According to reports, the New York Jets have hired the tight ends coach from the Detroit Lions to serve under Aaron Glenn, their new head coach.

The Jets have reached an agreement with Steve Heiden to take over as their offensive line coach, according to the NFL Network.

Tanner Engstrand, the coordinator of passing games, is still seen as the front-runner to be the Jets’ next offensive line coach. John Morton is praised by Jon Gruden.

The Lions gave John Morton the keys to one of the league’s most successful attacks for the previous three seasons when they signed him as their new offensive coordinator.

Morton had previously worked with the Lions in 2022, and he assisted in putting many of the scheme’s components into place while former coordinator Ben Johnson was in charge.

As a seasoned coach, Morton draws inspiration from Jim Harbaugh, Sean Payton, and Jon Gruden.

The Lions’ new coordinator was praised by Gruden, who won a Super Bowl while coaching the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, at a recent

When Gruden remarked, “I hope Detroit gets him,” “I’m aware that other clubs are vying for his services and that Denver doesn’t want to lose him.

However, adding Johnny Morton would be a great excuse to go drink the nicest glass of cabernet you have.

Gruden and Morton collaborated with the Raiders in Oakland and Las Vegas.

Gruden hired Morton to coach the Raiders for the first time in 1998.

 

The two collaborated until Gruden was traded before the 2002 season.

When Gruden rejoined the Raiders as head coach in 2019, they would reconnect and stay together until Gruden’s resignation in 2021.

 

 

In the upcoming summer, general manager Brad Holmes will try to strengthen a roster that lost to the Washington Commanders in the divisional round of the playoffs.

The Lions should still try to acquire some new players in free agency this summer, even if their roster is strong and full with dependable veterans and exciting talent.

According to Over the Cap, the team is expected to have about $46 million in cap space, but if Detroit decides to make some cuts, that amount might increase.

Kalif Raymond, a wide receiver and special team player, is one of the Lions’ probable cap casualties, according to Pride of Detroit’s John Whiticar.

“Almost unthinkable a year ago, Raymond’s contract and production puts him in a tough spot for the Lions,” Whiticar stated. “During his time with the Lions, the two-time All-Pro has excelled as an offensive contributor in addition to a returner.

But offensively, 2024 was by far his poorest season in Detroit.

“Raymond had the most punt return yards of his career (413 yards, which led the league) and added a punt return touchdown as well,” Whiticar stated.

“The question is not his return ability, but whether the Lions want to pay over $6 million for a returner with a lessening impact on offense.” Raymond joined the Lions in 2021 and has since been a prolific returner and sporadic offensive threat.

After spending the majority of his career as a journeyman, the 30-year-old has settled in Detroit and found a position that suits him.

Despite not being a reliable offensive playmaker and missing five games in 2024 due to injury, Raymond, a former undrafted free agent, was selected to the second team All-Pro this season and is still.

 

 

One of the most anticipated events in the offseason pre-draft process is the Senior Bowl, where the league travels to Mobile, Alabama, to watch many of the best players in this year’s draft class.

The Detroit Lions’ offseason has begun, and there is increased excitement about who the team might sign to help them contend for the Super Bowl in 2025.

The prospects will practice Tuesday through Thursday before playing on Saturday.

The Detroit Lions’ offseason has begun, and there is increased interest in who the team might sign to help them contend for the 2025 Super Bowl.

The Senior Bowl, where the league travels to Mobile, Alabama, to watch several of the best players in this year’s draft class, is one of the most anticipated events in the offseason pre-draft process.

The prospects will play a game on Saturday after practicing from Tuesday through Thursday.

Skattebo, one of the class’ top running backs and a dynamic player, was the catalyst for Arizona State’s journey to the College Football Playoffs. He can help as a pass-catcher and is a strong, athletic runner.

With David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit possesses a strong backfield, making this one of the less important positions. But the do-it-all running back is the best option if the Lions want to add even more firepower at the position.

A former linebacker for LSU football is becoming a more senior coach. Ian Rapport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network have reported that Kelvin Sheppard will take over as defensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions.

Aaron Glenn, who left to pursue the head coaching position with the New York Jets, will be replaced by him. Sheppard, the team’s former linebackers coach, takes over as head coach of a squad that finished in the top 10 in most defensive statistics, including red zone defense and scoring, ranking No. 7 and No. 5 versus the rush.

