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The Detroit Lions are about to enter a new regime with incoming head coach Matt Patricia. The New England Patriots defensive coordinator does not yet officially have the job but he has already started letting go of certain people within the Lions coaching staff.
However, there will be one notable holdover from the previous regime in his staff as Jim Bob Cooter is expected to stay on as the team’s offensive coordinator, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Patricia and Cooter do not have any sort of relationship to speak of. But according to Schefter, quarterback Matthew Stafford lobbied hard to retain Cooter once previous head coach Jim Caldwell was fired on New Year’s Day.
Cooter, who came to the Lions as a quarterbacks coach in 2014, has formed a close relationship with Stafford, though. Cooter was promoted to offensive coordinator midway through the 2015 season and has led to the three best seasons in Stafford’s career in terms of quarterback rating.
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Stafford’s accuracy has markedly improved in Cooter’s system, as he’s completed at least 65 percent of his passes in each of those three seasons.
The Lions’ offenses have been consistently average to slightly above average under Cooter, in large part due to Stafford’s efforts in the passing game. However, Cooter has still been unable to solve the Lions’ deficiencies in terms of running the football. The Lions have been among the worst rushing teams in the league for the better part of this decade.
Cooter’s close relationship with the team’s franchise quarterback has helped him retain his job for now. But if the Lions still don’t show improvements offensively, Patricia will likely have little hesitation to move on from Cooter in order to bring in his pick for the position.
