Lions OC Rumors Link Arthur Smith, David Blough as Candidates After John Morton Fired

The Detroit Lions announced on Jan. 6 that they parted ways with offensive coordinator John Morton, and it didn't take long for them to be linked to veteran coordinators and even a "sneaky hot name" for the vacant position.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported on Thursday that Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith has been requested for an interview.

Rapoport previously reported the Lions "started off" the search with former Detroit quarterback David Blough. The Purdue product is just 30 years old and was a signal-caller for the team from 2019 through 2021 before playing for the Arizona Cardinals in 2022.

While he was primarily a backup in Detroit, he did start five games in 2019 and went 0-5 in those contests.

Moving straight into the offensive coordinator role would be quite the leap for Blough after he was an assistant quarterbacks coach for the Washington Commanders this past season. Rapoport noted he became the primary quarterbacks coach after Tavita Pritchard left.

However, he is a familiar name for Detroit seeing how he previously played quarterback for the NFC North team.

He would also be tasked with leading a talented offense that finished the 2024 season first in the league in points and second in yards under Ben Johnson before finishing fourth in the league in scoring and fifth in the league in yards under Morton in 2025.

Offense wasn't the reason the Lions missed the playoffs this past season, as the group remained effective behind Jared Goff, Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and David Montgomery.

Yet they decided to make a change and could be turning to a familiar name from their past as a result.