The Detroit Lions have secured their new offensive coordinator following the departure of Ben Johnson to the Chicago Bears.
The Lions have experienced three setbacks this postseason, firstly being knocked out of the playoffs in a surprising upset against the Washington Commanders, then losing both offensive coordinator Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn to head coaching jobs.
Nonetheless, Dan Campbell and his team are already aiming to recover, having selected John Morton to take over for Johnson, as reported by NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero.
The hiring of the 55-year-old signals a comeback to Detroit after Morton served as the Lions’ senior offensive assistant during the 2022 season.
Although Morton might have knowledge of Campbell’s coaching style and the Detroit offense, he has significant expectations to meet following Johnson’s departure.
Johnson has established a dynamic offense that ranked in the top five for both points and yards during each of his three seasons as offensive coordinator.
During the 2024 season, where the Lions secured the top seed in the NFC, Detroit had the highest scoring offense and the second-best total yards unit.
Although replicating the success is a challenging endeavor, Morton will take over a skilled offensive lineup, featuring offensive tackle Penei Sewell, running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, wide receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, along with quarterback Jared Goff.
Morton started his NFL journey with the Raiders in 2002 as an offensive assistant, subsequently assuming the same position with Sean Payton’s New Orleans Saints.
He had a four-year tenure in college football as the offensive coordinator at USC, before going back to the NFL as a wide receiver coach for the San Francisco 49ers and the Saints.
Morton subsequently took on the role of offensive coordinator for the Jets in 2017 and later went back to the Raiders as a senior offensive assistant following his tenure in New York.
He has spent the last two seasons working with Payton once more, this time in Denver.
In the meantime, the Lions promoted someone from their own ranks to fill Glenn’s role, as he accepted the position as the Jets’ new head coach, as defensive coordinator.
The Lions promoted the eight-year NFL veteran Kelvin Sheppard, who secured his initial DC role in his third season with head coach Campbell.