Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions have two major questions hanging over their head following an offseason defined by change. After offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn left to become the head coaches of the Chicago Bears and New York Jets, respectively, Campbell named John Morton and Kelvin Sheppard as their replacements.
Counting on someone with minimal offensive play-calling experience in his long career and a former player who is still a relative coaching neophyte is a big risk, but Campbell's intuition seems to have helped the Lions out based on some reports from the early stages of offseason workouts.
"Their replacements, defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard and offensive coordinator John Morton, have longstanding ties to Campbell and can effectively echo his message," said Colton Pouncy of The Athletic. "It might take time to come together, but it’s clear Campbell has assembled a staff that knows how to work as one."
Lions OC John Morton is ready to replace Ben Johnson
Morton was a wide receivers coach on the 49ers and a Sean Payton-led Saints team for years before being hired as the New York Jets' OC in 2017. While he was fired after one season, the move was fairly unpopular with fans, as his passing game managed to get about 3,000 yards and a 94.5 passer rating out of 38-year-old Josh McCown.
Morton's deficiencies in creating an effective running game can be masked by the league's best 1-2 punch in Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. Putting a Sean Payton spin on an offense already led by the ascending Jared Goff could be what sets Detroit apart in the NFC.
Lions DC Kelvin Sheppard will follow Aaron Glenn
Promoting Sheppard looks like the riskier of the two coordinator moves, as he was playing as recently as 2018 and has only been a position coach for two seasons. Still, Campbell likely wouldn't have made this move if he weren't all-in on Sheppard's football intelligence and leadership.
Sheppard will have the tougher test of the two new coordinators. With the pass rush outside of Aidan Hutchinson still lacking and a very young cornerback room in need of a virtuoso performance from free agent signing DJ Reed, this Lions defense could wilt if Sheppard isn't amazing.
These two coordinators have the weight of the world on their shoulders as they try to keep the Lions competitive, but all signs point to both of these emerging star assistants eventually being solid replacements for the departed Johnson and Glenn.
