What Detroit Lions Coordinators Need to Prove in 2026

Following the 2024 season, the Detroit Lions saw both of their coordinators head off to get their first NFL head coach gigs. It left Motown with a new coordinator pairing for the first time since their renaissance truly began.

Unfortunately, the coordinator pairing barely lasted a season, as John Morton lost his offensive playcalling duties, and later his job once 2025 came to an end. Dan Campbell and the front office chose Drew Petzing, the former Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator, as the next man in charge of the dangerous Detroit offense.

Both Petzing and returning defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard enter the season with a lot to prove to help lead Motown back to the playoffs.

Petzing needs to prove his hire was the right move

Simply put, Drew Petzing needs to prove Dan Campbell’s move to acquire the former Cardinal caller was the right one. Petzing faced a multitude of challenges in Arizona, with Kyler Murray’s season ending after week five, following bellcow back James Conner’s season ending in week three.

However, he engineered an offense that had Trey McBride have a career season in the desert, and now is in charge of a deadly Motown offense on paper. Petzing needs to make this Motown offense dangerous and unpredictable, as his predecessor Morton had predictable play calls that led to stagnation. A lack of motion to expose defensive coverages was an early sign of things that went awry for the Lions.

Petzing needs to be willing to mix it up on second-and-long situations. With Morton, and to an extent Dan Campbell, the second-and-long play calls had predictability failed to set up the Lions in better position for third down.

Petzing was picked as the coordinator over options such as Mike Kafka (who was also hired by the Lions), Mike McDaniel, and Arthur Smith, among others.

Sheppard needs to prove he can rebound from adversity

The Lions had a brutal stretch of injuries in 2025, with DJ Reed, Brian Branch, Ennis Rakestraw, Terrion Arnold, Kerby Joseph, Marcus Davenport, Levi Onwuzurike, and Josh Paschal all being among the expected contributors to miss most (or all) of the 2025 season.

The “legion of whom” took over, and it led to mixed results. While some games, namely against the Buccaneers, showed very promising results, it was not the results that Detroit wanted. Whenever the Lions faced a “must get a stop” situation, the defense had struggled.

The pass rush also has to prove it can replace Al-Quadin Muhammad, as he departed via free agency. Muhammad’s role is now set to be replaced by DJ Wonnum, rookie Derrick Moore, and Payton Turner.

Sheppard’s defense lacks continuity entering his second year, as the linebacker room also saw captain Alex Anzalone take his talents elsewhere.

The defensive back room faces a much more severe situation, as nickel Amik Robertson departed in free agency, along with Terrion Arnold being released after his offseason arrest and ongoing legal trouble. Compounding things is safety duo Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch each expected to miss time at the start of the season.

While the injuries did add up for Detroit in 2025, along with them adding up already for 2026, there is not an excuse for Sheppard this year in his second season on the job. The Lions took a step back from 2024 during last season, allowing four more points per game despite a similar lengthy injury list.

The failure to meet the Lions’ standards after making the NFL Playoffs in 2023 and 2024 in 2025 fell equally on both coordinators, and there is a lot to prove for both sides of the ball this year. Football is a complimentary game, and 2025 saw the offense stagnate at points, stranding the defense, while at other times, the opposite would occur, as the defense let up long drives to prevent the offense from keeping momentum or falling behind.

Now, Sheppard enters his “prove it” year while Petzing is looking to prove his hiring worth it after the Cardinals scrapped the entire staff after a disastrous campaign. If both coordinators prove Campbell’s faith worth it, then Motown could make it 3-of-4 for making playoffs since 2023.

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