Will Lions Have Traditional Fullback in 2025?

Exploring whether Detroit Lions will operate offense with traditional fullback.

Detroit Lions offensive coordinator John Morton. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Detroit Lions will have new leadership for their offense in John Morton, but their identity is expected to remain the same.

Morton was a part of the staff that first installed what became a very explosive scheme in 2022 under coordinator Ben Johnson. With Johnson departing to become the head coach of the Bears, Morton is expected to maintain a familiar feel within the offense.

The Lions have all the ingredients of a successful scheme, with star talents at the skill positions and a sturdy offensive line built with two reliable bookend tackles. As a result, Morton believes the team has a lot of the desired elements to work at a high level once again in 2025.

“A lot of it was already here. I was here two years ago, right? So a lot of it — there’s a lot of stuff that I helped put in that I already know, (that) they already know," Morton said. "So there’s just a few wrinkles. No, not really. What’s your team? What do you got? Okay, what are they good at? Okay, let’s do that.”

One area that remains uncertain regarding the offense is whether or not the group will have a traditional fullback. In years past the Lions have often leaned on their third tight end to occupy the role.

The last true fullback the Lions had was Jason Cabinda, who held the role from the 2021 season until he suffered an injury in 2023. When he was injured, the Lions turned to linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez for a spell to occupy the position.

Last season, the Lions leaned on Parker Hesse and later Shane Zylstra to handle the duties. With Zylstra still currently on roster, he could be the leading candidate if he makes the team out of training camp.

There are other options on the roster, such as free agent signing Kenny Yeboah or undrafted free agent Zach Horton. As a result, how the Lions decide to operate with the position will be a storyline to monitor throughout training camp.

Detroit could also get creative at the position by utilizing defensive players at the position.

As Morton explained earlier in the offseason, some of what the Lions do with the position will depend on situation and opposing defenses.

“It’s always good. And what kind of fullback is that? Is that against base defense?" Morton explained. "Everybody’s got some type of fullback, but if you get a base defense, you can have some different things. But yeah, you would like to. We’ll train some guys and see if they can do it. If not, then we’ll continue on.”