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Detroit Lions News & Rumors

Lions Interview James Urban For OC Job

January 20th, 2021 at 4:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Lions are moving forward with their offensive coordinator search. Under new HC Dan Campbell, the team is interviewing Ravens quarterbacks coach James Urban for its OC post, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

An NFL position coach for the past 12 seasons, Urban has been in charge of Baltimore’s QBs since 2018. The former Eagles and Bengals assistant was in place when the Ravens transformed their offense midway through the ’18 season, upon moving from Joe Flacco to Lamar Jackson, and has generated OC interest in the past.

The Eagles were interested in Urban last year but did not end up filling their OC position. However, this marks the first known interview Urban has received for an offensive coordinator role. Prior to helping Marty Mornhinweg and then Greg Roman change up the Ravens’ offense for their soon-to-be MVP quarterback, Urban spent seven seasons as the Bengals’ wide receivers coach. Urban, 47, coached five-year Lions wideout Marvin Jones throughout his Cincinnati tenure, though Jones is a free agent this year.

While the Lions interviewed OC-turned-interim HC Darrell Bevell for their HC job, Campbell landing the position signals the franchise will go in a new direction on offense. More OC candidates will soon emerge.

Lions Sign Dan Campbell To Six-Year Deal

January 20th, 2021 at 10:16am CST by Zachary Links

The Lions have officially hired Dan Campbell as their new head coach. The former Saints assistant inked a six-year commitment on Wednesday morning (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport), a sign of Detroit’s confidence in the former tight end. 

[RELATED: Lions Hire Brad Holmes As GM]

“This is an exciting day for our organization as we introduce Dan Campbell as the new head coach of the Detroit Lions,” Lions owner Sheila Ford Hamp said in a statement. “With more than twenty years of experience as both a coach and player in the National Football League, Dan knows the rigors of professional football and what it takes to be successful. He will help promote the culture we want to establish across our organization, while also bringing with him high energy, a respect for the game and an identity with which everyone can align themselves.”

Campbell was the reported frontrunner for the vacancy, but with Lions couldn’t hire him until the Saints were eliminated from the playoffs. Eric Bieniemy, Marvin Lewis, Arthur Smith, and Robert Saleh were also considered for the job, but Campbell made a strong impression in his first interview and quickly secured the gig.

The Lions fired Matt Patricia just after Thanksgiving, capping his tenure with a 13-29-1 record. They also canned GM Bob Quinn, who was replaced by former Rams exec Brad Holmes earlier this month.

The Lions haven’t made the playoffs since 2016; they believe the energetic Campbell can turn things around. The 44-year-old has spent the last five years as a Saints assistant. Previous to that, Campbell climbed the coaching ladder, all the way up to the Dolphins’ interim head coaching job in 2015. A few years later, the Dolphins asked Campbell to interview for the permanent post, but he opted to wait for a better fit. Now, Campbell has found the right landing spot — and a six-year commitment — with the Lions.

Lions To Hire Saints’ Aaron Glenn As DC?

January 19th, 2021 at 8:01pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

8:01pm: This may not be a done deal just yet. While the Lions may well be set to bring Campbell and Glenn to Michigan, the latter assistant has other options. Two other teams have expressed interest in hiring Glenn as defensive coordinator, and veteran NFL reporter Josina Anderson tweets the veteran secondary coach is still determining which job he will take.

2:55pm: The Lions are expected to hire Saints assistant Dan Campbell as their new head coach, and he’s bringing another Sean Payton protégé with him. Detroit is hiring Aaron Glenn to be their defensive coordinator, sources told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).

Glenn is currently the secondary coach in New Orleans. His profile has been growing rapidly recently, and he even got a head coaching interview with the Jets a couple weeks back. His star has been rising for a while now, as the Bengals tried to interview him for their DC role back in 2019 but were blocked by the Saints

Glenn had a prolific playing career, as he spent 15 years in the league as a corner after getting drafted 12th overall by the Jets back in 1994. His last pro season was in 2008 with the Saints, and after a brief stint as a scout he broke into the coaching ranks with the Browns as an assistant DBs coach in 2014.

He joined Payton’s staff in 2016, and has been on it ever since. He’s clearly highly regarded around the league, and if Detroit has any success on defense he’ll be a name to keep an eye on in future head coaching searches.

Lions Impressed With Bevell

January 19th, 2021 at 3:46pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg
  • The Lions are by all accounts planning on hiring Saints assistant Dan Campbell to be their new head coach, although notably no deal has been announced even though it’s been a couple of days now since New Orleans was bounced from the playoffs. Interim coach Darrell Bevell “earned serious consideration for the position,” and it’s possible he could get the job if talks with Campbell fell through, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. Bevell was Detroit’s OC before taking over for a fired Matt Patricia. Bevell was 1-4 as interim coach, and was the Seahawks’ OC from 2011-17.

Updated 2021 NFL Draft Order

January 18th, 2021 at 11:08am CST by Zachary Links

With the Divisional Round in the books, the 2021 NFL Draft order is mostly complete. The Rams, Browns, Ravens, and Saints now have their draft spots locked in, though the Rams’ first-round pick belongs to Urban Meyer and the Jaguars. The Rams traded those rights to Jacksonville as a part of the Jalen Ramsey blockbuster.

