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The Detroit Lions have made a coaching decision for the 2026-27 season, and it came out nowhere and was pretty much unexpected.
The Detroit Lions are full of surprises, and they’ve made another coaching move that’s out of thin air. Of course, their first unexpected move was when, after interviewing a range of high-profile candidates, the Lions hired Drew Petzing as their new offensive coordinator. Offensive minds such as Mike McDaniel from the Miami Dolphins were available, so it was pretty startling to see the Lions bring on Petzing, who just wrapped up an unsuccessful three-year run with the Arizona Cardinals, which saw the team have a 3-14 record for the 2025-26 season.
But, maybe Petzing is exactly what the Detroit Lions need. Time will tell, but the buzz around his hiring was lukewarm, at best. Still, as head coach Dan Campbell continues to craft a new and fresh Lions staff for the 2026-27 season, he’s made another move that’s surprising people.
Detroit Lions Hire Surprising Staffer for 2026-27 Season: Report
According to a report from CBS Sports’ Rachel Hopmayer, the Detroit Lions are hiring Skipper to the team’s coaching staff. In a post on X on Wednesday, February 11, Hopmayer stated, “Good morning: Lions fan favorite and recently retired OL Dan Skipper has been hired to Detroit’s coaching staff. He’ll be molding the next jumbo TEs in no time.”
Skipper was certainly beloved by the Lions crowd, so this is a heartfelt move and is going over well with the fanbase. Will he bring the skills as a coach that he did on the field? That remains to be seen, but let’s hope so.
Skipper officially announced his retirement on January 22 after playing in 69 games during his NFL Career, according to NFL research. He made 16 starts with the Detroit Lions and caught one touchdown pass. Last month, he coached in the East-West Shrine Bowl.
Skipper’s role with the Detroit Lions hasn’t been revealed, but he could fit in well as an assistant tight ends coach to replace Seth Ryan, who’s leaving to be the New York Jets‘ passing game coordinator.
New Detroit Lions Staffing Move May Have to Do With Hank Fraley
In a Wednesday, February 11, feature for Detroit Jock City, Chris Schad says the he believes the Skipper hire is part of a larger plan.
“Lions offensive line coach Hank Fraley has seen his stock rise over the past few years,” he says, “and while Skipper will start in a minor role, he could be part of a bigger plan to deal with Fraley’s eventual exit from Detroit.”
He adds, “Fraley has been with the Lions for the past eight years, arriving as an assistant offensive line coach under Matt Patricia in 2018, eventually rising to his current position in 2020. Although he’s been the Lions’ offensive line coach for the past six seasons, his work has earned consideration for larger opportunities.”
Skipper will work with Petzing, of course. In the Detroit Lions’ official announcement that Petzing was joining their staff as offensive coordinator, they boosted up his experience.
“Entering his 14th NFL season in 2026, Petzing’s previous professional experience includes time with the Cleveland Browns as quarterbacks coach (2022), tight ends coach (2020-21) and a football operations intern (2013) and with the Minnesota Vikings as wide receivers coach (2019),” the official Lions website says of his experience, “assistant quarterbacks coach (2018) and assistant wide receivers coach (2014-17).”
Anne Erickson is an award-winning reporter for Heavy Sports covering the NFL, NBA and college football. Anne Erickson has years of experience covering the NFL and additional sports, and her work has been published via ESPN, Fox Sports and more. She has interviewed some of the biggest names in sports, including Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff. Erickson also hosts several podcasts and is a Detroit-based radio host. More about Anne Erickson
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