The Detroit Lions coaching staff is going to look very different in 2025. They have already lost both of their coordinators, Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson, to head coaching jobs, and several other assistants have followed them out of town. One who didn't, though, just got promoted to become the Lions news defensive coordinator.
Detroit's defensive coordinator was previously Glenn, who had held down the fort at this spot since 2021. Glenn left to take the New York Jets head coach opening, and it was a return to his roots, as Glenn spent eight seasons of his playing career with the Jets.
With Glenn gone, though, the Lions had to identify a new defensive coordinator, but it turns out the guy was already on their staff. That's because linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard ended up getting promoted to defensive coordinator according to reports that surfaced on Saturday afternoon.
"The Lions are promoting LBs coach Kelvin Sheppard to defensive coordinator, filling the shoes of Aaron Glenn, per me and Mike Garafolo. A quick rise for the eight-year NFL veteran, Sheppard earns a DC job in only his third season under Dan Campbell," Ian Rapoport shared in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Sheppard spent eight years in the NFL as a linebacker, playing for five different teams during that time. He finished his career in 2018 with one season on the Lions, which paved the way for him to return to the team as a coach in 2021 as part of Dan Campbell's staff.
Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard
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After a year as the team's outside linebackers coach, Sheppard was quickly promoted to the linebackers coach, a position he's held for the past three seasons. Now, he's set to take a big step forward as Detroit's defensive coordinator, and he will have some big shoes to fill now that Glenn is gone.
Campbell will be happy to have a defensive coordinator in place, and he will likely shift his attention to finding a replacement for Johnson at offensive coordinator. The work doesn't end there, though, as Campbell still has to fill several vacant assistant positions after all the departures from his staff.
