Photo Credit: Alex Grimm/Getty Images.

After a lackluster season, Dan Campbell mentioned “big changes coming” for this Detroit Lions team. The first of those changes was moving on from former offensive coordinator John Morton. The Lions were forced to replace Ben Johnson after he skipped town for Chicago, and the offense clearly struggled. Campbell was a fine play caller, but in my opinion he works best when he doesn’t have to call plays. With that being said, hiring an offensive coordinator is a huge priority for the Lions.

Regardless of whether Dan Campbell will be calling plays or not, the Lions desperately need to go get an offensive coordinator that can ease some of the burden on Campbell overall. I personally believe finding someone who can call plays would be the best idea, as Campbell had somewhat of an up and down season as play caller. I also think Campbell would benefit from only handling management responsibilities, as the Lions lacked some of that as the season went on. I would prefer someone with prior head coaching experience, as Campbell could definitely use the help when it comes to game management.

Mike McDaniel (MIA HC): McDaniel was relieved of his coaching duties in Miami after a lackluster season overall, where the Dolphins went 7-10, and benched their franchise quarterback a the end of the season. However, I believe the Dolphins did him a disservice in ways, specifically adding talent along the offensive line. McDaniel is likely at the top of my list, as he has been one of the better offensive minds in the NFL for a few years now. He would be able to help the pass and run game, as he has shown over his coaching career. He would be able to unlock Jameson Williams even more, and likely would figure out some very fun ways to use Jahmyr Gibbs. My issue with McDaniel is I’m not sure if he fits the mold of coaches Campbell has tended to bring in, but nonetheless, he should be very high on their list. During his time in Miami, he had a record of 35-33 and had a lot of success offensively. Miami was first in total offense, passing yards, and yards per carry in 2023 and tied a franchise record for points in a single game against Denver in the same season. Tua Tagovailoa also led the league in passing yards that season. In his first 2 seasons, he was widely thought of as one of the premier offensive minds in football. Obviously, they didn’t have the same success this season, but there’s a plethora of reasons for that. It is obvious to me that McDaniel will be highly sought after this hiring cycle.

Pete Carmichael (DEN Asst.): Carmichael has been in the league for a total of 25 years, and spent some time in New Orleans from 2006-23. He slowly climbed his way from quarterbacks coach, all the way up to offensive coordinator, a role he held from 2009-23. Not only does he have extensive experience, he also spent a lot of that time in the same meeting rooms as Dan Campbell. In 2024, he followed Sean Payton to Denver, where he became a highly respected assistant, and has helped get Denver to the top of the league. Carmichael coordinated an elite offense during his time in New Orleans, having multiple top 5 and top 10 finishes in both passing, scoring, and total yardage. He is also the holder for the longest tenure as a coordinator of anyone in the NFL with 15 straight seasons with the Saints. Now, Carmichael obviously wasn’t the architect of the offense, as he didn’t call the plays, but he was instrumental in game planning as well as in game adjustments. If Carmichael was hired, I would assume Campbell would continue to call plays, and Carmichael would have a similar role to the one he had in New Orleans. However, when Payton left, Carmichael took over the play calling duties under new head Coach Dennis Allen. He didn’t last long though, as most felt his play calling was stale and unimaginative, and the Saints offense suffered. He was eventually let go when Allen was fired.

Brian Daboll (Giants HC): Daboll was recently let go as Giants Head Coach, but he is still highly touted as an offensive mind. In my opinion, this would be the ideal hire. Daboll and Campbell go way back, when they were on the Dolphins staff together in 2011. They have kept in touch as well, maintaining a solid relationship. Daboll has extensive coaching experience. I think this is a no brainer, home run hire if it happens. Daboll has had a fairly productive career as an offensive coach, starting his NFL coaching career in New England under Bill Bellichick, where he would go on to be a part of five of their Super Bowl wins. He also coached with the Jets, Browns, Chiefs, Alabama, and the Bills. He was a key part in Josh Allen’s progressing from raw talent to MVP winner, and the Bills had the number two offense in yards and scoring in 2020. During his time as Giants Head Coach, he showed the ability to lead, and win, as he took them to the playoffs in his first year. However, the winning didn’t last, as he ended his Giants tenure with a record of 20-40-1. The past few years the Giants offense has faltered, as they ranked 30th in points and 29th in yards in 2023, they ranked 31st in scoring and 30th in yards in 2024. They had a bit of an uptick offensively this year, as they ranked 17th in points and 13th in yards. Either way, Daboll has shown he has the mind for it, and he would be right at the top of my list if he doesn’t get another shot at a head coach job.

