The Detroit Lions are working on hiring their new staff, and the team could be poised to steal another big piece from the New Orleans Saints in order to help in doing so.
According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the Lions are finalizing a deal to hire Saints’ defensive backs coach Aaron Glenn as their next defensive coordinator. Glenn just got done interviewing with the New York Jets for their head coaching job, but was passed over in the process for Robert Saleh. Now, however, he could be getting a big promotion to join Dan Campbell in Detroit to call plays.
Campbell hasn’t even been officially revealed to be Detroit’s coach, but he is merely waiting for Saints exit interviews to conclude to finish off the deal. It’s likely Glenn will be revealed as the hire after that point as well for the Lions.
Aaron Glenn Career Biography
At 48, Glenn took his time to get into the coaching ranks given his lengthy career in the NFL. After being a first-round pick of the New York Jets in 1994 out of Texas A&M, Glenn played eight years in New York before heading to his hometown Houston Texans from 2002-2004. He played for the Dallas Cowboys from 2005-2006, then finished his career with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2007 and the New Orleans Saints in 2008. Glenn took some time off before jumping into his second career, where he started as a personnel scout with the Jets in 2012 and 2013, then advanced to coaching defensive backs with the Cleveland Browns in 2014 and 2015 before jumping to Sean Payton’s staff in 2016.
One of the most productive and durable players in his era during his time in the league, Glenn finished his career with 41 interceptions, 8 touchdowns and 634 total tackles. Glenn is thought to be head coaching material one day, and that might only be more of the case if he can turn around a woeful Detroit defense starting next year. Detroit has young defensive backs like Jeff Okudah, Tracy Walker and Amani Oruwariye that Glenn can start to mold.
Dan Campbell Could Build Strong Lions Staff
If there’s one thing that could help Campbell in a big way, it’s the ability to hire a major staff. Detroit’s position coaches under Matt Patricia were not that impressive, so having Campbell bring some star power to the position could be a good way to get the Lions turned around from a play and culture standpoint. Adding Glenn would be just about the best case scenario for the team’s defense. On the offensive side, Campbell has been rumored to make a big offer to Mike Kafka of Kansas City to coordinate the offense. Any of these potential options would be interesting for the Lions and could give Campbell the type of fresh blood he needs in order to flip the culture with the team.
If Glenn indeed comes into the mix, it would be interesting to see what he could do with Detroit’s personnel and how quick a troublesome Detroit defense could turn things around.
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Lions Expected to Hire Elite Saints Position Coach as DC: Report