After losing coordinators Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn to head coaching jobs following the Detroit Lions’ playoff loss to the Washington Commanders, Lions head coach Dan Campbell has spent the last few weeks retooling his coaching staff.
Campbell named John Morton and Kelvin Sheppard as the Lions’ new offensive and defensive coordinators.
In addition to those coordinator hires, Campbell has made numerous position coach hires as he hopes to get the Lions back into playoffs and a Super Bowl. On Tuesday, the Lions head coach made an intriguing addition to his coaching staff, bringing a college coach to the Motor City.
Former Iowa State Coach Tyler Roehl Joins Lions' Coaching Staff
According to Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports, the Lions are expected to hire Iowa State assistant head coach and running backs coach Tyler Roehl as an assistant coach. Roehl also was an offensive coordinator at North Dakota State before joining the Cyclones football program.
The Detroit #Lions are expected to hire Iowa State assistant head coach and running backs coach Tyler Roehl as an offensive assistant coach, sources tell @CBSSports/@247Sports.
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) February 11, 2025
Before Iowa State, he was the offensive coordinator North Dakota State.https://t.co/qOetA1iLiU pic.twitter.com/eOFsJilSRu
This is the second out-of-the-box hire Campbell has made over the last week. Last week, it was reported that the Lions were hiring Bruce Gradkowski as an offensive assistant. Gradkowski, a former NFL quarterback, has spent the past two years as the offensive coordinator for the St. Louis Battlehawks (XFL/UFL).
Meanwhile, Roehl spent 10 years at North Dakota St. serving as their offensive coordinator and tight ends/running backs coach. After doing great things with the Bison offense, Roehl decided to take his talents to the FBS level.
The former North Dakota State coordinator joined Matt Campbell’s Iowa State staff for the 2024 season.
The Cyclones had a pretty good season, going 11-3 which included a bowl game win over the Miami Hurricanes. Iowa State’s running game was ranked 10th in the Big 12 this past season (averaging 160.5 yards per game).
Even though the Lions have lost countless coaches to other teams, Campbell is doing everything in his power to build the best coaching staff for 2025.
The Lions should still viewed as a contender in the NFC despite the loss of their coordinators. Their core on both sides of the ball is still intact and these coaches will play a role in elevating their games.