During the regular season, the Lions had the greatest third-down defense in the NFL. Sheppard served as LSU’s director of player development for a year before joining head coach Dan Campbell’s staff in 2021 as the outside linebackers coach.

Sheppard wore the purple and gold under Les Miles from 2007 to 2010. Over four seasons, he recorded 311 tackles in total.

He forced two fumbles and recorded four sacks in his senior year.

In the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft, Sheppard was chosen by the Buffalo Bills. Prior to becoming a coach, he played professionally for eight years.

 

Allen Park, Michigan — Finally, the day has here. New coordinators are needed for the Detroit Lions. After much anticipation, Aaron Glenn (New York Jets) and Ben Johnson (Chicago Bears) are leaving to manage their own teams.

The next question is who they bring along, but for now, we know that Dan Campbell has been given the responsibility of replacing two of his closest confidants during a Super Bowl window.

Of course, it is possible. When the Philadelphia Eagles lost to the Chiefs in the Super Bowl two years ago, they lost Jonathan Gannon and Shane Steichen.

The 2023 season was a bit of a step back, however the Eagles still won 11 games and made the playoffs.

The Eagles are back in the NFC Championship Game following additional staff changes in the previous offseason.

Campbell has demonstrated a keen sense of his demands and talent. He should have a variety of possibilities, both internal and exterior, but you never know with him.

Montgomery has coached at both the NFL and college levels, among other places.

He is a well-respected running backs coach who has been interviewed for a few different offensive coordinator positions, including the Lions’ opening in 2022 and the Bucs’ opening last offseason.

As Campbell’s associate head coach, he is frequently given the responsibility of addressing the entire squad.

He is an obvious leader, a great culture man, and his teammates adore him. The offensive line coach for the Lions, Hank Fraley: One of Campbell’s most crucial coaches is Fraley.

His teaching and communication skills are highly praised by Detroit’s offensive line, which offers a variety of techniques for different players. However, during the off-season, his phone has been ringing. Fraley and the Seahawks have discussed their OC opening.

As his OC, might Johnson bring him to Chicago? Perhaps not. Fraley is not anticipated to land in Chicago, according to a story published Wednesday by Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. In a perfect world, he would be back coaching Detroit’s offensive line.

However, he might be up for the challenge of being an OC here or somewhere else if the right opportunity presents itself.

 

The first Detroit Lions OnSI mock draft roundup for the 2025 NFL Draft is now available.

Many EDGE defenders have emerged as popular choices for the Lions at No. 28 overall in the past week.

Green showed us the potential of his 6’4”, 248-pound bulk with his impressive reps versus Ohio State, which included a repulsive spin move for a sack and a fantastic bend running the arc.

He has some genuine double-digit sack potential at the NFL level because of his fast first step, unusual lateral mobility, and physics-defying bend for an edge rusher.

 

 

 

The Lions are starting the process to find a new defensive coordinator.

 

Five days removed from the team’s season-ending loss, Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell has three spots to fill on his coaching staff. One is set to be filled, with Kacy Rodgers coming aboard as the new defensive line coach, and the process to fill another spot has started.

 

As first reported by Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, the Lions are interviewing Larry Foote for their defensive coordinator job left open by the departure of Aaron Glenn to become the new head coach of the New York Jets.

 

Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports also reported the Lions are expected to interview Foote.

 

The 44-year old Foote is a Detroit native and a University of Michigan alum. He played linebacker in the NFL for 13 seasons (2002-2014) for three teams, including one season with the Lions (2009) and two Super Bowl rings as a Pittsburgh Steeler before spending his final season with the Arizona Cardinals.

 

Lions interview Larry Foote as first known candidate to replace Aaron Glenn

Foote got right into coaching as assistant outside linebackers coach for the Cardinals in 2015. After three years he went to be the outside linebackers coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he has been for the last six seasons. In 2022, he became the Buccaneers’ inside linebackers coach/passing game coordinator. Like Rodgers, his Buccaneers contract expired at the end of the season.

 

Per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, who seemed to lament the Lions poaching the Buccaneers’ defensive staff as if its not typical business when a coach’s contract is expired, the Buccaneers would like Foote back.