JT Barrett (Bears QBs): Barrett is the least likely of everyone on this list, simply due to his inexperience. He coached with the Lions last season, so there is some familiarity. However, I would like to see him have some play calling experience at a high level before I hand the keys to our Super Bowl run to him. He played quarterback at Ohio State (as most of you remember ‘JT was short’), and was relatively successful, but never found success playing in the NFL, and he transitioned to coaching rather quickly. I would personally prefer to go with a more proven talent, or at least one who has called plays.

Eric Bienemy (Bears RBs): Bienemy is a guy who had a lot of prior success, specifically in his time with Kansas City. He was also a big proponent in the Bears run game this year serving as running backs coach. However, he had his shot to be an OC in Washington, and he was fired rather quickly. He was also fired at UCLA after one season, so the Kansas City days may have been a flash in the pan for him. Personally, I don’t think Bienemy is a good idea, mainly due to all of his success essentially coming under other great offensive minds like Reid and Johnson. Plus, getting fired after one year at two separate places is not a good sign.

Kevin Stefanski (Browns HC): Stefanski is another one I would be absolutely elated for. The two time NFL coach of the year, who beat out Cambpell both times, was recently let go by the Browns. This was a huge mistake in my opinion, as the real issue there is their GM, but that’s another conversation. Stefanski would not only bring a new play caller, but he brings Head Coach experience, and would really help this staff in general. We had a lot of management issues and this would likely negate those. Stefanski started his career with a long thirteen year stint in Minnesota, where he eventually took over as OC in 2019. He was immediately hired as Browns head coach the following season, where he stayed until now. Outside of 2024 and 2025, every offense Stefanski coached was top 18 in yards and top 20 in points. Overall, Stefanski has proven to be able to produce with different players, and stay relatively consistent. We could also really use his voice in the locker room, as the Lions could use an injection of new ideas. He is likely to get multiple head coach interviews through this process, but if he doesn’t get hired, the Lions would be a perfect spot for him to go.

Kliff Kingsbury (Commanders OC): Kingsbury is another I really like, as he was recently let go by Washington. But similar to Stefanski, he is a guy who will be highly touted by many teams, and he will receive Head Coach interviews. But similar to Stefanski again, there are no guarantees he will get a head job. Kingsbury would be a very good option, as he brings a high end offensive mind and experience as a head Coach and coordinator. He has had a relatively up and down coaching career so far, as he was fired from Texas Tech, but was immediately hired by the Cardinals to be their head coach. His time in Arizona was also up and down, as his offenses ranked as low as 29th in yards, and as high as 6th. He was fired following the 2022 season, and it took him a year to get back into the NFL, where he took over as the Commanders offensive coordinator. However, in his first season there, they ranked 7th in yards and 5th in points with a rookie quarterback, and won a playoff game. The following season they ranked 22nd in both yards and points, but with a backup quarterback most of the season. Kingsbury being let go was a bit of a surprise, and Dan Quinn, their head coach, didn’t like the move.

Todd Monken (Ravens OC): Monken started his career in 1989, joining the college ranks where he worked his way up, eventually joining the NFL in 2007. He bounced from NFL to college and back up until 2016, where he took the offensive coordinator job in Tampa Bay. He was there for 3 seasons, and had his best year in 2019, ranking third in yards and 12th in points, but decided to leave Tampa for Cleveland. He didn’t have the most productive year in Cleveland, ranking 22nd in both yards and points. He joined Georgia as their offensive coordinator the following season, where he stayed before returning to the NFL in 2023. Monken was recently fired by the Ravens, after spending the last 3 seasons there as the offensive coordinator. In his first two seasons, Baltimore’s offense was elite, ranking top 5 in both scoring and yards. In his first season calling plays, they ranked 6th in yards and 4th in points, he then followed that up with ranking 1st in yards and 3rd in points. They did take a decent drop off this year though, ranking 16th in yards and 11th in points, but that was without superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson for a lot of it. Monken isn’t necessarily on my short list of names, but he would be an intriguing one. His overall experience and offensive acumen would make me feel pretty good, but you’d expect a bit better production at times from the offenses he had.

Tommy Rees (Browns OC): Rees has been in the NFL for a very short time, but has fast tracked his way to getting head coaching interviews this cycle. I personally am not that intrigued by him, as I need to see more before I put my eggs in that basket. He has just one season as an OC in the NFL, and they ranked 30th in points and 31st in yards. Prior to that, Rees was the OC at Notre Dame and Alabama, which opened the door to the NFL for him. I would like to see him get some more experience, but I wouldn’t be that surprised if he gets a big job.

