Pride of Detroit
Head coaches and coordinators are among the first people praised for a good season or blamed for a poor one. However, a team’s success runs deeper than those spots on the coaching staff. Positional coaches are often underappreciated and overlooked, given that their successes or failures are typically not obvious to the untrained eye.
If a receiver runs a great route, the offensive coordinator often gets praised for the play call, not the receivers coach that taught it. If a defensive back makes a great read and breaks up a pass, the defensive backs coach does not always get credit for helping with a week’s worth of film review and play recognition. When a backup linebacker steps into the game and plays well, our first thought is not about how good of a job the linebackers coach did preparing that group ahead of time.
The Detroit Lions have an ample number of position coaches that play a key role in their success (and failure at times). Of these names, who is the most important?
Today’s Question of the Day is:
My answer: Hank Fraley.
There are no shortage of important coaches on the Lions staff. The relationship between quarterback and quarterback coach is critical to growth and success, and the Lions seemingly have a good duo with Jared Goff and Mark Brunell. Scottie Montgomery (wide receivers) and Jim O’Neil (safeties) have the subtitle of associate and assistant head coach, respectively, highlighting their importance to Dan Campbell’s crew. Elsewhere, Kacy Rodgers’ role as defensive line coach and run game coordinator, coupled with his extensive resume, make him an excellent pairing with a young defensive coordinator in Kelvin Sheppard.
However, the Lions live and die by their offensive line, and the man at the center of it is himself a former center, Hank Fraley. When the Lions were thriving in 2023 and 2024, it was Fraley’s offensive line that was paving the way. From protecting Goff and allowing plays to develop downfield to creating massive running lanes for Jahmyr Gibbs to sprint through, the blocking up front made the Lions a successful team.
Last season was the first time that the Lions took a step back since Campbell took over in 2021, and it is no coincidence that the Lions also underwent a significant reshuffle on the offensive line that same year. Losing Frank Ragnow and Kevin Zeitler was a difficult task, and while rookie Tate Ratledge performed admirably, cohesion across the line faltered. Fraley has proven himself to be a brilliant mind when it comes to blocking schemes, hence his recent title of run game coordinator. However, a coach can only do so much when his starting lineup is changing every week.
In 2026, the Lions took some significant actions towards establishing a consistent offensive line going forward. Penei Sewell shifts to left tackle, replacing the veteran Taylor Decker. The team signed Cade Mays to firm up the interior. In the draft,...
