Detroit Lions to unveil coordinators to head coaching positions.

The Detroit Lions appeared to have a brief opportunity to lose both coordinators to head coaching positions and at least one assistant to a promotion elsewhere. Tanner Engstrand, the coordinator of passing games, was linked to three positions as offensive coordinators (Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Bucs, and New England Patriots).
As the past week or so has passed, the first two were filled, and Mike Macdonald, the new head coach of the Seahawks, is still assembling his staff. With the announcement late on Friday night that Ryan Grubb would be joining the Seahawks as offensive coordinator, all NFL head coach, offensive coordinator, and defensive coordinator positions are officially filled.

Engstrand will therefore return in 2024 to oversee the passing game for the Lions, unless something unexpected happens. Engstrand is the front-runner to succeed Ben Johnson as offensive coordinator if he decides to take a head coaching position in a year.

Detroit Lions are surely in rare air keeping all of their top assistant coaches

s the new defensive pass game coordinator and cornerbacks coach, while Terrell Williams will take over as the new defensive line coach for the Lions. The team hasn’t made any official announcements yet, but they will after the 2024 coaching staff is finalised.

Success like the Lions’ this season comes with a price: rival teams want to try to acquire assistant coaches in order to capitalise on their success. Coordinators, like Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, rise to the top of the head coaching ranks. Other assistants, such as Antwaan Randle El, the wide receivers coach, and Engstrand, are being considered for promotions elsewhere.

Without access to precise statistics, it must be extremely uncommon for a conference semifinalist to not lose any assistant coaches to other teams (being afraid to decide to make a move themselves for any reason). That illustrates how devoted Dan Campbell’s assistants are to him and how coaches generally wish to remain involved in Detroit for as long as possible without seriously jeopardising their chances for the future.