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Can new Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Drew Petzing replicate his previous successes with Lions star tight end Sam LaPorta?
In his three seasons as offensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals, Petzing often preferred using multiple tight ends in his offensive formations and will likely favor 12- and 13-personnel, which the Lions have shown great success with over the past few seasons.
Petzing worked wonders with Arizona tight end Trey McBride, helping morph McBride into the NFL's league leader among tight ends in receptions (126), yards (1,239) and touchdowns (11) in 2025. McBride's receiving yardage total ranked sixth among all NFL players and just behind Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown.
Under Petzing's tutelage, McBride progressively improved over their three seasons together, going from 825 yards and three touchdowns on 81 receptions in 2023 to his league-leading status in 2025. In that three-year timeframe, McBride has totaled 318 receptions, 3,210 receiving yards and 16 touchdown grabs.
Petzing’s history extends even further, including his success at previous stops, where he worked with Austin Hooper and David Njoku as tight ends coach with the Cleveland Browns (2020-21) and with Kyle Rudolph during his tenure in various roles with the Minnesota Vikings (2014-19).
While the aforementioned 12- and 13-personnel packages Petzing likes to use will require the Lions to acquire a few more reliable tight ends either through the draft or free agency, his recent success with McBride could very well translate to a rebound for Sam LaPorta in 2026.
If LaPorta can fully recover from his season-ending back injury, the Lions hope that he can return to his dominant form under Petzing during what is the former Iowa Hawkeye star's final year of his current four-year rookie deal signed following his No. 34 overall selection in the 2023 NFL draft.
In his Lions career, LaPorta has 186 receptions for 2,104 yards and 20 touchdowns. LaPorta reeled in 86 catches for 889 yards and 10 scores during his breakout rookie campaign in 2023.
For more Lions coverage, follow us on X, @TheLionsWire, and give our Facebook page a like. Follow Scout on X: @SpringgateNews
This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Could Sam LaPorta benefit from Lions' new OC Drew Petzing?
Continue reading...
In his three seasons as offensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals, Petzing often preferred using multiple tight ends in his offensive formations and will likely favor 12- and 13-personnel, which the Lions have shown great success with over the past few seasons.
Petzing worked wonders with Arizona tight end Trey McBride, helping morph McBride into the NFL's league leader among tight ends in receptions (126), yards (1,239) and touchdowns (11) in 2025. McBride's receiving yardage total ranked sixth among all NFL players and just behind Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown.
Under Petzing's tutelage, McBride progressively improved over their three seasons together, going from 825 yards and three touchdowns on 81 receptions in 2023 to his league-leading status in 2025. In that three-year timeframe, McBride has totaled 318 receptions, 3,210 receiving yards and 16 touchdown grabs.
Petzing’s history extends even further, including his success at previous stops, where he worked with Austin Hooper and David Njoku as tight ends coach with the Cleveland Browns (2020-21) and with Kyle Rudolph during his tenure in various roles with the Minnesota Vikings (2014-19).
While the aforementioned 12- and 13-personnel packages Petzing likes to use will require the Lions to acquire a few more reliable tight ends either through the draft or free agency, his recent success with McBride could very well translate to a rebound for Sam LaPorta in 2026.
If LaPorta can fully recover from his season-ending back injury, the Lions hope that he can return to his dominant form under Petzing during what is the former Iowa Hawkeye star's final year of his current four-year rookie deal signed following his No. 34 overall selection in the 2023 NFL draft.
In his Lions career, LaPorta has 186 receptions for 2,104 yards and 20 touchdowns. LaPorta reeled in 86 catches for 889 yards and 10 scores during his breakout rookie campaign in 2023.
For more Lions coverage, follow us on X, @TheLionsWire, and give our Facebook page a like. Follow Scout on X: @SpringgateNews
This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Could Sam LaPorta benefit from Lions' new OC Drew Petzing?
Continue reading...
