Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo thinks new Detroit Lions DC Kelvin Sheppard could be a special coach in the NFL.
Specifically, Spagnuolo told reporters at the Super Bowl festivies in New Orleans on Monday he thinks Sheppard could be a head coach.
“If I could make a mini projection, [Sheppard] will be a head coach in this league, in my opinion,” Spagnuolo said. “He was one of the smartest players I had back in New York, and we were fortunate enough to get him.”
Sheppard played for Spagnuolo for the Giants in 2016 and part of 2017. The Lions named Sheppard as their replacement for former defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, promoting Sheppard after four seasons of coaching linebackers in Detroit.
“He was a lot like Antonio Pierce I had there in New York earlier, and when Kelvin came there I thought he just kind of galvanized all the guys with his football intelligence and just the way he played the game,” Spagnuolo said Monday. “And you can see it now as a coach now. I knew he’d always be a coach and a really good one.”
Sheppard is one of several coaches in new positions for the Lions in 2025 after the departures of Glenn, Ben Johnson, and other assistants who moved on to take promotions elsewhere.
Spagnuolo’s success in New York earned him a head-coaching gig for the St. Louis Rams from 2009-2011. Since then he’s bounced from a handful of teams in defensive roles until landing in Kansas City in 2019.