Depleted Lions: Campbell’s Coaching Tree Thrives Amid NFL Hiring Frenzy

Lions head coach Dan Campbell hasn’t won a Super Bowl—at least not yet. Even without that title, though, Campbell is quickly amassing one of the most extensive coaching trees in the NFL, a prominent sign of the league’s ongoing coaching carousel. 

Earlier this week, the Jets named Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn as their new head coach, with the selection coming a little more than 24 hours after the Bears hired Ben Johnson, Detroit’s offensive coordinator, as their head coach. Campbell also just lost defensive line coach Terrell Williams from his staff, as he is joining new Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel as that team’s defensive coordinator. 

The departures are hardly a surprise, as it’s long been a custom in NFL hiring circles for rebuilding teams to focus on rising talent from successful ones. To that end, both Glenn and Johnson have been long seen as top head coaching candidates. Lions GM Brad Holmes said Thursday that they’ve been preparing for this scenario and were actually somewhat surprised to be able to retain Johnson and Glenn as long as they did.

Still, it’s rather unusual to have so much coaching talent leave a single organization in such a concentrated window of time. 

“There’s literally nothing else to do but pick yourself up and get back to work,” Holmes said.

The moves are also a testament to the Lions’ dramatic turnaround over the past two years, now reaching the point where many other NFL teams look to Detroit as a near-optimal franchise. That’s even with the team falling short in the NFC championship game last season and being upset by the Commanders last weekend in the divisional playoff round. Johnson was quick to acknowledge that in his introductory press conference in Chicago, an event aimed at establishing him in his new Bears role.

“They’re in our division, and they’re a rival now, but that runway has been built there,” Johnson said of the Lions. “I think they’re going to be a juggernaut. I really do.”

Campbell and Holmes conveyed a similar sentiment, insisting the Lions’ championship window is still wide open, even with the spate of coaching departures. 

“You’ve got your culture, you’ve got your identity, and you’ve got players that fit into that, and we’ve got that,” Campbell said. “We’ve got players in every pivotal position you can ask for to have success, and those guys are made the right way, so absolutely, our window is open.”