The Detroit Lions announce notable moves to their front office before the team’s first preseason game. The team gave promotions to Dwayne Joseph, Rob Lohman, Joe Kelleher, and Mark Olson.
Joseph was named the Vice President of Player Personnel. Lohman was named the Vice President of Roster Operations. Kelleher was named the Director of Pro Scouting, and Olson was named Assistant Director of Pro Scouting.
Both Joseph and Lohman controlled pro scouting in different facets. So, those two moved into more elevated roles, with Joseph being on the player personnel end, and Lohman handling roster operations.
With those two promoted from pro scouting, Kelleher moved from an assistant to the director, while Olson moved up to the assistant role.
Detroit Lions Make Front Office Promotions Before NFL Season Starts
GettyDetroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell.
Joseph is now entering his third season with the Lions. He was hired away from the Las Vegas Raiders, where he was their Director of Pro Personnel. Joseph spent two years as the Director of Scouting before receiving this promotion.
Rob Lohman will be entering his 20th season with the Lions. He has been the director of pro scouting since 2019. Before that, he was the assistant director of pro personnel. He had been with the Lions as a scout for years before moving up the front office ranks.
Kelleher has been with the Lions since 2011. He spent four years as the assistant director of pro scouting. Before that, he was a scout for four seasons.
Lastly is Olson, who is entering his 11th year with the Lions. He started as a regional scout and moved up the scouting ranks. Now, he is a part of the front office team.
Lions Continue to Build Front Office In-House With Promotions
Perhaps the most notable thing from the four moves is that three of the four names were in the Lions’ scouting system before Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell were hired as General Manager and Head Coach, respectively.
This is a good job by Holmes to identify the scouts who were doing well and those who were not when he took over. He has been able to promote the ones who were here and working hard, while bringing in his own fresh faces as well.
The combination has the Lions with one of the strongest cores of players in the NFL. They have over $1B in extensions handed out to players that Holmes either drafted or added in a trade.
They are also one of the best drafting teams in the NFL from 2021-2023. However, the 2024 draft was not nearly the same type of successful class. The 2025 class is still up for debate as well, so there is a question of how sustainable they can be.
Still, when you have a three-year run like the Lions did where every pick is becoming a hit, it is hard not to continue to promote from within. We will see if these front office shifts lead to the team returning to their form of being a high-quality drafting team.
Lions Shakeup Front Office With Four Notable Moves