Jan. 20, 2026, 7:45 a.m. ET

As the dust settles on the news that Drew Petzing is the Detroit Lions’ new offensive coordinator, attention turns to why this fit between Petzing, Dan Campbell and the Lions can work.

Though Petzing does not have a prior working relationship with Lions head coach Dan Campbell, he has worked with another key member of Detroit’s coaching staff. Petzing and Lions run game coordinator and offensive line coach Hank Fraley worked together on the Minnesota Vikings‘ coaching staff during the 2014-16 seasons.

Petzing was a Vikings offensive assistant in 2014-15 and its assistant wide receivers coach in 2016. Fraley was the Vikings’ assistant offensive line coach during the 2014-16 seasons before he served as UCLA’s offensive line coach for one year in 2017 and then joined the Lions’ coaching staff in 2018.

For a Detroit team that’s looking to reestablish the offensive line and rushing success that’s defined the heights of the Campbell era so far, pairing Petzing with Fraley makes sense.

Detroit’s rushing offense slipped to 14th in the league (120.1 rushing yards per game) after ranking fifth and sixth in that category in the two seasons prior. In 2025, the Lions ranked ranked ninth in yards per carry. Detroit ranked fifth in yards per carry in 2023 and seventh in 2024.

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During Petzing’s first two seasons as the Arizona Cardinals‘ offensive coordinator, the Cardinals ranked second in the NFL in yards per carry in both 2023 (5.0) and in 2024 (5.3). Arizona led the NFL in rushes of 20-plus yards in 2023 with 23 runs of 20 yards or more. The Cardinals also tied for the NFL lead with seven runs of 40-plus yards during the 2024 campaign.

Arizona finished with the NFL’s No. 19, No. 11 and No. 19 total offenses and the league’s No. 24, No. 12 and No. 23 scoring offenses across the 2023-25 seasons.

Cardinals starting quarterback Kyler Murray missed 12 games during the 2025 campaign as Arizona dealt with a rash of injuries offensively.

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