With Aaron Glenn trending towards New York, there’s a good chance that one of his soon-to-be-former assistants will be a hot name on the DC market. According to Jordan Schultz , Lions linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard is expected to be a candidate for open defensive coordinator jobs.
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Of course, Sheppard’s coordinator candidacy will be partly tied to Glenn. If the current Lions DC ends up taking the Jets head coaching job (or another HC gig), then Sheppard would be a natural replacement on Detroit’s sideline. Further, Sheppard could also be an option to join Glenn in New York (or elsewhere).
A 2011 third-round pick out of LSU, Sheppard spent nearly a decade in the NFL. A few years after his retirement, he joined Detroit’s coaching staff as their outside linebackers coach. After a year in that role, Sheppard transitioned to inside linebackers coach, a title he’s held for the past three seasons.
The coach has earned praise for helping revive the careers of veterans (like Alex Anzalone ) and helping guide young draft picks (like Jack Campbell and Malcolm Rodriguez ). Per Schultz, Sheppard has a “sterling” reputation not only in Detroit, but around the NFL…so a promotion might not be dependent on a Lions connection.