Grading Detroit Lions Hiring New Offensive Coordinator Drew Petzing

The Detroit Lions turned to a relatively under-the-radar candidate in naming Drew Petzing as their next offensive coordinator.

Petzing arrives from Arizona, where he spent the past three seasons calling plays for the Cardinals.

His resume is a mixed bag of sorts.

In 2025, Arizona’s offense ranked 23rd in points scored and 19th in total yards. Those numbers don’t jump off the page, especially for a Lions team trying to sustain one of the league’s most productive attacks. However, context matters here.

The Cardinals dealt with instability at the quarterback position, with Kyler Murray limited to just five games and Jacoby Brissett suiting up under center for the rest of the team’s 2025 contests. That inconsistency inevitably limited the offense’s productivity.

Where Petzing earns points is in how he tailored his system to his personnel, and few coordinators leaned into tight end usage more aggressively.

Arizona led the NFL in snaps out of 13 personnel over the past three seasons, and tight end Trey McBride reaped the benefits.

McBride’s career-best ‘25 campaign – 126 catches for 1,239 yards – stands out as one of the strongest indicators of Petzing’s schematic strengths. That certainly should bode well for Lions Pro Bowl tight end Sam LaPorta.

The run game is where the assessment of Petzing becomes more complicated.

In 2025, Arizona finished 31st in rushing yards and dead last in rushing attempts. That imbalance will raise concerns for a Lions team built around physicality and efficiency on the ground.

Yet, that doesn’t tell the full story about Petzing’s play-calling philosophy.

In 2024, the Cardinals ranked seventh in rushing yards and eighth in rushing touchdowns, showing he is capable of fielding a productive ground attack when the personnel and health cooperate.

Arizona running back James Conner averaged 93 yards per game under Petzing when he was healthy in 2023 and ‘24, a promising sign as Petzing now gets to work with Jahmyr Gibbs in the Lions’ backfield.

And perhaps most importantly, Petzing’s offensive mentality aligns with Lions head man Dan Campbell’s core beliefs.

He prefers to establish the run and then punish defenses through play-action. That approach should mesh well with Detroit signal-caller Jared Goff, who has thrived in structured, timing-based systems.

With dynamic pass-catchers Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and LaPorta at his disposal, Petzing is equipped with far more offensive firepower than he ever possessed in Arizona.

Sure, Petzing doesn't come with as much fanfare as former Dolphins head man Mike McDaniel or even ex-Giants interim head coach Mike Kafka and former Falcons offensive play-caller Zac Robinson.

Yet, the Lions could have done a lot worse than tabbing Petzing to be their next offensive coordinator (e.g. Arthur Smith).

He's no home-run hire, but his previous play-calling experience and run-first mentality should allow him to be a clear-cut upgrade over John Morton.

At this present juncture, I'll give the Lions’ decision to hire the 38-year-old a “C+” grade.

More from Detroit Lions OnSI