Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing. Brent Skeen-Imagn Images

Dan Campbell Shares What He Loves About Drew Petzing

Originally posted on Detroit Lions on SI
By Christian Booher | Last updated Mar 31, 2026 1:07 PM ET

The Detroit Lions' offense is in the hands of new coordinator Drew Petzing.

After parting ways with John Morton following the 2025 season, the Lions cast a wide net of candidates and ultimately landed on Petzing as the man for the job.

Previously the Arizona Cardinals' coordinator for three seasons, Petzing has a vast array of experience that the Lions feel will be beneficial. In addition to his overall creativity, he also brings the appeal of being able to design a successful run game as evidenced by his work in Arizona.

Last year, the Lions struggled to run the ball consistently. Lions head coach Dan Campbell has been open about his desire to return to being dominant on the ground, and while some of the issues lie with personnel deficiencies the team believes it has improved, there are schematic things that he believes Petzing can help.

Petzing's run game in Arizona last year was hampered by injuries, as top running backs James Conner, Trey Benson and Zonovan Knight all missed time, but he has a track record of success. His offense ranked seventh in rushing in 2024 and fourth the year prior.

Now, Campbell believes he can meld the work between the incumbent coaching staff with Petzing's new ideas to help get the team where it needs to be.

"I love what he did in Arizona, I love what we do here, the things that we do really well," Campbell said Monday in an interview with FOX-2. "So to be able to mesh those, and him have his own kind of look at it with the staff that’s already here intact, which I really believe in, is gonna be good for us."

The Lions have made moves to address some of their struggles from a year ago from a personnel perspectice. Center Cade Mays was added to the fold, and the Lions are excited about his ability to play in several different run schemes.

Additionally, the team traded David Montgomery to the Houston Texans. Though Montgomery has been a huge part of the Lions' recent success, his role diminished throughout the 2025 campaign. To account for his loss, Detroit signed former Kansas City Chief Isiah Pacheco to a one-year deal.

In addition to his work with the run game, Petzing has a wide range of coaching knowledge. In his time as an NFL coach, which began as an offensive assistant in Minnesota in 2014, he has experience leading quarterback, tight end and wide receiver rooms in addition to other knowledge he's accumulated.

This well-rounded scope of knowledge will allow Petzing to command the group with authority, and gives the experienced position coaches on the Lions' staff another reliable voice with experience.

"I love the fact that he understands quarterback play, he understands o-line, he understands backs, receivers, tight ends," Campbell said. "He’s coached them all. That helps, he’s got the total perspective. Protection, pass-game, run-game, he knows all that. That’s big."

This article first appeared on Detroit Lions on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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