In the weeks after the Detroit Lions’ season came to a close, the biggest storyline has been the search for an offensive coordinator. While John Morton lasted just one season with the Lions, it feels like Detroit has perfect timing this time around with a slew of top-tier candidates available, including former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel.
McDaniel is the people’s choice to succeed Morton, but things took a turn for the worse in that regard when Sean McDermott was fired by the Buffalo Bills on Monday morning, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. With an opening for an AFC juggernaut now in play, McDaniel could choose to work with Josh Allen and leave the Lions empty-handed until they look deeper into the situation.
That’s because while McDaniel could jump to Buffalo, the Bills may have made offensive coordinator Joe Brady available after McDermott’s firing. While his resume should be enticing to the Lions, the feelings should be mutual as Brady looks to land on his feet.
Joe Brady Should Be Salivating Over Potential Opportunity with Lions
Brady has experience working with some of the most explosive offenses in the history of the game. The passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach for the 2019 LSU Tigers, Brady helped an offense featuring Joe Burrow, Justin Jefferson, and Ja’Marr Chase win a national championship and parlayed that success into becoming the offensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers in 2020. While his first attempt as an OC in the NFL didn’t go well, it was a Panthers offense barren with talent, and things went much better in three years as the Buffalo Bills' OC.
Including the 2023 season, where he was the interim OC after Ken Dorsey was fired, the Bills ranked in the top 10 in total offense in all three seasons with Brady at the controls. The Bills also finished no lower than sixth in scoring during that time frame with several explosive playmakers, including Allen, James Cook, and Khalil Shakir.
Brady’s time in Buffalo should have him on short lists for anyone looking to fill out a coaching staff in the coming weeks. But Detroit may be the most similar situation to the one he had in Buffalo. The Lions have a top-tier quarterback in Jared Goff, and the weapons around him may be even better with Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams at receiver and Jahmyr Gibbs in the backfield.
In some ways, the Lions may be even deeper than what the Bills were rolling out this year, with David Montgomery and Sam LaPorta also at Brady's disposal.
Another added benefit is that Brady has experience working with Dan Campbell. The two were on Sean Payton’s staff with the New Orleans Saints for the 2017 and 2018 seasons, as Campbell was the assistant head coach and tight ends coach while Brady was an offensive assistant. While that’s no guarantee for success (Morton was a senior offensive assistant in Detroit when Campbell was head coach in 2022), it also gives Brady a feel for working with Campbell and how he wants the offense to run.
The Lions aren’t in a perfect situation as they need to figure out their offensive line after a lost season. However, if they can’t get McDaniel, Brady may be the next best thing, as a veteran coordinator with experience leading elite offenses. After a year in which the Lions lost their rhythm, Brady makes sense and could be their Plan B if McDaniel jumps at the sudden opportunity with the Bills.