Lions HC Dan Campbell Confirms He Took Over Play-Calling Duties From John Morton

Lions HC Dan Campbell was seen on the sideline with a call sheet and appeared to be calling plays during Sunday’s win over the Commanders. 

“Let’s try something a little different,” Campbell said. “I know what I want to do, I know how I want to do it. That being said, this is a collaborative effort. I was taking input from John Morton.”

After the game, Campbell confirmed that he did, in fact, take over the play-calling duties from OC John Morton. Campbell explained that he made the decision last week, but he says it was still a collaborative effort with Morton. 

“John is vital to me,” Campbell added, per Eric Woodyard. 

The Lions ultimately put up 44 points on the Commanders and looked as good as they have at any point this season. 

The Lions hired Morton as their offensive coordinator from the Broncos during the offseason after Ben Johnson departed to become the Bears head coach. 

Morton, 56, began his NFL coaching career with the Raiders back in 1993. He has worked for a number of teams including the Packers, Raiders, Jaguars, Chargers and 49ers before the Saints hired him as their WRs coach in 2015. After two years in New Orleans, Morton agreed to become the Jets’ offensive coordinator in 2017.

The Jets elected to fire Morton after one season and he later joined the Raiders as a senior offensive assistant. He had one year with the Lions before joining the Broncos as their passing game coordinator in 2022. 

The Lions later hired him as offensive coordinator for the 2025 season.