It is common for a team to hire a new coordinator for that coach to bring in familiar staff members who can help them build their system with their new organization. Even with a team like the Detroit Lions, who have a pretty solid coaching staff, they might be willing to bring in some new faces to implement a new game plan. Last year, when they hired John Morton as their new offensive coordinator, he brought in David Shaw, a longtime friend, to be the passing game coordinator.
So it stands to reason that with Drew Petzing set to become the next offensive coordinator, he could bring a coach or two with him.
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Here are four candidates for new coaches who could join Petzing in Detroit.
Ben Steele, Cardinals tight ends coach
This is the easiest point to connect, as the Lions currently have a tight ends coaching vacancy following Tyler Roehl’s departure to become Iowa State’s new offensive coordinator.
Given Petzker’s high usage of 12 and 13 personnel (two and three tight ends), it is very important to have a tight ends coach who shares this vision. Steele, a former tight end who played six years in the NFL, was Petzing’s tight ends coach throughout his years as offensive coordinator with the Cardinals. Meanwhile, Trey McBride has become a superstar, and it would be fun to see what he can do to elevate Sam LaPorta’s game even more.
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It’s unclear if, like Petzing, Steele’s contract is up in Arizona, but with their head coaching search still underway, it’s possible the Cardinals will let him pursue other opportunities anyway.
Drew Terrell, Cardinals passing game coordinator
One of the more fascinating questions now that Petzing is hired is where the passing game influences will come from. Petzing’s innovation in the running game has been widely praised, but Detroit will still need to maintain its top-10 passing attack.
Shaw’s future in Detroit is certainly in question with Morton leaving and Shaw also interviewing for the Buccaneers OC position.
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Terrell would be an interesting up-and-coming option. He’s been the passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach for the past three years in Arizona, but the Cardinals’ passing offense has never produced anything but average results.
Working with the wide receiver group, he was entrusted with two highly drafted young receivers, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson. Both have made progress, but have been disappointing in their production thus far. That said, he found more success as Washington’s receivers coach, helping Terry McLaurin become a household name.
Detroit already has a very solid receivers coach in Scottie Montgomery, so this hire could be redundant. But if the Lions are worried about losing Montgomery and want to bring in someone who is more familiar with Petzing’s system, Terrell is a young and developing option.
Connor Senger, Cardinals passing game specialist
Like Terrell, Senger is a young coach with limited success, but he is even earlier in his coaching journey. A former college quarterback, Senger’s coaching career only dates back to 2017 and he has only been in the NFL since 2022.
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That first year with the Cardinals, he received the Bill Bidwell Scholarship, a program developed to increase diversity by providing opportunities for minority coaches. Since then, he has become offensive quality control coach (2023), assistant quarterbacks coach (2024) and passing game specialist (2025). Senger continued his development as a coach by serving on the coaching staff for the Senior Bowl in 2024 and the Shrine Bowl last year.
There isn’t a lot of information out there on Senger, but the Lions tend to be all about coaching development, and Senger has already found himself quickly on the rise.
Andrew Janocko, Seahawks QB coach
Okay, this is an absolute shot in the dark, as I have no idea Janocko would even be available or interested in going to Detroit for a passing game coordinator type role.
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Janocko and Petzing harken back to the Vikings days, where Janocko was a quality control coach before contributing to the offensive line from 2017 to 2019. The two overlapped for a total of five years and since then, Janocko’s stock has been on the rise.
After coaching the offensive line, he became wide receivers coach (2020) before focusing on quarterback. He was the Bears’ QB coach in 2022-23, the Saints’ QB coach in 2024, and now resides with the Seahawks in 2025, where Sam Darnold is enjoying another career year.
But more importantly, Janocko is a branch of the Klint Kubiak tree (which is currently the Seahawks OC), and that’s also where Petzing’s biggest influences come from. Although Janocko’s past doesn’t look great when paired with young quarterbacks (Justin Fields in 2022-23, Spencer Rattler in 2024), he has worked well with veteran passers (Derek Carr, Darnold), and some consider him to be a possible Seahawks offensive coordinator replacement for Kubiak should he get a head coaching job this cycle.
