2025 Detroit Lions contingency plan, what the coaching staff will probably look like next season

Nobody wants to see it, Dan Campbell especially. But this is a way of life in the NFL. You get good, and then everyone wants what you have. The Detroit Lions are no exception. They kept their coaching staff together for as long as they could, but now it’s very likely it gets picked apart. 

I still think Ben Johnson winds up staying, this story is more about what happens if he leaves. I do expect Aaron Glenn to be hired away and Scottie Montgomery, Hank Fraley, and Deshea Townsend could all find jobs this year too. 

So with a total loss in mind, I’ve together what I believe the Lions’ contingency plan is. Here’s what the Lions coaching staff could look like in 2025.

Offense

Okay, let’s discuss what we have here. Tanner Engstrand makes the most sense because he’s been touted for this job for some time if Johnson leaves. He should do a great job after sitting under the Johnson learning tree for three years. 

J.T. Barrett gets moved up to his role because we know that he’s already had a lot to do with the Lions’ trick plays since he got here. He was part of the stumblebum genesis. 

Steve Heiden makes the most sense to take over the assistant head coach role if it were to come open. Heiden has a long history of coaching in a few different areas and it feels like Campbell would trust him in this spot. Dave Fipp could make some sense here too, I just feel like being the special teams coordinator and assistant head coach at the same time is a lot. 

With Montgomery gone, the Lions are going to need a running backs coach. Going to New Orleans for this one because Campbell is always talking about the running back duo he had over there with Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram. How about the guy who coached them? Joel Thomas. Thomas is with the Giants right now, but he could potentially be stolen away. We still don’t really know what’s going on with that staff quite yet.

A couple of new guys on the staff as you may have noticed. Teddy Bridgewater is someone that Dan Campbell loves a lot and has a ton of trust in. Making him the assistant quarterbacks coach is just an introductory job. This guy will be a head coach in this league someday. It all starts here. 

Jahri Evans played guard for the Saints during Dan Campbell’s time there and he just got into the coaching realm in New Orleans in 2022. Since the Saints are likely to start over with a new staff, Evans coming over to Detroit and taking a bit of a promotion makes sense. 

Defense

I can’t think of a guy that’s more ready to be a defensive coordinator than Kelvin Sheppard. He was born to do this. We’ve already seen how much respect he gets from the team and I think there will be zero dropoff with him taking over. 

Some of you might recognize Blue Adams. He’s the current secondary coach for Michigan State. He and Campbell were together in Miami when Campbell was the interim head coach there. Since he’s a couple of hours away, it makes sense that some contact has been made between the two this year. Adams also played for the Lions back in 2003.

Jarrad Davis is a giant stab in the dark for me. Here’s the thought process behind that one. While Davis didn’t work out that well as a player, he’s still a really smart guy and can be a leader. He played with Sheppard on the Lions in 2018 and Sheppard coached him in 2022. Maybe he convinces him to give coaching a chance. Just a thought. 

We’re not going to do a Special Teams section because we don’t anticipate any change there at all.