11:00pm: When speaking after his team’s 44-22 win, Campbell said (via ESPN’s Eric Woodyard) he decided to make the change following last week’s game. Morton was still involved in handling the offense in Week 10, though. Campbell added this case is different from that of 2021, the 12 months wherein he permanently took over play-calling duties from Anthony Lynn midway through the campaign.
6:33pm: Leading as much as Week 10, there have been questions on a possible change by way of how the Lions would operate on offense. For no less than one game, head coach Dan Campbell is handling play-calling duties.
“I’ve got 1,000,000 ideas,” Campbell said last week when speaking about his team’s offense (via Mike Garafolo of NFL Network). “And I consider it’s going to work this week. And if it doesn’t, then I’ve got one other idea. I’ve got plenty. We’ll get this thing going.”
Entering Sunday’s game, the Lions ranked fourth within the NFL in scoring but only twelfth by way of yards per game. Middling production through the air led to discuss latest offensive coordinator John Morton being stripped of play-calling duties. Garafolo was amongst those that noticed Campbell gave the impression to be handling those duties, although the fifth-year head coach often consults a callsheet even when that just isn’t the case.
When chatting with Fox Sports’ Megan Olivi at halftime, Campbell confirmed he has assumed the role of play-caller for today’s game. He noted the team simply desired to “change things up,” and it’ll be interesting to see if that setup continues moving forward. Campbell called plays early in his Lions tenure.
Those responsibilities were shouldered by Ben Johnson during his three-year tenure as Detroit’s offensive coordinator. His success in that role made him one among the league’s top head coaching candidates, and Johnson took charge of the Bears this offseason. Campbell and the Lions looked internally to exchange DC Aaron Glenn by promoting Kelvin Shephard to that spot, but Morton was brought in as an outdoor hire following his two seasons working alongside Sean Payton in Denver.
The Lions have enjoyed a really strong outing against the Commanders, a team which has been reeling as of late. Still, that level of success could lead on Campbell to hold on calling plays moving forward. Otherwise, Morton might be tasked with constructing on Detroit’s momentum and in doing so putting to rest doubts about his status.