Drew Petzing is the main storyline for the Detroit Lions’ first open OTA practice because the team itself identified the new offensive coordinator as the first thing to watch this spring. DetroitLions.com’s OTA preview says observers should focus on Petzing’s wrinkles and the personnel groupings he leans on most, while Jared Goff told NFL.com the hire was a “home run” because Petzing can connect the run game, pass game and play-action and still “run what we’re best at.”
Those early Detroit Lions practice clues matter because Detroit already knows who its featured pieces are: Goff at quarterback, Jahmyr Gibbs in the backfield, and Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and Sam LaPorta among the primary targets. Petzing said in February that Detroit has enough offensive talent to take the scheme in many directions and that the offense must make sure its best players affect the game, according to DetroitLions.com.
Detroit has already pointed reporters toward Petzing
The clearest part of this Detroit Lions OTA story is that the team is not hiding where attention should go. DetroitLions.com listed Petzing first in its five OTA storylines and said one practice each week will be open to the media in its entirety, giving reporters a direct look at tempo, alignments and usage.
The same preview said some of Petzing’s core principles already fit the Detroit Lions, especially his commitment to the run. It also framed the spring evaluation in practical terms: what wrinkles show up, and which personnel groupings become his early preference.
Goff’s comments narrow the checklist
Goff offered the most useful on-field description of what to watch in Detroit Lions OTAs. In his comments to NFL.com, he called Petzing versatile, said he is not tied to one offense, and praised his ability to marry play-action with the rest of the system.
That gives the first open practice a sharper lens. If Petzing is building the Detroit Lions offense around flexibility, the early evidence should come through in how often Detroit changes formations, how often core players line up in different spots, and how the passing game is presented off run action.
Goff also said the offense will “run what we’re best at.” For a Detroit Lions roster that already features Gibbs, St. Brown, Williams and LaPorta, that comment suggests spring is less about a public reveal of brand-new concepts and more about how Petzing organizes the pieces already in place.
The run game is the starting point
Petzing’s background says the run game will stay central. DetroitLions.com’s profile of Petzing says his offense places major importance on the run game and notes Arizona rushed for 2,451 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2024 under his direction, finishing seventh in rushing that season.
The same team profile says Arizona was one of only two NFL teams to average better than 5.0 yards per carry in both 2023 and 2024. NFL.com also reported when Detroit hired Petzing on Jan. 19, 2026, that Arizona’s 2024 offense finished top eight in EPA per play before injuries disrupted 2025, according to its hiring report.
For Detroit Lions OTAs, that run-first identity will not show up through live-contact trench play. It can still show up through structure: under-center work, backfield alignments, motion into run looks, and how often the offense builds passing concepts off those same pictures.
Movement and unpredictability are the real spring tells
Petzing gave another clear signal at the combine. DetroitLions.com reported he said moving players around and avoiding predictability will be critical, and that the offense has enough talent to go in many directions.
That makes alignment usage one of the most important details in the first media-open Detroit Lions session. If St. Brown, Williams, LaPorta and Gibbs are regularly shifted before the snap or deployed from different spots, that would match Petzing’s stated goal of making sure top players affect the game.
Spring practices cannot confirm how effective any look will be once pads come on. They can confirm whether Petzing is teaching versatility as a core rule instead of treating it like an occasional changeup.
The offensive line still sits at the center
Petzing also tied Detroit’s offensive ceiling to the front. In the team’s February takeaways, he emphasized the offensive line room’s “attitude” and said the front will be central to the offense’s success in 2026.
That point fits his background and Goff’s description of the system. A coordinator who wants the run game, play-action and flexibility to work together needs the line to carry that identity, even in a non-contact setting where the details are mostly stance, alignment, communication and repetition speed.
The Detroit Lions’ first open OTA practice will not settle how the offense performs in September. It should confirm which personnel groupings Petzing opens with most often, how much under-center and play-action structure is present, and how aggressively Detroit moves Gibbs, St. Brown, Williams and LaPorta around the formation.
