Lions Officially Announce 2 Big Coaching Moves on Thursday

The Detroit Lions' offseason transformation is well underway following a stunning loss to the Washington Commanders in the playoffs. Considering how successful head coach Dan Campbell's group has been, his assistants were hot commodities by teams with vacancies.

Both offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn are officially onto other organizations. They were considered two of the NFL's best assistant coaches, so replacing them is no easy task.

On Thurdsday, the Lions announced they officially have their guys, formally introducing John Morton as offensive coordinator and Kelvin Sheppard as the defensive leader.

Lions Officially Announce New Offensive and Defensive Coordinators

While Morton has experience under Campbell, serving as an offensive assistant in 2022, he was the Denver Broncos' passing game coordinator over the last two years. He did good work with rookie quarterback Bo Nix, helping orchestrate an effective aerial attack that resulted in a playoff berth.

He's a Michigan native who played college football at Western Michigan University, so this is a homecoming of sorts for the 55-year-old coach.

Sheppard, on the other hand, was a direct internal promotion. He gained a sterling reputation for his work as a linebackers coach, quickly rising through the ranks after joining Detroit's coaching staff in 2021. He played in the NFL from 2011-2018, ending his career as a Lion to pave the way for his eventual transition.

Injuries decimated Detroit's defense this year but the linebacker play remained strong largely due to Sheppard's work. He helped develop guys like Alex Anzalone, Jack Campbell, and Malcolm Rodriguez into productive players and is well-respected throughout the locker room.

At only 37 years old, Sheppard is certainly less experienced than Morton. The different nature of these two hires shows Campbell's willingness to diversify and find the best candidate for any given job as opposed to relying on a stagnant strategy.

These two have big shoes to fill and shouldn't be expected to immediately find the same success, yet the Lions are still justifiably confident they'll be competing for the No. 1 seed in the NFC once again in 2025.

With one of the most competitive divisions in the league, Detroit can't afford a big slip. Morton and Sheppard have their work cut out for them and hopefully, the Lions' stability will make this a smooth transition.

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