ALLEN PARK — The Detroit Lions are adding another former player to their staff, with ESPN reporting they are hiring longtime NFL backup quarterback Bruce Gradkowski as an offensive assistant.
Gradkowski spent a decade-plus bouncing around the league with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, St. Louis Rams, Cleveland Browns, Oakland Raiders, Cincinnati Bengals and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
He has not coached at the NFL level but got his feet wet at the high school level before spending a year at his alma mater of Toledo as an offensive analyst in 2022. Gradkowski has most recently served as the offensive coordinator for the UFL’s St. Louis BattleHawks since 2023.
ESPN reports that Gradkowski informed the Lions that he had accepted their offer earlier this week, filling one of the holes in their coaching staff after a handful of departures.
The Lions have lost wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El and assistant quarterbacks coach J.T. Barrett to the Chicago Bears, who followed former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson after he took their head-coaching vacancy.
They also watched tight ends coach Steve Heiden and passing game coordinator Tanner Engstrand join former defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn’s staff in New York. Engstrand got a promotion as the Jets offensive coordinator, and Heiden will take on a new challenge of the team’s offensive line coach.
Gradkowski will join the new-look offensive staff, with John Morton taking over as the team’s offensive coordinator. He adds another experienced voice with a players’ perspective to the coaching staff, something the Lions have continued to embrace since Dan Campbell took over as head coach back in 2021.
