Could a familiar face be heading to Detroit to coordinate the offense?

Not hours after the Lions fired offensive coordinator John Morton, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport called former Lions quarterback David Blough “a sneaky hot name” to watch.

In college, Blough was a record-setting passer at Purdue. He finished his college career second in Boilermaker history with 69 TD passes, just behind future Hall of Fame QB Drew Brees. He also finished 4th overall in school history in career passing yards (9,734) and 6th in single-season passing yards (3,705, which he did as a senior in 2018).

Blough entered the league in 2019 as an undrafted rookie with the Cleveland Browns, and was traded to Detroit at the end of the preseason in a deal that included a swap of seventh-round picks. Injuries pushed him into action quickly. He made his first NFL start on Thanksgiving in 2019 and finished that season as Detroit’s starter for the final stretch, going 0-5 in his five starts.

More on Former Lions QB David Blough as a Possible Candidate for Detroit’s Next DC

In his three years with the Lions, Blough appeared in seven games (five starts) and completed 100-of-184 passes for 1,033 yards and four touchdowns, while also adding 55 rushing yards and a TD catch. Over his full NFL career, (he also spent a lone season in Arizona with the Cardinals in 2022), he played in nine games, finishing with 138 completions, 1,435 passing yards, six touchdowns and nine interceptions.

Blough never lit the field on fire as a starter — or as a backup — in the NFL, but while his numbers weren’t great, he still impressed some very important people.

Current Lions coach Dan Campbell praised his football IQ back in 2023, calling him “a smart football player” who has “seen it.” Considering Campbell knows Blough personally and has spoken highly of the former QB’s football acumen before, he looks to be an intriguing possibility right out of the gate.

After his playing days wound down, Blough moved immediately into coaching with Washington, joining Dan Quinn’s staff as an assistant quarterbacks coach in 2024. He had that role again this season, and he also gained added responsibility late in the year as an interim QBs coach. His coaching experience isn’t vast, and at 30, he’d become one of the youngest OCs in the NFL.

Lions Offense Took a Bit of a Dip in 2025

GettyEx-QB David Blough is a candidate for the Detroit Lions vacant OC position, according to Ian Rapoport.

Detroit’s offense slipped a bit from 2024 to 2025. In 2024, Ben Johnson’s unit was the league’s top-scoring attack, scoring 33.1 points per game. Johnson left to coach the Bears, and it’s fair to say the Lions miss his creativity and big plays.

In 2025, the offense was still productive, but not as sharp. They finished tied for fourth in scoring and fifth in total offense, yet missed the playoffs, and Morton was stripped of play-calling duties during the year with Campbell taking over. The points dipped, with the offense scoring 28.3 points per game, nearly 5 points per game off the prior season.

The team’s run game also was a tad less dynamic. Detroit averaged 149.4 rushing yards per game in 2024, then fell to 120.1 in 2025, which ranked 14th.

Thus, the next coordinator—whether that ends up being Blough or someone else — will have a solid foundation to work with. It’ll be interesting to see how serious Campbell and company are about bringing him on.

Beth Mishler-Elmore Beth Mishler-Elmore is a Heavy sports contributor based in the Midwest, focusing on the NFL, NBA and WNBA. More about Beth Mishler-Elmore