The Detroit Lions made a notable hire earlier this week, appointing John Morton, the former passing game coordinator for the Denver Broncos, as their new offensive coordinator. Morton takes over for Ben Johnson, who became the head coach of the Chicago Bears shortly after the Lions’ playoff defeat to the Washington Commanders.
Now in charge, Morton’s task is to assemble the best possible staff as Detroit aims to have one of the league’s top offensive units next season. The 55-year-old has acted quickly to build his team, bringing in a respected coach from the college ranks.
As reported by Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, the Lions have secured a multi-year deal with former Stanford head coach David Shaw to serve as the new passing game coordinator.
Shaw, 52, will replace Tanner Engstrand, who has been linked to the New York Jets’ offensive coordinator job. Engstrand had been the passing game coordinator for the past two years and has been with the Lions since 2021.
Shaw had recently interviewed for the Bears’ offensive coordinator role, which ultimately went to former Denver Broncos tight ends coach Declan Doyle.
Nevertheless, Shaw will now work with the Lions’ starting quarterback, Jared Goff.
Goff’s 2024 season ended poorly, throwing three interceptions and only one touchdown in the frustrating playoff loss to the Commanders.
Despite that, he had a strong overall season, completing 72.4 percent of his passes for 4,629 yards, 37 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.
Fans will be hoping for a similar performance in 2025, but Goff will rely on Shaw and Morton to help him improve.
Before joining the Lions, Shaw had worked as a senior personnel executive with the Denver Broncos this past season, which is how he connected with Morton.
Shaw also spent 16 seasons as head coach and offensive coordinator at Stanford, where he won Pac-12 Coach of the Year honors four times.
His NFL background includes stints with the Philadelphia Eagles, Oakland Raiders, and Baltimore Ravens.