Getty Colts helmets lined up before a playoff game.
The Detroit Lions have been leaving no stone unturned in the process to select their next leadership team, and that work continues this week in a major way.
According to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, the Lions will interview Indianapolis Colts’ assistant general manager Ed Dodds on Tuesday for the job. Dodds enters the mix for the Lions at a critical time during the franchise’s search for new leadership and comes as one of the most respected up-and-coming candidates there could be during this cycle.
It had long been wondered if Dodds could be in the mix for Detroit, but little was said about his potential candidacy for the team until now. Dodds and the Colts just finished up their 2020-21 season with a close loss in Buffalo, and now, he will be making the interview rounds. The Carolina Panthers had interest in Dodds, but he rebuffed that interest by turning down a chance to interview for general manager.
Now that Dodds is in the mix, it’s significant for the Lions considering he’s been well-respected around the league for the last several seasons and is figured to be a rising star who could be primed for the right general manager role.
Whether that’s Detroit remains anyone’s guess, but it’s clear that Dodds wants to find out and at least interview.
Ed Dodds Could Combine With Top Coach Candidate
Should Dodds interview well and get the job, the Lions could choose to pair him with a number of potential coaching candidates. Dodds has ties to Robert Saleh as well as Darrell Bevell, but if he is indeed in the mix for Detroit’s role, the Lions could also choose to look at names such as Matt Eberflus and Nick Siriani, the Indianapolis defensive and offensive coordinators respectively. Neither have interviewed in Detroit, but if Dodds
At this point, rumors contend that Dodds and Saleh could be tied at the hip. If that’s the case, the Lions could do well by getting both into the mix.
Ed Dodds Biography
Dodds has worked his way up the league ladder in his career and long been craved for potential general manager roles in the past but has elected to stay put. Would the Detroit situation entice him to make the jump? It’s possible it could be an interesting one and not a far move for Dodds just a few hours north from Indianapolis. Dodds has worked with Seattle before the Colts, and has developed a reputation as a great drafter and a key right hand man for a couple of elite general managers in John Schneider and now Chris Ballard. Often, he’s been credited for savvy free agency moves. To that end, he seems ready and primed to take over his own team which is something that the Lions should have the ability to understand.
Pairing Dodds with Saleh would be one of the most interesting combinations on the market this offseason, and could give the Lions a good leg up when all is said and done.
With both getting interviews, it’s at least closer to happening than many might have thought a few weeks ago.
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