The Detroit Lions made a well-covered change this past week, putting head coach Dan Campbell in charge of calling the offense. Replacing Ben Johnson was never going to be easy, and it set up current offensive coordinator John Morton for failure from the start. There simply wasn't a path to the coach measuring up to the lofty standards of the current Chicago Bears head coach. With this in mind, it is a positive change for the Lions even if it does mean that Campbell is taking on a lot of pressure.
Radio personality Jim Costa pointed out that Campbell is far from alone in his decision to take over play-calling. Costa listed that "the majority do it (18 of 32), 4 of Top 5 offenses, and 10 of 14 teams currently in (the) playoffs." This helps paint a picture of why Campbell needed to make the change and how impactful it could be for Detroit. Perhaps it is the final push the roster needs to return to last season's dominance.
With that in mind, three of the NFL's top-five offenses whose head coach calls plays are:
- Indianapolis Colts: 32.1 PPG, 1st
- Dallas Cowboys: 29.2 PPG, 4th
- Los Angeles Rams: 27.9 PPG, 5th
With Campbell ready to hold onto play-calling duties moving forward, that now makes four of the top five teams (31.4 PPG, 2nd), with the Seattle Seahawks being the lone exception. Interestingly enough, the aforementioned trio, much like Detroit, has top-tier talent at each offensive skill position, and it looks like the team is ready to take advantage of that with the right man on the headset.
Campbell has well-rounded coaching experience but is a former tight end who can offer a bit more offensive insight. His taking over for offensive coordinator John Morton was the right decision and is going to be the missing piece that pushes the Lions right back into the middle of the Super Bowl conversation.
Dan Campbell Must Handle Lions' Play-Calling Moving Forward
Another byproduct of Campbell's decision is taking away all the media attention that has been on the OC over the last weeks. Morton's lackluster performance and the issues fans were taking with the coordinator felt so removed from the culture that the Lions had established. It was understandable the way the offense was performing ot have a level of frustration, but it was becoming a distraction.
The biggest issues with Morton were a consistent lack of creativity in the offense and zero consistency with the identity of the offense. There was also a level of frustration in failing to spread the ball around and get key players like wideout Jameson Williams involved early in games, all things that Campbell instantly improved in Week 10.
And just like that, Williams had one of his best games of 2025, finishing with season-highs in catches (6) and receiving yards (119) while also scoring his third touchdown of the last four games.
Now, there are no questions about who the Lions' play-caller should be moving forward. The love and respect fans and players have for Campbell is going to garner a sense of patience, no matter how the future goes. As long as Detroit is competitive and continues to beat inferior teams, there will be a sense of contentment from a fan base and roster that fully believes in their head coach, especially if he keeps avoiding the same mistakes Morton made.
For Campbell, this is a natural progression for a leader who has defied expectations every step along the way. Taking over the play calling and proving Detroit's genius goes deeper than the departed Johnson is going to be a fun storyline to emerge from this.
More importantly, a distraction has been removed (Morton), and Campbell has fully taken the reins of a team that remains a clear Super Bowl threat. Hopefully, Sunday's performance was just a glimpse of what's to come for the Lions.