INDIANAPOLIS – Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Drew Petzing and defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard took some time to speak with local reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine. Here are my 10 biggest takeaways from those sessions:
1. One of the biggest draws for accepting the offensive coordinator job in Detroit was veteran quarterback Jared Goff. Petzing's had some terrific initial conversations with Goff about their offensive vision, and he said Goff works harder than anyone he's ever been around.
2. Sheppard takes the postseason self-scout very seriously and said this year he's taken a different approach by slowing that process down and tearing off all the band-aids, looking through every crack and crevasse, to see where the good things were and where the bad things were and where they can improve as coaches and players.
They've been watching games and asking themselves, 'Why were we down in the fourth quarter?' The why and the solution vs. pointing fingers. Sheppard said it's been a good process over the last three weeks with head coach Dan Campbell heavily involved.
3. The Lions have a ton of talent on offense and Petzing said it's been fun watching the cut-ups and getting the creative juices flowing.
"I think it's immense," he said of the talent he's inheriting on offense. "There's a lot of different directions you can take it in. Ultimately, whatever we do, we want to be really hard to defend, and we want to make sure our best players affect the game. The nice part in Detroit is we have a lot of those and being able to move those guys around the formation and put them in different situations and not be predictable to a defense is going to be critical to our success."
4. This is not Sheppard's defense, according to him, it's All-Pro linebacker Jack Campbell’s defense.
"This is Jack Campbell's defense, and I don't hesitate when I say that," he said. "This is Jack Campbell's defense and everyone in that locker room knows it. Point blank period. It all goes through Jack."
Campbell was named a Pro Bowler and All-Pro for the first time in his career this past year after being the only NFL player to produce at least 165 tackles, 5.0 sacks and three forced fumbles in 2025.
5. Asked about the offensive line play and getting back to being a dominant front in this league, Petzing first talked about attitude and how that will be an important word coming from him in that room. He admitted Detroit went through some growing pains upfront last season essentially playing two newcomers at guard, but by doing so they gained experience and he expects that unit to be a big part of the success on offense in 2026.
Petzing got close with Detroit's run game coordinator and offensive line coach Hank Fraley when they were both coaching in Minnesota and said that relationship is so important to him and he's excited to work with Fraley again.
6. The continuity on the defensive staff is going to be huge for the defensive success overall in 2026. Not having to start over at certain spots will allow them to 'start on second base' when the players get back, per Sheppard. It will allow the unit to get into the finer points of the defense and the nitty gritty of the scheme in hopes of making them a more situationally aware unit and a more complete defense overall.
7. How big of an impact will new pass game coordinator Mike Kafka have on the offensive system? Petzing talked about all the different backgrounds on the offensive coaching staff and how he loves that makeup. Kafka has been in many different systems and coached many different players. Petzing thinks he'll be a strong asset on the offensive staff.
8. Where does Sheppard think he grew the most in his first season as defensive coordinator in 2025? He talked about the ability to control his emotions and stay even-keeled, knowing it's not just the players but also the defensive coaching staff that's looking up to him. Sheppard is big at holding people accountable but said he learned there are right and wrong ways to do that, making sure it's demanding and not demeaning.
9. Coaches build relationships all around the league and Petzing is very close with Bears head coach Ben Johnson and Green Bay defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon.
"I both hate it and love it," Petzing said. "I hate it because I think very highly of those guys as coaches and people. There's also an element that makes it fun and there will be some trash talking and some silence on the phone all the sudden when game week comes along."
10. Sheppard said one of the things that's stood out about the cutups in the self-scout is the 105 explosive plays (82 pass and 23 runs) they gave up. An explosive play by Detroit's defensive metrics is a 17-yard pass and 12-yard run. Sheppard said the coaches and players will watch all those plays on multiple occasions before the start of next season as a teaching tool. He said 30 to 40 percent of those plays had no business being on the tape because of easily correctable self-made mistakes – by both coaches and players.
"Let's take the band-aid off and talk about it and let's get that solution so we can line up next season and make sure it doesn't happen again," Sheppard said.
