John

Morton

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero observed Campbell holding a play sheet on the sideline, reporting that Campbell “is doing the talking into the headset in between plays.” Per Pelissero, there are “lots of indications” of a disconnect between Morton and the rest of the Lions. Recent reports indicate the team is disappointed with WR Jameson Williams’ involvement thus far, and that they hope to give rookie WR Isaac TeSlaa increased opportunities, but this is the most direct callout we have seen regarding a specific Lions staffer. Despite Pelissero’s report, the situation remains somewhat opaque. The Detroit Free Press’ Dave Birkett notes Campbell held a play sheet last week and questions whether Campbell is actually running the show, offensively. After asking Campbell about it during the Week 10 practice week, Birkett reports that Campbell simply said he has “a million ideas,” and will continue trying new ones each week. It is possible Campbell began taking over play-calling duties during the Lions’ Week 8 bye. We expect beat reporters to chase the story.

While this development was expected, St. Brown’s comments confirm that Lions training camp will be worth following closely this summer. Prior reports indicated Morton could increase the Lions’ downfield passing rate this season, potentially leading to a larger role for Jameson Williams. Jahmyr Gibbs finished as the overall PPR RB1 last year despite totaling just the eighth-most touches (302). Could Morton shift more of the backfield’s workload toward him this year? Stay tuned.

Morton previously worked as a senior offensive assistant with Campbell’s 2022 Lions squad before serving as the Broncos’ pass game coordinator in 2023-2024. While Birkett expects “the Lions to throw the ball downfield more under Morton,” we can also safely expect Morton to continue featuring Jahmyr Gibbs in the passing game. Both Campbell’s 2022-2024 Lions offenses and the Broncos’ 2023-2024 offenses ranked top 12 in total targets thrown to the running back position annually. Gibbs should again contend for the overall RB1 spot in PPR formats.

Morton spent the 2022 season serving as a Lions senior offensive assistant before heading to Denver to serve as the Broncos’ pass game coordinator from 2023-2024. While Jared Goff (7.0) and Bo Nix (7.8) operated via similar aDOTs last year, Nix’s 126 passes thrown 15-plus yards downfield rank third among NFL QBs and hold a 23-pass edge over Goff, whose 103 qualifying attempts rank 13th. Increasing the Lions’ downfield passing frequency would benefit speedster Jameson Williams, who Morton talked up as a breakout candidate last week. Williams finished as the PPR WR22 last season.

Morton was not widely successful in his one previous appearance as an OC with the juggernaut Josh McCown/Robbie Chosen/Matt Forte Jets in 2017, but reportedly contributed a lot to the ideas the Lions created as a senior offensive assistant in 2022. Detroit will bypass assumed elevation candidate Tanner Engstrand, potentially opening up the door for him to head elsewhere. Obviously we can expect fewer trick plays now that Ben Johnson is out of town, but there’s not a whole lot to suggest this isn’t a continuity hire by Dan Campbell. Perhaps Morton will give us some more information when he meets with the Detroit media.

It sounds like this one could be finalized soon. According to Schefter, Morton is traveling to meet with the team for a second time after interviewing with them recently. Morton’s last offensive coordinator role came in 2017 with the Jets, where Josh McCown was the team’s QB1. Since that season, Morton has gone on to work for the Raiders, Lions, and Broncos in a variety of roles and spent 2022 as the Lions’ senior offensive assistant. His familiarity with Dan Campbell and several key figures on Detroit’s roster should make for a seamless transition as he hopes to provide more of a spark than he did in his lone year with the Jets.

He recently interviewed with the team and was on Dan Campbell’s staff a few years ago. Morton was the Jets offensive coordinator in 2017 and drew mixed reviews for finishing 24th in points scored while starting Josh McCown and relying on Matt Forte (yes, he played for the Jets, really), Jermaine Kearse, and Robbie Chosen as main targets. This would be a somewhat more talented roster to inherit.

Morton worked on Gruden’s previous Raiders staffs and is widely credited with helping to resurrect Josh McCown’s career in 2017 with the Jets, getting the most out of personnel that was considered among the league’s worst entering the season. Per the Daily News, the Jets would not block Morton from moving if Gruden gets the job and Morton wants to follow him to Las Vegas, where the Raiders are expected to begin playing in 2018. Losing Morton would be a huge blow to the Jets, who just signed GM Mike Maccagnan and head coach Todd Bowles to contract extensions.

Morton earned early praise for his work coordinating the Jets’ 2017 offense, but that changed as the year wore on. Morton reportedly had both personality and philosophical clashes with his colleagues. He spent 2018 out of the league, generating no news. He will be a sounding board for coach Jon Gruden and OC Greg Olson.

No relation to ex-NFL receiver Johnnie Morton, John did have a cup of coffee as an NFL wideout in the early- and mid-1990s, but he rose to coaching significance under Jim Harbaugh at the University of San Diego in 2005, then spent nearly a decade with the Raiders. Morton spent the last two seasons overseeing Brandin Cooks and Willie Snead’s development and Michael Thomas’ record-setting rookie campaign. As Jets head coach Todd Bowles is a defensive mind, Morton should have near-full control over Gang Green’s offense. In order for Morton to succeed, GM Mike Maccagnan will need to find him a competent quarterback.