Lions New Offensive Coordinator: Bobby Slowik Or Klint Kubiak To Detroit?
After losing Ben Johnson to the Bears, the Detroit Lions are in need of a new offensive coordinator. And head coach Dan Campbell has told us that they’re willing to potentially go outside of the organization to find one. But I think they should go even further.
They should bring in an offensive coordinator that will completely change the scheme. To a scheme that has not only had tremendous success in the NFL but also has multiple coaches available right now that can implement it.
Kyle Shanahan’s scheme in San Francisco has been lauded around the league. So much so that the Dolphins hired Mike McDaniel to install it in Miami. The Houston Texans then hired Bobby Slowik to implement it for them in 2023. And last year, the New Orleans Saints did the same with Klint Kubiak.
Now both Slowik and Kubiak could be available at a time when the Lions need a new offensive coordinator and play caller. And the personnel in Detroit is perfect for it.
Shanahan Coaching Tree Scheme
At the heart of this scheme is a position that has largely fallen out of favor in the NFL - the fullback. Very few teams utilize it. But this scheme does heavily.
In San Francisco, Kyle Jusczcyk played 49.8% of the snaps this season. Alec Ingold missed time with injury this year in Miami, but he was routinely playing 40-50% of the snaps as well when healthy over the last couple of seasons. That’s rare in the modern era.
The idea here is that you have two full-time WRs, a two-way tight end that can both block and run routes, and a dynamic running back. Then you rotate the fullback, a third WR, and a blocking tight end as the 11th man.
So, for WRs, you have Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk in SF, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle in MIA, Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed in NO, etc. Guys like George Kittle and Jonnu Smith fit the bill at tight end. And players like Christian McCaffrey, De’Von Achane, and Alvin Kamara thrive in this scheme out of the backfield.
On top of that, the offense also utilizes a ton of pre-snap motion. That accomplishes two goals: it moves your dynamic players around the scheme to create mismatches. And it helps the quarterback identify whether the defense is in man-to-man or zone. That’s crucial pre-snap information.
Ben Johnson's offense already drew from a wide variety of schemes and concepts around the league with both zone and gap-blocked plays. So the wide zone concepts of Kyle Shanahan's offense shouldn't be an issue to implement. The Lions already utilize plenty of counters, jet sweeps, and creativity. It's implementing the fullback that would biggest departure.
Lions Offensive Coordinator Candidates: Bobby Slowik & Klint Kubiak
We wrote about how the Saints implemented this offense last off-season with Klint Kubiak. They added a fullback and used their first-round pick on a left tackle to be their version of Trent Williams or Terron Armstead.
They scored 91 points over their first two games before Erik McCoy got hurt in Week 3. By Week 7, they had lost McCoy, Lucas Patrick, Derek Carr, Chris Olave, and Rashid Shaheed. The season was over. There are rumors that Kubiak could now be leaving after only one year.
In Houston, Bobby Slowik built this offense in 2023 using fullback Andrew Beck. That was the breakout season for rookie C.J. Stroud where Nico Collins, Tank Dell, and Dalton Schultz operated as the top weapons. They even made Devin Singletary look good.
Then Nick Caserio traded for Stefon Diggs, got rid of the fullback, and forced a scheme change to favor 11 personnel with 3 WR sets. This was no longer Kyle Shanahan/Bobby Slowik’s scheme - and it didn’t help that Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell got hurt. Now they have parted ways with Slowik. Both coordinators are now potentially available.
The Detroit Lions
The Lions already have one of the best offensive lines in the league. So, no adjustment is really needed there. They have Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams as their two full-time wide receivers. The question of a WR3 becomes less important. They have Sam LaPorta as their two-way tight end. They have not one but two of the league’s most dynamic running backs.
All they really need to do is add the best fullback they can find. Not to mention, they could take some of those plays with two backs on the field and just use David Montgomery instead of the fullback…
Despite using pretty much the same players they use now, it would represent a bit of a risk. You are changing the whole scheme, after all. Guys would need to learn new plays and, possibly, a new play-calling language.
But this is one of the most dangerous offensive systems in the NFL. And the Lions have the roster to run it better than any other team in the league. They just have to make that call and bring in either Bobby Slowik or Klint Kubiak.
Player News
Dolphins signed No. 13 overall pick DT Kenneth Grant to a four-year contract.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that Grant will sign his contract today. The former Michigan defensive tackle is expected to fill a major void left by Christian Wilkins, who left for the Raiders in the 2024 offseason. Grant totaled 32 tackles, three sacks, and seven TFLs in his final season at Michigan and excelled at stopping the run while also generating 27 pressures in his final season, per PFF.
Beat reporter John Hendrix reports that free agent WR Donovan Peoples-Jones is among the 16 players that the Saints will host for their rookie minicamp.
Peoples-Jones last played regular season snaps with the Lions back in 2023, when he caught 13-of-24 targets for 155 yards. He is highly unlikely to return to fantasy relevance at this point but could perhaps sign on as a special teams contributor.
Titans signed fourth-round pick WR Elic Ayomanor to a four-year contract.
Ayomanor will now begin learning behind Calvin Ridley. Although Ayomanor is unlikely to find a meaningful role in year one, dynasty managers should note his status as training camp gets underway this summer. The former Stanford receiver flashed big-play ability in his two college seasons.
Buccaneers signed seventh-round pick WR Tez Johnson to a four-year contract.
Johnson will serve as a rotational deep-threat option for Baker Mayfield. His thin frame (5'10/154) simply does not lend itself to the repeated hits one incurs in a full-time role. Johnson did earn 100-plus targets in his two seasons at Oregon, though. His big-play style make him a better fit in best ball for now, pending any major on-field breakthroughs.
Giants waived DT Casey Rogers.
Rogers was a 2024 undrafted free agent and logged 33 defensive snaps for the Giants in his rookie season. He is credited with zero tackles and/or sacks. He may find his way onto another roster as a practice squad option.
Vikings signed third-round pick WR Tai Felton to a four-year contract.
Felton is quietly in play to challenge Vikings No. 3 WR Jalen Nailor in training camp. Nailor (5'11/190) caught 28-of-42 targets for 414 yards and six touchdowns in his first season as a starter last year, with the latter category buoying his fantasy productivity. Felton (6'1/183), meanwhile, caught 96-of-143 targets for 1,119 yards and nine touchdowns while averaging 2.32 yards per route run in his final college season. Fantasy managers should monitor Felton’s training camp reports this summer, as he could have a matchup-based WR5 role if everything falls into place.