It hasn’t exactly translated into the desired win totals yet, but Lions head coach Dan Campbell has assembled quite a revered staff around him. Several of Campbell’s underlings were named in the latest list of top potential NFL head coaching candidates for 2023.
The list, compiled by Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated, features four Lions assistants:
- Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson
- Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn
- Assistant head coach/RB coach Duce Staley
- Offensive line coach Hank Fraley
Glenn and Staley’s inclusions on the list are no surprise. Both have interviewed for head coaching positions and bring considerable experience to the table. Even though the Lions defense ranks last in the league, Glenn remains a hot coaching commodity for his leadership and teaching skills. Staley got hands-on head coaching experience at this year’s Senior Bowl, leading the Lions staff in charge of one of the teams.
Fraley is (finally) getting his due recognition for helping to develop and mold one of the NFL’s best offensive lines. It’s unusual to see his name in this context but not surprising either.
Then there’s Johnson, who is definitely a surprise candidate. The rookie coordinator has taken the league by storm, as Orr notes,
Any time you hear the m-word—“McVay,” that is—thrown around in a conversation about coaches, your ears perk up. Johnson, who is not from the McVay coaching tree but is viewed as an up-and-coming young offensive mind, has carved out a niche as a future offensive trendsetter all on his own. The former walk-on QB at North Carolina broke into the NFL back in 2012 with the Dolphins and has helped the Lions transform into the second-highest-scoring offense in the NFL through three weeks. If there is a surprise name in this cycle, it will be Johnson’s.
One interesting name left off is LBs coach Kelvin Sheppard, who has earned wide praise as well and is often seen as a rising star. DBs coach Aubrey Pleasant is another Lions assistant who could earn a bigger title this coming offseason, too.