David Blough (Commanders QBs): Blough played quarterback for the Lions from 2019-21, where he was the backup. He started his coaching career in Washington just last year as the quarterbacks coach, and still holds the position. Blough has received a lot of hype around NFL circles as a potential future play caller. I don’t think I’d want him at this point, as he has 0 experience as a play caller, and is just barely removed from playing. He was brought in for an interview already though, so the Lions are at least actually considering him.

Brian Callahan (Titans HC): Callahan was fired by Tennessee after just 6 games this year. However, prior to that, he was the OC in Cincinnatti, which got him hired by Tennessee in the first place. I really only like the idea of Callahan due to his experience with the offensive line, and having head coach experience. My biggest gripe with Callahan is the simple fact he hasn’t had a lot of experience calling plays in the NFL. He was the play caller in Tennessee for 2024, and the first 3 games in 2025 before handing play calling duties over, which is not a good sign. I personally don’t think I’d be a huge fan of it, but I wouldn’t hate it either if he was the hire.

Davis Webb (Broncos PGC): Another recent backup quarterback, Webb has had a little more experience than Blough, but still gives me pause for the same reasons. However, he is receiving head coaching interviews this cycle, so the NFL seems to believe in him. During his playing days, Webb was known as a very cerebral player. He helped develop other quarterbacks, and was seen as a coach with pads on. Webb started his career with Denver in 2023, as the quarterbacks coach. It didn’t take long for him to get promoted, as he received the passing game coordinator title in 2025. He is known for his work with Bo Nix, as well as just helping the Broncos pass game overall. I personally wouldn’t love it for the same reasons as Blough, but sometimes you have to take the risk to get the reward, and at least he has more experience.

Mike Kafka (Giants OC): Kafka started his NFL coaching career in Kansas City, as a quality control coach in 2017, he received a promotion to quarterbacks coach in 2018, and would hold that job until 2022 when he took over the Giants offensive coordinator job. He had some success in New York, but didn’t really always have the talent to take advantage of it. He also took over as interim head coach after Daboll was fired, and recently interviewed to keep the job permanently. I like the idea of Kafka coming over, as he has been a good offensive mind for a few years now, and offers the experience we badly need.

Nathan Scheelhaase (Rams PGC): Last, but not least, the Rams pass game coordinator. He has become a very hot name the past few years, even holding a few OC interviews last cycle. I personally really like the idea of adding him, as he has a lot of experience, although not a lot of play calling, it’s still more than some on this list. He started in the college ranks, where he was an offensive assistant at Illinois and Iowa State. He would become the OC at ISU in 2023 before taking a job in LA as an offensive assistant. He has been getting even more love this cycle, with multiple teams looking to interview him for the OC or HC positions. The Rams have always been a great offense, but they have benefited from adding Scheelhaase, as they went from 27th in yards before him, to tenth and first with him. He might just be the right guy for us, he brings youth, experience, and comes from a highly touted coaching staff.

IN-HOUSE CANDIDATES:

Hank Fraley (Lions OL): Fraley has been a mainstay for the Lions offense for years now, heading a group that was once among the best in the league. He also received a handful of OC interviews last off-season, so it may not be that big of a stretch. In my opinion, I’m not so sure Fraley is really going to get high consideration for the job, as Dan didn’t really give him a look this last off-season when he decided to hire Morton. Nonetheless, Fraley is an offensive mind that has been in the building, and knows this team well. You may need to offer him the OC job just to keep him in the building.

David Shaw (Lions Asst.): Shaw is another possible in-house hire, but this one I don’t really like. He was a solid HC at Stanford, but was not a great play caller. I fully expect Shaw to stay in his current role.

Scottie Montgomery (Lions WRs): Montgomery is a fun option, as he has been gaining some hype around the league recently. He took an interview for the Cowboys OC job last year, which he obviously didn’t get. However, this could signal his ability and the possibility that Campbell decides to promote him. Im not so sure on this one, as I personally would like to see someone from outside brought in. However, if he’s the right guy, I can’t complain.

We took names from all over the league, old, young, and in-between. There is a plethora of talent available, and the Lions need to make the right choice if they want to succeed in 2026. The Lions have big shoes to fill in Ben Johnson, and they failed to do so this season, We shall see where they look, and it should heat up rather quickly. I expect someone to be hired sooner than later.

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