The Detroit Lions finalized their 2022 coaching staff Friday, adding a veteran assistant with a familiar-sounding name to the offensive side of the ball.
The Lions hired longtime NFL assistant John Morton as a senior offensive assistant and Wayne Blair as defensive quality control coach.
Morton, a Western Michigan alumnus who is no relation to former Lions receiver Johnnie Morton, spent the past three seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders and worked previously with Lions coach Dan Campbell as receivers coach for the New Orleans Saints.
Morton was offensive coordinator of USC in 2009-10 and the New York Jets in 2017. He will help new Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who is taking on a coordinator role for the first time at any level.
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Blair, who played linebacker at Tulane, worked with the Lions in training camp last summer as part of the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship program.
The Lions also named Tanner Engstrand as their passing game coordinator. Campbell announced last month that Engstrand, an offensive quality control assistant last season, was taking Johnson’s old role as tight ends coach.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.