 

The search to replace Glenn will surely extend beyond Foote, but should he get the job he would reunited immediately with Rodgers in Detroit.

Over the six years they were together in Tampa Bay, the Buccaneers defense has ranked in the top 10 in points allowed three times, and it only ranked in the bottom half of the league once (29th in 2019, the first season of the Bruce Arians/Todd Bowles regime).

Logo of the Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions NFL Logo Featured in News NBA Logo MLB Logo The NCAAF logo NFL sports NBA MLB NHL Soccer NACAF The NCAAMB The NCAAWB WNBA, Boxing, MMA WWE Formula One High School NASCAR Golf Tennis College Racing Horses Additional Sports Investigate Further Bet on Fantasy View Tickets Editions of Stadium Guides Concerning Us Jobs Policy on Privacy Preferences for Privacy Lions Unexpectedly, a $9.2 million defender was identified as a potential cut candidate. Sharma Dharya • 12:37 am, one hour ago The $9.2 million defender for the WAT Lions was startlingly identified as a potential cut candidate.

After losing to the Washington Commanders in the divisional round, the Detroit Lions will have a lot of questions to address this offseason.

Brad Holmes, the general manager, needs to figure out how to strengthen a roster that didn’t perform well.

Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox believes one potential cut candidate for the Lions is cornerback Amik Robertson, who signed a two-year deal worth $9.2 million with Detroit last offseason.

“The Lions’ pile of cornerback injuries has given Amik Robertson the chance to shine as a cornerback who can play on the inside and outside,” Knox wrote.

However, the Lions will have an opportunity to reassess the entire position group throughout the offseason.

The Lions have young players Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw Jr.while Carlton Davis is scheduled to become a free agency. The Lions might decide that removing Robertson would be worth the $4.8 million they could save, Knox continued. During the regular season, Robertson started four games for Detroit and gave up just 56.9% of the targets that he attempted.

The veteran is anticipated to be fit for offseason training after suffering a broken humerus in the first quarter of the team’s playoff loss against the Commanders.

Though saving roughly $5 million in cap room by letting Robertson go sounds like a no-brainer, Brad Holmes should consider keeping the 26-year-old.

Robertson proven to be a useful depth piece this season and a significant leader in the locker room.  In order to save money this summer and re-sign Robertson for the 2025 campaign, Detroit should look for other options.

And just like that, the Detroit Lions got poached to hell by the NFL head-coaching carousel. Former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson took over the Chicago Bears earlier in the week.

With defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn moving over one of the clubs he used to star for in the New York Jets, Dan Campbell needs to replenish the supporting staff around him.

The first step is to promote this particular instructor.

Inside linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard, a former third-round pick out of LSU, has not been associated with either the Bears or Jets.

Sheppard played for six different teams during his eight years in the league, most notably the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills, but he played his final season with the Lions before turning to coaching a few years later.

According to rumors, Mark Brunell, the quarterbacks coach for the Lions, who is expected to be the Jets’ next offensive coordinator, is the most prominent figure to succeed either Glenn or Johnson.

The legendary Jacksonville Jaguars player has effectively transitioned from a thriving media career to a fantastic coaching job. What is that man incapable of? The Lions must make keeping Sheppard on staff their top priority. The fact that Campbell is still under contract and knows Sheppard well is his greatest advantage.

The Philadelphia Eagles lost both of their top coordinators to head coaching opportunities not too long ago, and while Sean Desai and Brian Johnson may not have clicked as replacements for Shane Steichen and Jonathan Gannon, respectively, it was worth a try.

To be honest, Campbell owes it to himself to see if he can fill any voids on his staff internally before looking outside.

Ultimately, I do believe that the Lions will withdraw at the end of this season.

Why wouldn’t they, after all? When will this team ever have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs and the top seed? The good news is that I do not have big expectations for either the Minnesota Vikings or the Green Bay Packers in the next season. The Chicago Bears can’t possibly be any worse, but they should be better.

To make it abundantly clear, the Lions may have seen their Super Bowl window close after losing their two rockstar coordinators to other jobs.

Coaching attrition is the quickest way to bring a team back to earth, college or pro. However, I do think promoting someone from within like Sheppard helps stop the bleeding a bit. Even if the Lions bleed out, they are not going to run dry because of Dan Campbell.