NFL Network’s Tom Peliserro is reporting that the Detroit Lions are expected to hire John Dorsey as a senior personnel executive.
Initially reported by NFL Network’s Tom Peliserro, and confirmed by several other local reporters, the Detroit Lions are expected to hire John Dorsey as a senior personnel executive.
The deal is still not finalized but it is expected to happen and be announced mid-week.
Dorsey, like most of the recent hires by the Lions organization, is a former NFL player — he played linebacker for the Green Bay Packers for five seasons in the mid-to-late eighties.
Not long after retirement, Dorsey began scouting for the Packers in 1991, and by 1997 he was named their director of pro scouting. He followed coach Mike Holmgren to Seattle to be their director of player personnel for a year but quickly returned back to Green Bay in his old role. He would work his way up to director of football operations by 2012, then other teams came calling.
The Kansas City Chiefs was first to hire him as their general manager, where he stayed for four years, then he moved on to the Cleveland Browns, who made him their GM for two years before he was fired again.
Last season, per The Athletic’s Zach Berman, Dorsey was hired by the Philadelphia Eagles as a consultant on college/pro scouting.
During his stints as director of pro scouting and general manager, Dorsey is credited with identifying or drafting a healthy list of talented players. While in Green Bay, Dorsey was the person who pushed for Aaron Rodgers, in Kansas City he traded up and drafted Patrick Mahomes, and in Cleveland, he selected Baker Mayfield — all playoff quarterbacks in 2020.
With the Lions likely targeting a quarterback in this year’s NFL draft, Dorsey’s hit rate makes him a phenomenal person to have in the evaluation room.
Others Dorsey drafted in Kansas City and Cleveland include Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill, Kareem Hunt (drafted while with Chiefs and signed while with Browns), Nick Chubb, Marcus Peters, Denzel Ward, and local offensive tackle Eric Fischer.
But it’s not just scouting/drafting that has gotten Dorsey praise. While in Cleveland he acquired Jarvis Landry via trade with Miami for fourth and seventh-round picks, then talked the Giants into giving him Odell Beckham Jr. for first and third-round picks, along with former Michigan Wolverine Jabrill Peppers.
With the Lions needing to deal Matthew Stafford, Dorsey’s experience working trades will surely help the Lions get the “fair market value” they are looking for in a return.
While Dorsey has a glowing resume of acquiring players, there are several reasons he is not currently a GM in the NFL.
When evaluating GM candidates for the Lions, Dorsey was purposely left off our list of recommended candidates because of his controversial nature. As Jeff Risdon pointed out, we believed the Lions should pass on Dorsey for the GM job:
His playing favorites alienated several players and stunted progress of players who weren’t “his guys”. He also liked the idea of having contrasting voices on his coaching staff instead of a harmonious unit. Anyone who watched even 15 minutes of Hard Knocks in the summer of 2018 got a taste of that discord between head coach Hue Jackson and his coordinators, Todd Haley and Gregg Williams. Dorsey did that on purpose, thinking it would give his team an edge.
That was a carryover from his Kansas City experience, too. Dorsey has a confrontational nature to him when stressed, and he doesn’t react well to those who don’t fall in lockstep. It’s what led to his departure from the Chiefs.
Fortunately, in Detorit, Dorsey doesn’t appear to be involved in any coaching/front office personnel decisions and will be used as an experienced sounding board for general manager Brad Holmes.
As long as Dorsey’s role is clearly defined, he can be a valuable asset for the Lions. In fact, at the end of the article, Risdon noted that:
“I’d love to see Dorsey come to Detroit as the Director of Football Operations to assist a rookie GM, if the 60-year-old former Packers linebacker is willing. He does have an eye for premium talent and experience running an organization.”
