5 Coaches the Lions Must Fire After 2019 Season

Matt Patricia

Getty Matt Patricia and his defensive coaches.

The Detroit Lions haven’t met expectations on the field for 2019, and even though Matt Patricia and Bob Quinn get to return for 2020, there are big changes the team needs to make on their staff.

Detroit needs to shake up their coaching staff, and has promised that there would be big changes on tap even as the primary decision makers stay on board to try and reshape the direction of the team. The offensive staff should remain untouched for their work, but the defensive staff needs to see plenty of change ushered in thanks to an inconsistent 2019 season.

So who should be moving on when all is said and done? Here’s a look at some of the names to remember that the Lions need to make a tough decision with in order to better their team.


Paul Pasqualoni, Lions Defensive Coordinator

This decision almost goes without saying, and it’s fairly obvious that Pasqualoni will be the most obvious fall guy for the disaster of the 2019 season. The defense might be Patricia’s baby, but to many, Pasqualoni will bear most of the blame for what’s happened the last few seasons. Patricia has a good relationship with Pasqualoni given their past at Syracuse, but it’s possible that upon taking the Detroit job in 2018 and having to rush to put together a staff, Patricia didn’t get a chance at his first choice of coordinator. With more time now, Patricia should move on and find someone who is a better fit for his team and their future.


Bo Davis, Lions Defensive Line Coach

If there’s been one part of Detroit’s defense that has significantly underachieved the last few seasons, it’s the defensive line. Consistently, the Lions have not met expectations in terms of either pass rush or run stopping, and it’s been frustrating given the talent present at the spot. The heat for this should fall on Davis, who had a limited pro background upon being hired a few years back.


Al Golden, Lions Linebacker Coach

Like the defensive line, linebacker has been a spot of much struggle for the Lions. Golden switched from being a tight ends coach to being the linebackers coach when Patricia took over. It was an interesting switch, and the fact that names like Christian Jones and Jarrad Davis have run hot and cold under his leadership seems to indicate a change should be coming at this spot. The Lions might have to find someone with more experience at this spot in order to get the best out of these players, and Golden


Brian Stewart, Lions Defensive Backs Coach

As in other positions, the Detroit defensive backfield has seemingly regressed under Patricia’s leadership as well as Stewart’s. The Lions haven’t been consistent enough in the second level with regard to ball skills and playmaking. That should cost someone like Stewart his job, and realistically, Patricia needs to have Stewart replaced in order to get the proper reset of a key spot of the defense.


John Bonamego, Lions Special Teams Coach

The Lions just replaced their special teams staff last season, but should Bonamego be one and done too? It’s probably true given how inconsistent the Detroit special teams have been. There’s been breakdowns and penalties everywhere and it doesn’t seem as if the team has improved. Jamal Agnew, Matt Prater and Sam Martin have kept Bonamego from looking much worse, but other issues have persisted and the team hasn’t been great on this side of the ball. That should make Patricia motivated to change voices again.

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