Lions continue to replenish coaching staff, adding former Stanford coach Shaw as passing game coordinator
Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell has been reloading his staff nearly as quickly as it has lost several key pieces this offseason.
After the team formally announced Kelvin Sheppard's promotion to defensive coordinator and the re-hiring of John Morton as offensive coordinator, the Lions agreed to terms with longtime Stanford head coach David Shaw on Thursday. He will serve as the offense's passing game coordinator. The move was first reported by the NFL Network and confirmed by a source familiar with the agreement.
The move cements Tanner Engstrand's departure. Multiple outlets have reported he's joining former defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn's staff in New York as the Jets offensive coordinator.
Shaw, 52, follows Morton to Detroit from Denver, where the former served as a senior personnel executive last season.
Broncos coach Sean Payton — a Campbell mentor — and Shaw's relationship dates back to 1997, when Payton was the team's quarterbacks coach and Shaw had his first NFL job as a quality control coach.
After one year in Philadelphia, Shaw worked four seasons with the Raiders, where he and Morton simultaneously served as quality control coaches on Jon Gruden's staff. Shaw was later promoted to coach the team's quarterbacks in 2001, his final season with the franchise.
Shaw went from the Raiders to the Ravens for another four-year stint. In Baltimore, he worked with the team's quarterbacks and wide receivers before replacing Morton as San Diego University's passing game coordinator under Jim Harbaugh in 2006.
Shaw followed Harbaugh to Stanford, working as the team's offensive coordinator from 2007-10. When Harbaugh left for the San Francisco 49ers in 2011, Shaw took over as the school's head coach. Shaw remained in that role for 12 seasons, compiling a 96-54 record, six top-25 finishes and five bowl wins. The team peaked with a Rose Bowl victory in 2016, finishing that season ranked No. 3.
During his tenure as Stanford’s head coach, the school produced dozens of NFL draft picks. That roster includes quarterback Andrew Luck, guard David DeCastro, tight end Zach Ertz and running back Christian McCaffrey.
Engstrad, who served as a graduate assistant during both Morton and Shaw's stints at San Diego, departs after joining the Lions as a low-level offensive assistant in 2020. He led the tight end room in 2022, replacing former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, and held the passing game coordinator title the past two seasons.
Fun tidbit from Shaw's Wikipedia page: "Shaw was born in San Diego, California and moved with his family around the country following his father Willie's career as an NFL coach. Shaw played high school football at Rochester Adams High School in Rochester Hills, Michigan while his father coached for the Detroit Lions."
What will be fascinating to see is how long it will take the Lions players to coach the coaches in the Lion ways! Just think of the wealth of knowledge these guys will bring to the players already high talent stack.