The Detroit Lions have one pathway back to the top of the NFC North Division, and potentially the top of the conference, and that is to return the offense to the glory days of 2022-24, when Ben Johnson ran the show as the offensive coordinator (OC).
Unfortunately for Lions fans, Johnson has a good thing brewing as head coach of the Chicago Bears and isn’t coming back — at least not anytime soon. However, Detroit has moved on from Johnson’s replacement, John Morton, and hired 38-year-old Drew Petzing.
It may take Petzing some time to win over the fanbase, though one of the quickest ways for him to do so is to get the football into the hands of wide receiver Jameson Williams, who happens to be among the quickest players not just on the Lions' roster but across the entire NFL.
Drew Petzing's credentials are stronger than they appear on paper
Petzing spent four years working under Kevin Stefanski, one in 2019 when Stefanski was the offensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings and the next three when Stefanski was the head coach of the Cleveland Browns. Petzing then graduated into an OC role himself with the Arizona Cardinals for the past three seasons.
Forget the teams involved here, namely the Browns and Cardinals over the past six seasons, and consider the tutelage and experience Petzing received during those stops instead. Stefanski didn’t have tremendous success with the Browns, though he did make the playoffs twice and won NFL Coach of the Year honors both times.
That was, in large part, because he was an expert offensive schemer and remains one of the better such minds in the league today -- an opinion shared by most analysts who study the Xs and Os on a regular basis. Petzing learned under Stefanski's wing, which bodes well for Detroit, as do his three consecutive years as an OC with the Cardinals and the experience those seasons bring.
Jameson Williams took off after Dan Campbell assumed play-calling duties last season
Now consider the mandate that Lions head coach Dan Campbell, who took over play-calling duties from Morton halfway through last season, is going to have for Petzing when he starts his work as OC in earnest in mid-September.
There is little question that Detroit will focus on a heavy dose of running back Jahmyr Gibbs, while quarterback Jared Goff will hunt wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown down the field like he always does.
The difference between last year and this season is going to be the difference between the first half of 2025 and the second half, after Campbell took over the play-calling. And that difference is the involvement of Williams, the team's WR2 and one of the most explosive playmakers in the league.
"Dan Campbell took play calling from John Morton basically because John Morton could not figure out how to get Jameson Williams the football," said Danny Heifetz of The Ringer Fantasy Football Show on July 30. "And Dan Campbell loves Jameson Williams."
Heifetz noted that Williams’ yardage production more than doubled under Campbell during the second half of the campaign, as the wideout went on to finish in a tie with Nico Collins of the Houston Texans for 9th in the NFL in total receiving yards (1,117).
Last season was Williams' second straight campaign of 1,000-plus yards and seven receiving touchdowns, averaging north of 17 yards per reception each year. Now, entering his fifth season and playing opposite an injury-depleted defense, Williams will be the key that unlocks Detroit's offense in ways seldom seen in 2025.
“He can turn any catch into a touchdown,” Danny Kelly, Heifetz's co-host, said. “He’s so much faster than everyone else around him.”
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