Here’s the updated draft order, through the top 28:

1. Jacksonville Jaguars
2. New York Jets
3. Miami Dolphins (via Texans)
4. Atlanta Falcons
5. Cincinnati Bengals
6. Philadelphia Eagles
7. Detroit Lions
8. Carolina Panthers
9. Denver Broncos
10. Dallas Cowboys
11. New York Giants
12. San Francisco 49ers
13. Los Angeles Chargers
14. Minnesota Vikings
15. New England Patriots
16. Arizona Cardinals
17. Las Vegas Raiders
18. Miami Dolphins
19. Washington Football Team
20. Chicago Bears
21. Indianapolis Colts
22. Tennessee Titans
23. New York Jets (via Seahawks)
24. Pittsburgh Steelers
25. Jacksonville Jaguars (via Rams)
26. Cleveland Browns
27. Baltimore Ravens
28. New Orleans Saints

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/15/21

January 15th, 2021 at 3:06pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are the latest reserve/futures contracts given out:

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Las Vegas Raiders

  • QB Kyle Sloter

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

2021 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker

January 15th, 2021 at 1:24pm CST by Sam Robinson

Exiting the regular season, six teams are searching for new head coaches. That number is up from last season but not quite as high as 2019, though there may well be more vacancies that emerge during the playoffs.

Listed below are the head coaching candidates that have been linked to each of the teams with vacancies, along with their current status. If and when other teams decide to make head coaching changes, they’ll be added to this list. Here is the current breakdown:

Updated 1-27-21 (7:05pm CT)

Atlanta Falcons

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Chargers

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Lions To Hire Dan Campbell?

January 15th, 2021 at 12:58pm CST by Zachary Links

Saints assistant head coach Dan Campbell has emerged as the favorite to become the Lions’ next head coach, sources tell Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Lions can’t make it all official until after the Saints’ season is over, but Campbell seems primed to take over in a matter of weeks.

Meanwhile, the Lions have called off today’s scheduled interview with Bucs defensive coordinator Todd Bowles (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo). Bowles was something of a longshot to get the gig, but it’s another indication that the Lions have settled on Campbell.

Campbell interviewed with the Lions on Jan. 11th and instantly made a strong impression on Detroit brass. Along the way, the Lions have also checked in with big-name candidates such as Eric Bieniemy, Marvin Lewis, Arthur Smith, and Robert Saleh. Interim head coach Darrell Bevell was also considered but, like Bowles, he never had strong odds of getting the permanent post.

The hire would complete Campbell’s rise up the coaching ladder, which began in 2010 with a Dolphins internship. In 2015, he wound up as the Fins’ interim head coach. A few years later, he declined the opportunity to interview for their HC vacancy. Now, it seems like Campbell has found the right fit.

Falcons Offer Head Coaching Job To Arthur Smith

January 15th, 2021 at 10:40am CST by Zachary Links

The Falcons have offered their head coaching position to Arthur Smith, according to sources who spoke with ESPN.com’s Dianna Russini (on Twitter). The Titans’ offensive coordinator, who has been tied to every vacancy in the NFL, could be hours away from making it all official. 

Smith was set to chat with the Lions this week, but that meeting has been called off (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). The Texans, Chargers, and Eagles were also intrigued by the 38-year-old, but they’ll have to look elsewhere. The Jaguars and Jets were also tied to Smith, but they’ve since addressed those openings with Urban Meyer and Robert Saleh, respectively.

Smith’s stock has skyrocketed in recent years, especially after guiding Ryan Tannehill‘s remarkable resurgence. He’s only served as an OC for two years, but the Falcons — and plenty of other clubs — believe that he’s ready to run his own show.

Lions To Hire Brad Holmes As GM

January 14th, 2021 at 11:23am CST by Zachary Links

The Lions have agreed to hire Rams’ director of college scouting Brad Holmes as their new GM, (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). Holmes will receive a five-year deal, tying him to the club through the 2025 season.

Holmes worked his way up as talent evaluator in the Rams organization, the only franchise he’s ever known as an exec. He began as a public relations intern in St. Louis. Today, he’s the leader of the Lions’ front office.

Holmes, 41, pushed the Rams to select Aaron Donald No. 13 overall in 2014. The Lions had their chance to get the most dominant defensive lineman since Ndamukong Suh — they chose tight end Eric Ebron instead. Holmes is also credited with choosing Jared Goff over Carson Wentz in 2016.

“I think he would do an excellent job (as GM),” said Holmes’ former North Carolina A&T coach Bill Hayes (via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press). “I know he’s going to put in the work. That’s the first thing about it, he’s going to put in the work, he’s going to make the effort and he’s a team guy all the way. He’s not one of those egotistical maniacs. He’s going to be a team guy. He can be trusted. He’s extremely trustworthy, so I feel strongly that he would do a super job.”

Saints assistant GM Terry Fontenot was also a leading candidate for the job, but he appears to be on the cusp of landing with the Falcons. With Holmes in place, the Lions will zero in on their head coaching search.

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