Coveted Lions Coach Expected to Follow Aaron Glenn to Jets

The Detroit Lions' coaching carousel is still spinning as head coach Dan Campbell tries to replace the key voices he lost following the playoff defeat at the Washington Commanders' hands.

Both offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn are both gone and while Campbell already identified their respective replacements, there's a natural ripple effect to their departures.

Johnson and Glenn are both filling out their own staffs and have guys within the Lions organization they trust. Based on one new report, it sounds like one valued staffer plans to follow Glenn to the New York Jets and say goodbye to Detroit.

According to Connor Hughes of SNY, the "expectation" is that the Jets will name Lions passing game coordinator Tanner Engstrand as their offensive coordinator. Engstrand was passed over for Detroit's vacancy in favor of John Morton, so it's logical that he'd try to earn a promotion elsewhere.

If the report is accurate, Engstrand's loss is a major blow to Detroit's offense. He's been with the organization since 2020 and served as the passing game coordinator since 2023, not-so-coincidentally around the time that Jared Goff reached new heights. The Lions were second in yards per pass (8.5), and Engstrand has played a role in the emergence of guys like Amon-Ra St. Brown as well.

Should Engstrand leave, Goff and the rest of the offense will have lost two of the most important voices in the room. Morton has experience with the team but wasn't in the building last year, so it's unclear exactly what new ideas he'll bring. Campbell has done a fantastic job developing coaches on his staff, though there is still some cause for concern going into 2025.

The Lions still have one of the league's best rosters and hopefully, won't suffer as many defensive injuries as they did this season. Fans should be confident, yet Campbell has his work cut out for him trying to replace this many key coaches.

Nothing is official but it seems that Glenn wants Engstrand to come with him. Given that Morton will be in Detroit for multiple years barring disaster, no one could blame Engstrand for chasing a greater opportunity.

Either way, Detroit hopes the decision to hire Morton over Engstrand as offensive coordinator won't come back to bite Campbell.

Tanner Engstrand Named New York Jets Offensive Coordinator

Note: After the publishing of this article, Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports reported that Tanner Engstrand was officially hired by the New York Jets as their offensive coordinator.

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