The Detroit Lions will be watching the Super Bowl rather than competing in it next Sunday night, but that doesn't mean recent happenings in and around the NFC North haven't improved their positioning in advance of the 2026 campaign.
With the Green Bay Packers losing defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley to the Miami Dolphins and QB coach Sean Mannion to the Philadelphia Eagles, Eric Bieniemy leaving the Chicago Bears to become the offensive coordinator of the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Minnesota Vikings inexplicably electing to fire their GM nearly four weeks after playing their final game, the fact that Detroit has hit a home run with the hires of Mike Kafka and Drew Petzing had fans feeling pretty good about the early portion of the offseason.
As luck would have it, the Lions received even more help on Friday afternoon as Adam Schefter of ESPN reported Bears OC Declan Doyle has agreed to leave the Windy City to take the OC role with the Baltimore Ravens. This puts the onus on Ben Johnson to find a suitable replacement in the latter stages of the coaching cycle, which should make for a nice late January/early February sweat for the head coach.
Lions' Path to NFC North Crown in 2026 Continues to Open Up
It should not be understated how late a start Johnson is getting in this search, and just how deep behind the 8-ball that places him and this coaching staff. Doyle was not the playcaller for Chicago's offense; this is a role that Johnson still carries on his own. He was, however, a key piece of the puzzle on that side of the ball in terms of game planning, along with all the work done to help Caleb Williams take the next step as a passer.
Between this and the sheer unlikelihood that Chicago runs off seven come-from-behind wins in the 2026 regular season, like they did this past year, fans in the Motor City have to be feeling a little better about Dan Campbell and company's chances to go from worst to first in 2026.
With John Morton out of the picture, and the combination of Petzing and Kafka brought in to turn Detroit's fortunes around when the Lions have the ball, there is reason for optimism. The talent is there on both sides of the ball in the Motor City. If the offense can be as effective as the pieces on the roster would allow them to be when operating at their best, and the defense can avoid being a mobile infirmary due to injuries to key contributors, fans in Detroit should be happy, if not outwardly confident, after seeing the latest coaching departure to the NFC North.