By Blessing 
The Detroit Lions are heading into 2025 without Ben Johnson, the offensive coordinator who helped shape one of the league’s most electric offenses. Johnson’s move to the Chicago Bears might seem like a major shake-up on paper—but head coach Dan Campbell isn’t losing sleep over it.
Why? For Campbell, the magic behind the Lions’ offensive success isn’t tied to any one play-caller. It’s rooted in the talent and chemistry of the players themselves.
“This is a Detroit Lion offense, is what it is,” Campbell said last week, via The Detroit News. “This offense is Jared Goff, (Amon-Ra) St. Brown, (Jahmyr) Gibbs, (David) Montgomery. It’s Frank (Ragnow); it’s (Penei) Sewell; it’s (Taylor) Decker. I can keep going. It’s (Jameson Williams). … That’s what we are.”
That core group remains largely intact. In fact, Detroit managed to return 10 of 11 offensive starters from last season, with the only departure being veteran guard Kevin Zeitler. The Lions are banking on that continuity to carry them forward.
Campbell emphasized that while scheme and strategy are important, they only go so far without the right people executing the vision.
“We can say, ‘Well this is our scheme, this is what we’re running.’ No, no, no,” he explained. “(The players are) the ones who make it what it is. That’s our playbook, those guys.”
Last season, Detroit clinched the NFC’s No. 1 seed thanks in large part to a balanced and explosive offense. Behind the scenes, quarterback Jared Goff played a bigger role than many realized in shaping that unit’s identity. And with Johnson now out of the picture, Campbell expects Goff’s leadership to grow even more prominent.
Of course, Johnson’s departure does raise questions. His creative play-calling—like that memorable hook-and-lateral in a clutch moment at Green Bay—made Detroit’s offense both unpredictable and fun to watch. Whether new play-caller John Morton keeps that flair alive or opts for a more traditional approach remains to be seen.
On paper, the Lions look fully equipped to stay at the top of the offensive ranks. But until Morton reveals his playbook and philosophy in real-time action this September, all eyes will be on how Detroit adapts without one of its key masterminds.