back to his time with the Rams in 2008, when Lions general manager Brad Holmes was a Rams' scout. But Mike Renner of CBS Sports thinks he'll be a great fit, and he's another former NFL player on the coaching staff as Dan Campbell has made having former players on his staff a priority since he arrived in Detroit.