After losing both coordinators, Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn, along with a total of seven assistant coaches, the Detroit Lions officially announced their new hires, replacements, and staff changes last week.
Speaking to reporters at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis on Tuesday, head coach Dan Campbell faced inevitable questions about his revamped coaching staff. Since it was his first opportunity to address the changes, the opening question focused on the process of hiring new staff members.
After losing both coordinators, Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn, along with seven assistant coaches, the Detroit Lions formally announced their new hires, replacements, and staff changes last week.
When head coach Dan Campbell spoke with reporters at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis on Tuesday, the major coaching staff overhaul was a key topic, as it was his first chance to address the changes.
The first question he received was about the hiring process for new staff members.
“I told Ben and A.G. the same thing when they left—the most important task is hiring your staff,” Campbell said. “I’ve gone through this once before, and over the past four years, we’ve had coaches come and go. This is the second phase—reloading coordinators and position coaches.
I wanted to be thorough and make the right decisions. We conducted a lot of interviews, really sat down with candidates to understand them, not just as football minds but in terms of fit and chemistry. That was a huge factor for me, and I believe we got it right.”
Dan Campbell Details His Extensive Coaching Staff Hiring Process
When asked about the number of interviews he conducted to fill his revamped coaching staff, Campbell acknowledged the extensive effort involved.
“I know it was 24,” Campbell said. “Someone told me it was 26… but, yeah, a lot.”
He then went on to discuss several of the new hires in greater detail.
The team’s Twitter feed shared clips of Campbell discussing key coaching staff changes, including Scottie Montgomery’s transition from running backs coach to wide receivers coach, Kelvin Sheppard’s promotion to defensive coordinator, and the hiring of John Morton as the new offensive coordinator.
He also spoke about the offensive staff as a whole, Tashard Choice joining as the new running backs coach, and Kacy Rodgers stepping in as the new defensive line coach.