Jared Goff is entering a familiar system with a different voice calling the offensive plays. The comparisons of Ben Johnson’s 2024 offense with Drew Petzing’s have already surfaced as he backed his revamped offensive line.

Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press has reported that quarterback Jared Goff drew comparisons between the present offensive coordinator, Drew Petzing, and former OC Ben Johnson during his interaction at Bloomfield Hills High School.

“Goff said the verbiage in Petzing’s offense will be "probably remotely the same” as what it’s been the past four seasons under Ben Johnson…but “the plays and what we’re doing, there could be some different things,” Birkett wrote. 

Jared Goff addressed multiple topics, including the release of veteran talent, the impact of the NFL on the youth, etc. 

But when he drew the comparisons between Johnson and Petzing’s offense, it turned many heads. This is the first time the Lions are going to play with the new OC in 2026.

With phase 1 being just “lifting and running,” he is looking forward to Petzing’s phase 2 offseason program scheduled for next month.

For Goff, it would be pretty much the same as what he did under Johnson until 2025, except for the plays. 

Johnson has built his offense around structure and sequencing, using motion and formation shifts to create mismatches before the snap, as detailed by Mark Bullock on Substack.

He leaned on timing and play design rather than improvisation, consistently putting quarterbacks in controlled situations where reads came quickly and efficiently.

Petzing has leaned on a balanced, run-first structure, building his offense through play-action and controlled reads, a style highlighted on Substack.

His approach has focused on efficiency over volume, using the ground game to set tempo and simplify decisions for the quarterback rather than relying on high-risk, high-volume passing.

Drew Petzing Highlights Jared Goff's Fit in his Offensive System

While interacting with Rainer Sabin of the Detroit Free Press, OC Drew Petzing talked highly about the QB Jared Goff. 

“He’s very much like having an extra coach on the staff, just in terms of how much he’s seen, the way he thinks about the game, how hard he works at it,” Petzing said Tuesday, Feb. 24, at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine.

Goff’s stats back up the claim. Since 2022, he's played in every single game, with three out of four Pro Bowl selections in those years.

Since 2022, no NFL quarterback has racked up more passing yards than Goff, 21,421, and 149 touchdowns. 

Goff’s numbers reflect control, completing over 65% of his career passes while keeping the offense on schedule.

How do you think the Lions offense will look with new OC Drew Petzing? Read more at the Detroit Lions Community!

Written by

Kunwar Yashaswee Chhaunker

Edited by

Aadesh Dhote