A crucial offseason awaits the Detroit Lions after they suffered an early exit and came up short of their goal of reaching the Super Bowl. With Ben Johnson's departure, they have massive shoes to fill in the offensive coordinator position.
Under Johnson, the Lions had the most dynamic and explosive offense in the league. With one of the most creative playbooks and aggressive playcalling in the game, the Lions became an unstoppable offensive juggernaut over the last few years. Now, head coach Dan Campbell is looking for a replacement who will be able to maintain that level of production.
Fortunately for the Lions, they may have been gifted the perfect replacement by the Houston Texans. NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported on Friday that the Texans fired offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik after two seasons. He would be an excellent hire for the Lions.
NFL News: Texans Fire OC Bobby Slowik
A major change in Houston: The #Texans are moving on from offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, sources say, after an up-and-down offensive season.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 24, 2025
Despite reaching the divisional round, coach DeMeco Ryans hopes for more. OL coach Chris Strausser is also out. pic.twitter.com/UYOdNiADAx
Slowik was a hot head coaching candidate only a season ago, highlighting once again how quickly things change in the NFL. In his first season as the offensive coordinator, Slowik helped lead rookie C.J. Stroud and the Texans to the Divisional Round of the playoffs. Houston was the best team in the league in limiting giveaways and had a dynamic passing game despite starting a 22-year-old rookie.
The Texans didn't take a significant step forward in the 2024 season. Stroud wasn't as good as many had hoped after the promising start to his career. As a result, the Texans finished 19th in scoring and 22nd in total offense. Yet, they were still able to beat the Chargers in the Wild-Card round and put up a solid fight against the Chiefs in the Divisional Round.
Slowik started his career under Mike Shanahan in Washington before working as an offensive assistant and passing game coordinator under Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco.
The Lions are presumably casting a wide net in their offensive coordinator search. Dan Campbell hasn't ruled out any possibilities and said that they would consider both external and internal candidates. Whether Slowik becoming available changes the calculation for him remains to be seen, but the 37-year-old coach would certainly be worth a look by Detroit.