The Lions have conducted an interview with an external candidate to replace Ben Johnson, a choice that becomes clear after further consideration.
With the search to find a replacement for Aaron Glenn as defensive coordinator now concluded, attention has shifted to filling the offensive coordinator position.
According to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Denver Broncos passing game coordinator John Morton has surfaced as a key contender for the role.
The report also mentions that Morton recently sat down for an interview with head coach Dan Campbell.
Morton’s name might be recognizable, as he was part of the Lions’ coaching staff in 2022 as a senior offensive assistant.
He also interviewed for the Lions’ offensive coordinator position when Campbell first arrived as head coach in 2021.
Last year, when discussing current passing game coordinator Tanner Engstrand, Campbell spoke highly of Morton.
“John Morton, man, Johnny was – Johnny’s a superstar now and there’s a number of things that he did for us last year that are things that we’ve kept,” Campbell said.
“And I really feel like that helped Tanner as well. And he took a lot of that, and he learned from that, and he’s grown from that.”
Just before the report by Rapoport and Pelissero, John Maakaron of SI.com identified Morton as a key name to monitor for the Lions’ offensive coordinator job.
Apart from a four-year stint at USC (2007-2010), Morton has been a consistent presence in the NFL since 1998.
He began as an offensive assistant with the Oakland Raiders, followed by significant roles with the New Orleans Saints (passing game coordinator 2006; wide receivers coach 2015-16) and San Francisco 49ers (wide receivers coach 2011-14).
He briefly served as the New York Jets’ offensive coordinator for one season (2017).
Morton moved on from the Lions to his current role with the Denver Broncos, where he serves as passing game coordinator under Sean Payton.
He and Campbell worked together for two years (2015-2016) on Payton’s staff in New Orleans, and Morton had previously interviewed for the offensive coordinator position that was filled by Anthony Lynn four years ago in Detroit.
Campbell has emphasized that he wants to maintain as much continuity as possible with the Lions’ offense, even with a new coordinator.
Morton appears to align with this vision better than most external candidates.