Drew Petzing hasn’t run a snap for the Lions yet, but he’s already drawing respect from the people who spend their weeks trying to stop offenses like his.
That’s the takeaway from The Athletic’s latest top-10 offensive player caller rankings for the 2026 season, which were released Wednesday. The list is built from the opinions of eight defensive play callers and assistant coaches around the NFL, giving it a different kind of credibility: this is what the opposition thinks, not the usual praise from inside an offensive meeting room.
Petzing didn’t crack the top 10, but he did earn an honorable mention, landing among a group that also included Sean Payton, Kevin O’Connell, Todd Monken and Joe Brady.
For a coach who hasn’t called a play for Detroit’s offense, that’s still a meaningful nod. Petzing spent the last three seasons as the Arizona Cardinals’ offensive coordinator, and that stretch helped build his reputation around the league. Arizona finished 24th, 12th and 23rd in scoring during those seasons, but Petzing was frequently credited with squeezing production out of a roster that wasn’t exactly loaded on that side of the ball.
His best year came in 2024, when the Cardinals finished 12th in scoring, 11th in offensive DVOA and 10th in EPA/play. That season also helped push him into head coaching conversations. He even interviewed for the Chicago Bears’ job in 2025 before they hired Ben Johnson.
Johnson, of course, showed up near the top of this year’s list as well. The former Lions offensive coordinator was ranked No. 3, while Packers head coach Matt LaFleur landed at No. 4.
The full top offensive playcaller rankings are available from The Athletic.
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