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The Detroit Lions could lose one, if not both, of their top coaches at the end of the season regardless of how the playoffs shake out.
Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson could have left Detroit after last season’s success but chose to stay to build on what’s been an impressive campaign under Dan Campbell. This season, he’s once again at the top of the list for several NFL teams looking for a fresh start.
Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn had some buzz around him late last season but has now picked up steam around the league for his work in keeping a defense together that’s been ravaged by injuries.
Teams who fired their head coaches when the season ended are clamoring for some of what the Lions have had over the last couple of seasons, but which of these coaches would best serve them going forward?
It will likely depend on the destination, but in a vacuum, Glenn would be the pick for me.
The work Glenn has done with the Lions defense is less about the scheme and more about the culture that Glenn clearly emulates from Dan Campbell.
Teams looking for change such as the Jaguars and Bears have had clear culture issues despite having rosters that otherwise have significant talent. Glenn would be expected to come in and make things whole.
Johnson is obviously a creative play-caller and a talented coach to go somewhat against the copy-cat Shanahan coaching tree found throughout the modern NFL. Jared Goff and the Lions offense never miss a chance to praise him for the positions he puts them in.
His offense led the NFL with an average of 33.2 points per game and ranked second in total offense with 409.5 yards per game.
Johnson would likely thrive in a place with the right talent and adaptability like general manager Brad Holmes has provided him in Detroit. The lack of opportunities with those circumstances seemed to be one of the reasons why he didn’t take any of the head coaching jobs available to him last season.
The Lions defense hasn’t been consistently great on paper after dealing with a significant lack of talent in his first couple of seasons and a slew of injuries in 2024. However, with several starters on IR, Glenn coached arguably the best game of his career in the team’s division-winning 31-9 performance over the Minnesota Vikings in Week 18.
Glenn kept his defense in man coverage, as is his preference, and blitzed quarterback Sam Darnold on more than half of his dropbacks . Outside of the “defense wins championships” cliche, the case for Glenn is built on his ability to overcome and get the most out of his players.
Though I believe Johnson would have a high ceiling as a head coach, I believe the floor could be much lower if he isn’t given the right tools. Glenn, on the other hand, looks to have a much higher floor even when given the hand he’s been dealt this season as DC for Detroit.