The third phase of the offseason training program begins this week for the Detroit Lions. It’s an opportunity for coaches and players to ramp up football activities.
During this phase of the training program teams may conduct a total of 10 days of organized team practice activity, or ‘OTAs’. No live contact is permitted, but 7-on-7, 9-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills are permitted. One in every three OTA practices is open to the media in its entirety, which this week falls on Friday.
Here are five things to look out for during OTAs:
Head coach Dan Campbell has handed the keys to Detroit’s offense over to Drew Petzing as the new OC.
Petzing, 38, was the offensive coordinator in Arizona the last three seasons and some of the core principles he featured certainly seem to fit in Detroit, particularly his commitment to the run. The Cardinals were decimated by injury on offense last season, but Arizona was one of only two teams in the NFL to average better than 5.0 yards per carry in both 2023 and 2024.
Petzing inherits a top five unit in both scoring and total offense. Jared Goff is a veteran signal caller with a plethora of skill weapons that include running back Jahmyr Gibbs, wide receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, and tight end Sam LaPorta. Detroit also made some upgrades along the offensive line this offseason.
What wrinkles might Petzing have in store for the offense? What personnel groupings will he lean on the most?
“For me, it was so many different reasons, just from a philosophy standpoint, a culture standpoint, a roster standpoint,” Petzing told me earlier this offseason at the Scouting Combine of why it made sense to join the Lions.
“They’ve done such a good job of building the foundation of this team, in terms of their belief in what it takes to win football games. It was just a great opportunity for me, and I would like to think my belief, in terms of how games should be won, how you should play the game, offensive scheme and how you interact with people on a daily basis, showed through, and I just think it felt natural right from the get-go.”
