The Detroit Lions have named Drew Petzing as their new offensive coordinator.
Here are five things to know about Detroit’s new leader on offense:
Petzing, 38, was the offensive coordinator in Arizona under former Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon the last three seasons. There are schematic elements to his offense that make him a good fit in Detroit, most importantly his commitment to having a solid rushing attack.
In 2024, the Cardinals rushed for 2,451 yards and 18 touchdowns with a 5.3 yards per carry average. The rushing yards were the third most in Cardinals team history and the highest total since 1979. Arizona’s 5.3 yards per carry average was the highest in team history and the 16th best average in NFL history. Arizona was one of only two teams in the NFL to average better than 5.0 yards per carry in both 2023 and 2024.
Arizona finished seventh in rushing, 11th in total offense and 12th in points scored in 2024. Those numbers weren’t sustained in 2025 but that’s not too surprising considering they lost quarterback Kyler Murray, running back James Conner and wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. to injury for most of the season.
Conner was a back-to-back 1,000-yard rusher in both 2023 and 2024 in Petzing’s first two seasons running the Cardinals’ offense. Petzing now inherits a Lions rushing attack that was top 10 in the NFL in touchdowns (21) and average yards per rush (4.6) this past season behind Pro Bowl running back Jahmyr Gibbs.