On Tuesday, the Detroit Lions coach, Dan Campbell, relieved offensive coordinator John Morton of his duties with the organization. It was not an overly surprising move, as his play-calling responsibilities were taken away midseason, and that seemingly put the Lions in a position to search for an offensive coordinator for the second consecutive offseason.
Here’s a look at five candidates—plus a quick look at eight others—the Lions should consider for their vacant offensive coordinator position.
Todd Monken, Ravens offensive coordinator
Monken is still technically under contract with the Ravens, but the speculation is that his situation will change very soon. The Athletic’s Dianna Russini is reporting that “a key pressure point” in the firing of head coach John Harbaugh centered around “his refusal to entertain any conversations about potentially moving on from” Monken.
Monken has 11 NFL seasons of coaching experience, including seven as an offensive coordinator. He was the OC with the Buccaneers in 2016-18, the Browns in 2019, and the Ravens for the past three seasons. The three gap years, when he wasn’t an NFL OC (2020-22), he was the OC at Georgia, where he won two National Championships.
Monken is not only loaded with play-calling experience, but he is also widely recognized as one of the most creative and adaptable coordinators in the NFL. A true players’ coach, Monken listens to and takes input from players and coaches alike, creating an offense he identifies as a team offense, rather than claiming credit for what he orchestrated.
“He’s a very good teacher,” Harbaugh said in 2023, via the Athletic. “He expresses things really well. He’s a great communicator. He makes it very clear what he’s looking for, and he does it in a real energetic kind of way. It’s a fun way. The players have latched onto it, and they appreciate it.”
I broke down the Ravens offense ahead of the Lions Week 3 matchup earlier this year, but it’s worth keeping in mind that he would likely adapt to what the Lions currently have in place while bringing in some of his own wrinkles.
Like Monken, Kafka is still technically under contract with his old team, but that could and probably should change.
Kafka, a former quarterback, spent five seasons in the NFL before shifting to the coaching ranks. After playing under Andy Reid as a player in Philadelphia, Kafka joined Reid’s coaching staff in Kansas City in 2017. After five seasons with the Chiefs, Brian Daboll hired him to be his OC in New York, and halfway through the 2025 season, Kafka took over interim head coaching duties following Daboll’s firing.
After taking over as the Giants’ interim coach, Kafka dialed up the aggression on offense, reemphasized a focus on the run game, and the team played inspired ball the remainder of the season. Based on how he coached the Giants in the back half of the season, it appears several of his coaching values align with Campbell’s principles: run-heavy, aggressive concepts with aggression in key moments that create opportunities to win the game.
I broke down the Giants’ scheme after the promotion of Kafka, ahead of their matchup with the Lions, which highlights some traits that would make Kafka appealing to Detroit.
Zac Robinson, Falcons OC
Like Monken and Kafka, Robinson is still under contract with the Falcons despite them recently firing their head coach, Raheem Morris.
Robinson, a former quarterback, was drafted by the Patriots to back up Tom Brady, but he eventually landed in Detroit and backed up Matthew Stafford for a season. He would move on to the Bengals for the next three seasons, but struggled to stay healthy and retired, and then went into coaching.
Robinson would break into the NFL coaching ranks in 2019 with the Rams and coach Sean McVay. After three seasons as an assistant—including serving as Jared Goff’s assistant QB coach—Robinson was promoted to passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2022-23, and then left in 2024, following then-Rams’ defensive coordinator Morris to Atlanta to serve as his offensive coordinator.
Known for running a West Coast scheme (similar to the Lions) that adapts to their players and utilizes multiple run blocking schemes, Robinson should be able to adapt to the Lions playbook quickly. His familiarity with Goff also gives him an added layer of familiarity that many others on this list don’t possess.
Scottie Montgomery, Lions Assistant HC/WR coach
Montgomery has been interviewing for OC jobs for several years now, and he was one of just three coaches known to have interviewed for the Lions OC spot last season. Montgomery joined the Lions staff as a running backs coach in 2023, then shifted to coaching wide receivers in 2025 (he’s a former wide receiver himself), and has maintained an assistant head coaching title for all three seasons in Detroit.
As an assistant head coach, Montgomery could be on the track for larger coaching roles in the future, but a stint as the Lions’ offensive coordinator could go a long way toward helping him achieve those goals. The question looming is: Why was he not given this opportunity sooner?
David Blough, Commanders Assistant QB coach
In 2023, Blough was a quarterback on the Lions’ practice squad, and now, after two seasons as the Washington Commanders’ assistant quarterbacks coach, the Lions are reportedly considering him for the vacant OC position.
While Blough has never called plays, he is intimately familiar with the Lions’ scheme and was even credited by former OC Ben Johnson for suggesting plays for the team to run in upcoming games. He’s long been considered a player with a mind for coaching, but if he were hired, this could also be a situation where Campbell continues to call plays until Blough gains more experience.
Let’s take a quick look at another eight names to know as potential OCs.
Up-and-coming passing game coordinators
Nathan Scheelhaase (Rams pass game coordinator) cut his coaching teeth with Matt Campbell at Iowa State before McVay hired him to help facilitate the Rams’ passing attack in 2023.
Jake Peetz (Seahawks pass game coordinator) worked alongside Scheelhaase in 2023 but left for Seattle in 2024 to work under Mike Macdonald.
Marcus Brady (Chargers passing game coordinator) was the Colts OC under Frank Reich in 2021-22 (Reich was the play caller), and after two years with the Eagles in a consulting role, he was hired by Jim Harbaugh in L.A. to organize his passing attack.
Davis Webb (Broncos passing game coordinator) was a gun slinger at Texas Tech before spending six years in the NFL, and immediately joining Sean Payton in Denver in 2023 as his QB coach. This past season, he was promoted to PGC after Morton left to join the Lions.
Former OCs with concerns
Kevin Stefanski (former Browns head coach, former Vikings OC) will surely be considered for several of the seven head coaching spots available, but if he’s passed by for a head coaching job, he has a solid resume as a leader. I do question his success on offense, but he’s also been strapped with less-than-ideal conditions.
Brian Daboll (former Giants head coach, former Browns, Dolphins, Chiefs, Bills OC) will be a popular name because he coached with Campbell back in 2011, and the pair have some familiarity with each other. While he was a terrific OC with the Bills, I’m not a fan of his leadership style and do have serious questions about how his personality would fit in Detroit.
Kliff Kingsbury (former Commanders offensive coordinator, former Cardinals HC) is reportedly likely to receive some head coaching interviews, which makes sense for what he did with the Commanders offense and how he designed it for Jayden Daniels. However, I wonder whether Kingsbury would be willing to adapt to the Lions’ scheme or insist on installing his version of the Air Raid.
Thomas Brown (Patriots passing game coordinator, former Panthers and Bears OC) has helped orchestrate a wonderful passing attack that has resuscitated New England this season, but his time with the Bears under Matt Eberflus leaves a lot of questions on the table.
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