Lions Coach Thought to Be Leaving Possibly Staying After All
By Cem Yolbulan
The Detroit Lions lost their offensive coordinator to kick off their offseason. Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn followed the same path when he became the new head coach for the New York Jets. Defensive line coach Terrell Williams left to become the new defensive coordinator for the New England Patriots, leaving a ton of holes for the Lions to fill in Dan Campbell's staff.
Fortunately, however, one coveted assistant coach may be staying in Detroit against all odds. Bears insider Brad Biggs reported on Wednesday that the Lions offensive line coach Hank Fraley will not be joining Ben Johnson in Chicago. He added that Johnson may eventually hire a coach from Detroit but is not expected to pursue Fraley or "raid Campbell's staff."
Lions OL Coach Hank Fraley Not Joining the Bears
Does not sound like #Bears will be a destination for #Lions OL coach Hank Fraley. Perhaps Ben Johnson does get an assistant from Detroit to join him but Fraley is not expected. Johnson isn’t going to raid Dan Campbell’s staff.
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) January 22, 2025
Even though this is good news for potentially retaining one of the best offensive line coaches in the league, Fraley is still a candidate for the Seahawks offensive coordinator position. He is set to have his second interview with Seattle this week and remains a strong candidate to join Mike Macdonald's staff.
It is not yet clear how the Lions will replace Johnson. Campbell previously said that he is open to considering external and internal candidates for the offensive coordinator position but there hasn't been any indication that Fraley will be an option there. However, with how much familiarity he has with the organization and experience working under Campbell as part of this offense, Fraley would certainly be a decent option.
Fraley first joined the Lions as an assistant offensive line coach in 2018 before being promoted to offensive line coach in the 2020 offseason. Over the last couple of years, Detroit's o-line has ranked among the best in the league, contributing to the highest-scoring offense in the 2024 season.
Regardless of whether Fraley leaves Detroit or not, the Lions obviously have a ton of work to do in the coming weeks. How they choose to replace valuable coaches will play a huge part in their ability to sustain their success.
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