David Shaw joining Detroit Lions staff as passing game coordinator

The Detroit Lions are halfway through revamping their offensive coaching staff.

The Lions have agreed to terms with former Stanford coach David Shaw as their new pass game coordinator, NFL Network reported Thursday.

Shaw previously worked with new Lions offensive coordinator John Morton with the then-Oakland Raiders in 1998-2001, as well as with the Broncos this past season. Morton was the Broncos’ pass game coordinator the past two seasons after working with the Lions in 2022, while Shaw was an executive with the Broncos. Shaw takes the place of Tanner Engstrand, who is expected to join former Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn’s staff with the New York Jets.

Shaw was last an NFL coach in 2005, when he coached receivers with the Baltimore Ravens. He is better known as Stanford football’s head coach from 2011-22, going 96-54 with two Rose Bowl victories.

Shaw’s father, Willie, was a Lions assistant in the 1980s.

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Shaw shared some recollections of his time in Detroit in an interview with the Free Press in 2017.

“I remember I had to shovel the snow, which I don’t miss in California,” he said before the 2017 draft. “But I remember we had a phenomenal time. Some really good football players, was on a great staff. Darryl Rogers was the head coach, Wayne Fontes was actually the defensive coordinator. I think they were building something pretty special, and when they let Darryl Rogers go and Wayne took over, then it really became special, I think. They were right on the cusp, so I have a lot of great memories from going to the old Silverdome and hanging out after football games and playing catch with some of the players. That was a lot of fun.”

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At the time, Shaw said he had no aspirations to be an NFL head coach.

“The difference between me and a lot of guys in my position is that before I became a college coach, I spent nine years in the NFL,” he said. “So I’m not one of those college coaches that wonders what it’s like to coach in the NFL. I’ve coached in every game in the NFL except for the Super Bowl. AFC championship game, playoff games. I’ve coached Hall of Fame guys, I’ve coached All-Pro guys, so I’ve lived that life and I lived it for nine years, almost a decade.

“So for me it’s not one of those things like, ‘Oh gosh, I hope we get to do that.’ I’ve already done that and I love where I am.”

The Lions have lost four offensive assistant coaches to other franchises since their season ended with a playoff loss to the Washington Commanders. Ben Johnson, the Lions’ offensive coordinator in 2022-24, left to become head coach of the Chicago Bears and took receivers coach Antwaan Randle El (as assistant head coach) and assistant quarterbacks coach J.T. Barrett (as quarterbacks coach) with him.

Tight ends coach Steve Heiden also left to become offensive line coach of the Jets.

Offensive line coach Hank Fraley, quarterbacks coach Mark Brunell and running backs coach/assistant head coach Scottie Montgomery remain under contract.

Shaw, 52, has spent three decades in a variety of coaching roles both in the NFL and college football. He worked under Jim Harbaugh as offensive coordinator at Stanford before taking over as the school’s head coach and had NFL stops with the Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles along with the Raiders.

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