The Detroit Lions might've already taken care of their huge vacancy at offensive coordinator, but there are plenty of other coaching moves that can impact them this offseason.
Namely, the potential for losing either Scottie Montgomery or Hank Fraley remains in the air, especially now as the Baltimore Ravens just poached Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle to be their OC moving forward, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
That leaves head coach Ben Johnson with the job of finding Doyle's replacement, and wouldn't it just make too much sense to see him bark up the Lions' tree for that job? Montgomery and Fraley remain options for Johnson now, as Montgomery had already been interviewing for the vacant OC role in Baltimore and with Fraley having been considered for some coveted OC roles just last season.
Lions could see a favorite coach poached by Ben Johnson
Johnson might have some actual interest in one of Montgomery or Fraley for that open job. They would have obviously had a working history with one another from their respective times with the Lions, and Johnson is probably seeking to hire a replacement he can work with and trust on that level.
Montgomery, who was the Lions' wide receivers coach and an assistant head coach this past season, feels like the most interesting hire between the option of him and Fraley. He was the OC of Maryland's program between 2019-2020, and has experience as both a running backs coach and a wide receivers coach with the Lions, Indianapolis Colts, and Pittsburgh Steelers.
He'd be a huge loss for the Lions on one specific front, and that's in their pursuit of keeping David Mongtomery on the roster headed into 2026. Montgomery, who had been dropping hints all of last season about his dissatisfaction with his role in the Lions' offense, could be a trade or cut candidate for Detroit if they can't retain Montgomery on the coaching staff.
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The two have a great relationship, and it feels like an inevitability that if the coach walks, Montgomery will walk, too.
With Fraley, Johnson would also be getting some great experience added to his staff. The offensive line coach has been one of the best in the league while with the Lions, with the one down year for him being the one down year in general for Detroit's O-line: 2025. That's not really a knock on his performance as a coach, though.
Both would bring a ton of experience in getting the run game going to Chicago, something that they needed consistently this past year. Johnson would probably love the opportunity to not only get that established with the hire of one of these coaches, but would love the chance to get a jab in against his former employer.