According to Jason La Canfora, while Lions HC Dan Campbell is not considering making midseason changes to his coaching staff, it would be surprising if he doesn’t shake things up this offseason, specifically on offense with OC Anthony Lynn.
Campbell, who has not been a primary play-caller at any point in his coaching career, took over those duties from Lynn last week in the tie against the Steelers, though Lynn remained involved.
La Canfora says there has been conflict on the coaching staff over the structure of the passing game under Lynn. The veteran coach also reportedly struggled to connect with QB Jared Goff, per La Canfora, and there have been disagreements about the usage of RB D’Andre Swift.
“This was a long time coming,” said one team source. “It just wasn’t working and there were definitely some personality clashes.”
La Canfora expects the Lions to explore changes at offensive coordinator this offseason, especially with the possibility of a young quarterback being added to the fold.
Lynn, 52, played six seasons in the NFL for the Broncos and 49ers before taking his first coaching job in 2000 as the Broncos’ special teams assistant. He had brief stints with the Jaguars, Cowboys, Browns and Jets as their running backs coach before he was hired by the Bills in 2015.
Buffalo promoted Lynn to offensive coordinator after firing Greg Roman and he later took over for Rex Ryan towards the end of the 2016 season. The Chargers later hired him as their head coach in 2017 and signed him to a one-year extension last year.
However, Los Angeles opted to fire Lynn back in January. The Lions hired him as their offensive coordinator.
During his four years with the Chargers, Lynn led the team to a record of 33-31 (51.6 percent), which includes one playoff appearance.
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