The 2024 Detroit Lions finished the season with the 16th-most passing attempts at 600. Detroit was one of the most balanced and complete teams in the NFL. The 222-point differential was tops by a wide margin. The Philadelphia Eagles were second at 160. Detroit led the league in time of possession and had the seventh-best defense in terms of points per game allowed. Only three teams – Ravens, Packers and Eagles – had a lower passing rate. Detroit finished with a 54% passing rate.
Lions target share overview
The quarterback and skill positions remain the same on offense. The defense gets a boost with the return of Aidan Hutchinson, although there’s no guarantee he returns to form right away. Dan Campbell is still the captain of the ship. But….
Gone are both offensive coordinators and the offensive line will look much different.
Ben Johnson arrived in Detroit, turned Jared Goff into a Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback and created the juggernaut that is now the Lions offense. Johnson is now the head man in Chicago.
John Morton will now be tasked with the role of OC.
Morton began his coaching career as an offensive assistant with the Oakland Raiders. He spent five years in the college ranks, four at USC, then spent time with the New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers and Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders. In 2022, he was on the Lions staff as a senior offensive assistant but left to become the passing game coordinator for the Denver Broncos. After two seasons in Mile High, he’s back in Detroit.
This will be the first time that Morton will be calling plays.
Over the offseason, Morton talked about the importance of generating explosive plays, so more downfield shots could be in the works. In addition, Jahmyr Gibbs mentioned that he’s been working on running routes while being split out in the formation. The foundation will likely remain with the run game.
And why not? Detroit had one of the best offensive lines last season. There have been massive changes, though. Frank Ragnow retired. Kevin Zeitler took his talents to Tennessee. PFF now ranks the Lions offensive line 13th.
The Lions should remain one of the top offenses in the NFL, but there are variables that could prevent them from reaching the upper band of outcomes.
Now, let’s take a look at how the targets should be distributed in Detroit this season.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Amon-Ra St. Brown led the team with 142 targets and a 27.3% target share. Two seasons ago, he garnered a 30.2% target share, but then Jameson Williams emerged last season and garnered 91 targets and an 18.9% target share. That number was only 9.8% the prior season. Williams saw the biggest increase last season in target share, and I think that’s how it will be divvied up once again this season.
Tim Patrick received 43 targets and an 8.7% target share.
TIGHT ENDS
Sam LaPorta dominated the position with 83 targets and a 17% target share. Two seasons ago, that number was 21.1%, which led to 120 targets and 86 receptions. I don’t think he gets back to those heights, especially with the emergence of Williams.
RUNNING BACKS
Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery will handle the running back duties once again. Gibbs had 63 targets and a 12.1% target share. That number was 14.1% two seasons ago. There’s a chance Gibbs returns to that level if Morton does split him out more and increases the utilization rate in the passing game.
Montgomery garnered a 9% target share last season. He will still see some screens and dump-offs, but it wouldn’t surprise me if his target share number decreases since Montgomery isn’t exactly an explosive player.
