Lions head coach Dan Campbell has brought a new offensive coach to his staff. The Detroit Lions are adding a new offensive coach with a national championship background from the college ranks to Dan Campbell’s staff. Tyler Roehl, assistant head coach and running backs coach at Iowa State, will join as an offensive assistant, according to CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz on February 11, 2025.

Roehl, a seven-time FCS National Champion, previously coached at his alma mater, North Dakota State, where he worked as a graduate assistant, running backs and tight ends coach, and offensive coordinator, based on his biography on the Iowa State website. In 2024, he joined the Cyclones after spending the previous decade at North Dakota State.

Tyler Roehl Joins New Offensive Coordinator John Morton’s Staff

Roehl, 39, will work alongside new offensive coordinator John Morton, hired from the Denver Broncos to replace Ben Johnson, who took the head coach position with the Chicago Bears. Morton spent a year as the Broncos’ passing game coordinator after serving as a senior offensive assistant with the Lions in 2022.

The Lions have also added former Stanford head coach David Shaw from the Broncos as their passing game coordinator and former NFL quarterback Bruce Gradkowski as an offensive assistant. Gradkowski spent two seasons as the offensive coordinator for the St. Louis Battlehawks of the XFL/UFL.

The Cyclones finished 11-3 in 2024, making it to the Big 12 conference championship game and later defeating the Miami Hurricanes in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. Roehl becomes the second offensive coordinator from Iowa State’s Matt Campbell staff to enter the NFL in two years, as Nate Scheelhaase moved to the Los Angeles Rams to become their passing game coordinator after the 2023 season.

Prior to his move to Iowa State, Roehl’s offense at North Dakota State ranked 3rd in the FCS with an average of 38.1 points per game in 2023. Under Roehl’s leadership as coordinator, NDSU led the nation in rushing yards (3,560), rushing touchdowns (47), and overall touchdowns (74) that year. Over five seasons, Roehl’s offense ranked among the top five nationally in rushing offense four times and led the nation in rushing touchdowns three consecutive seasons. He also coached five FCS All-Americans and 11 players who earned 15 all-conference honors.

Roehl Was an All-American Running Back at North Dakota State

A West Fargo, North Dakota native, Roehl was an All-American running back for North Dakota State, playing from 2004 to 2006. He was the starting running back for two years, rushing for 1,431 yards with 21 touchdowns in 2007 and 1,053 yards with 13 touchdowns in 2008.

Roehl was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2009 but tore his ACL during offseason workouts, according to InForum. He attended a rookie camp with the Minnesota Vikings the following year, but his playing career ended shortly after.

Roehl began his coaching career in 2010 as the running backs coach at Concordia College in Minnesota. After a season as an offensive graduate assistant at North Dakota State, he spent two years coaching at a high school in Moorhead, Minnesota, before being hired as the tight ends/fullbacks coach at North Dakota State in 2014.