Sam LaPorta seems to think his new OC will do what Ben Johnson didn't

As training camps get set to begin across the NFL, one of the biggest unanswered questions in the league is whether the Detroit Lions will remain a legitimate Super Bowl contender despite the departure of both offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. Johnson, in particular, looms large: It's not a coincidence that Detroit's rise in the NFC neatly coincided with the implementation of his intricate, innovative scheme, one that he's now taken with him to Chicago as head coach of the Bears.

Can Dan Campbell and Co. replace him without missing a beat? Is Jared Goff ready to shoulder more of the load, or was he a Johnson merchant all along? The answer could go a long way toward defining the NFC playoff race this year, but at least one key member of the Lions offense doesn't seem too worried about it at all. In fact, it sure sounds like he thinks Detroit might be even better in 2025 than it was in 2024.

In an interview with Jim Rome on Wednesday, LaPorta had very little patience for the notion that the Lions offense was solely a product of Johnson's genius.

"it might be a little bit different," LaPorta acknowledged, before pointing out that the team did manage to hang on to offensive line coach and run-game coordinator Hank Fraley this offseason. "but Johnny Mo, pass-game coordinatonr his entire life, brilliant mind, I think he's gonna call the offense great."

It was also hard to ignore the slight edge in LaPorta's voice when he was asked again about the challenge Campbell faces in replacing two key members of his coaching staff.

"It goes hand-in-hand with the players that are out there of course winning the game, too," LaPorta said. "Brad Holmes has been the best at finding the guys that fit the culture in Detroit and are damn good football players as well."

At first blush, it might seem preposterous to think that the Lions could stave off regression, let alone take another step forward, with Johnson gone. But there is a path to doing just that, and it starts with LaPorta himself.

A Sam LaPorta resurgence could more than make up for Ben Johnson's departure

The cupboard is obviously far from bare in Detroit, even with Johnson gone. Penei Sewell (and Fraley) still anchors one of the better lines in the sport, even if rookie Tate Ratledge's development could prove critical. And Goff still has Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery to hand the ball off to and a deep, balanced receiving corps featuring Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and Tim Patrick to throw to. The floor here still feels pretty high.

And the ceiling could get even higher if LaPorta can take another step forward. The 2023 second-round pick burst onto the scene as a rookie, but he saw a significant decline in targets, catches and yards last season. He's still only 24 years old, and he's still entering just his third year in the NFL. If there's another level to be unlocked for him down the field, this Lions offense will have everything it needs (and Goff will have another intermediate weapon to terrorize defenses with).

And Morton could well be the guy to unlock it. Sure, he doesn't come with Johnson's track record, but he's hardly a nobody either. He was on Johnson's staff in 2022, and he spent the last two years sitting at the right hand of Sean Payton in Denver, a man who knows a thing or two about both building an offense and utilizing a dynamic tight end. The fact that LaPorta is already this confident and excited about life with his new OC seems to bode well as to how this transition will go.