Category: Coaching Search

Lions add Tanner Engstrand as new offensive assistant coach

Engstrand was an OC in the XFL and coached under Jim Harbaugh at Michigan

Welcome to Detroit, Tanner Engstrand!

Engstrand was hired by the Detroit Lions as an offensive assistant coach on Friday, per his Twitter page and an updated coaching list on the team’s official website.

Engstrand played quarterback at San Diego State in 2003-2004 before moving directly into coaching. He worked at the University of San Diego for several seasons before rejoining ex-Toreros head coach Jim Harbaugh at Michigan. He most recently served as the offensive coordinator for the Washington Defenders of the XFL.

His exact role with the Lions has not yet been specified.

Engstrand updated his Twitter profile with a Lions background

Ty Warren adds some sizzle factor to the Lions coaching staff

Warren was a versatile DL for the Patriots during his playing career

The Detroit Lions completed their official hiring of the coaching staff over the weekend. Most of the hirings were previously reported connections, including Tyrone McKenzie as LBs coach and Ben Johnson as the TE coach.

One of the coaches announced with the last group is a familiar name for NFL fans. More specifically, New England Patriots fans. New Lions defensive assistant Ty Warren spent eight seasons playing all over the defensive line for the Patriots before ending his career with one injury-marred season in Denver.

Warren is the team’s new WCF Minority Coaching Assistantship coach, a program that also created the opportunity for Billy Yates to get promoted to the assistant OL coaching job this offseason. He’s a good candidate to teach the Lions defensive line exactly what head coach Matt Patricia wants and expects. Warren’s positional versatility and ability to collapse the pocket while playing the run well on the way to the QB are what Detroit needs from Da’Shawn Hand, Kevin Strong and what figures to be an influx of newcomers to the defensive line.

Warren spent last season as a volunteer assistant coach in Detroit. The 39-year-old was a first-round pick by the Patriots out of Texas A&M in 2003.

Lions announce finalized coaching, strength and conditioning staffs for 2020

After a few months of reported coaching hires, the Detroit Lions have announced a finalized coaching, strength and conditioning staffs list for the 2020 season.

After a few months of reported coaching hires, the Detroit Lions have announced a finalized coaching, strength and conditioning staffs list for the 2020 season.

Let’s take a closer look at the Lions 2020 staff and the umbrella each coach falls under.

Matt Patricia – Head Coach

David Corrao – Director of Football Research
Evan Rothstein – Head Coach Assistant/Research & Analysis

Darrell Bevell – Offensive Coordinator

Sean Ryan – Quarterbacks
Kyle Caskey – Running Backs
Robert Prince – Wide Receivers
Ben Johnson – Tight Ends (Promoted from offensive quality control)
Hank Fraley – Offensive Line (Promoted from assistant OL coach)
Billy Yates – Assistant Offensive Line (Promoted from WCF Minority Coaching Assistantship)
Leon Washington – WCF Minority Coaching Assistantship/Offense

Three internal changes on the offensive side of the ball, beginning with Johnson being promoted to tight ends coach. He had previously coached tight ends while with the Miami Dolphins in 2015. Fraley gets a bump from assistant OL coach to full-time OL coach, and his old spot was filled by Yates, who is moving back to the offensive side of the ball after spending time on defense last season.

Cory Undlin – Defensive Coordinator

Undlin (New hire, what the Lions are getting)
Bo Davis – Defensive Line
Tyrone McKenzie – Linebackers (New hire, what the Lions are getting)
Steve Gregory – Defensive Backs (Promoted from defensive assistant)
Stephen Thomas – Defensive Quality Control
Tony Carter – Defensive Assistant (New hire)
Ty Warren – WCF Minority Coaching Assistantship (New hire)

Major changes on the defensive side of the ball starting at the top with the hire of former Eagles defensive backs coach Undlin. McKenzie left the Titans to join the Lions and after two very successful seasons in Tennessee, with most called this a major victory for the Lions. Gregory, a former NFL safety, has been waiting in the wings for this promotion since he was hired by Patricia two years ago. Carter is a new hire and found his greatest success in the NFL playing corner under Undlin in Denver. Warren, a former first-round pick of the Patriots, spent six years with Patricia in New England.

Brayden Coombs – Special Teams Coordinator

Coombs (New hire, what the Lions are getting)
Marquice Williams – Assistant Special Teams

Coombs was universally regarded as an up and comer in the coaching industry and an applauded hire by the Lions.

Josh Schuler – Head Strength & Conditioning

Schuler (Promoted from assistant S&C)
Morris Henry – Assistant Strength & Conditioning (New hire)
Tom Kanavy – Assistant Strength & Conditioning (New hire)

Schuler has been with the Lions since 2016 — as am assistant strength and conditioning coach and was promoted to head strength and conditioning coach. Henry spent the last four seasons on the Auburn strength and conditioning program,

Kanavy was most recently the director of sports performance at Tennessee Orthopaedic Alliance, but has loads of previous NFL strength and conditioning program experience, spending 1995-2005 with the Eagles, 2006-13 with the Vikings and 2015-18 with the Titans. During his time in the league, Kanavy was the Head Strength and Conditioning coach during his entire time with the Vikings and the 2018 season with the Titans.

Report: Ex-Lions coach John Bonamego hired by Rams as special teams coach

Bonamego was fired after the 2019 season

Former Detroit Lions special teams coordinator John Bonamego has landed on his feet in Los Angeles. Bonamego has been hired as the new special teams coach of the Rams, according to various reports including one from Lindsay Thiry of ESPN.

Coach Bonamego was let go by Detroit after just one season in his second stint with the Lions. He was also the Lions’ special teams leader from 2013-2014, leaving the team to be the head coach at his alma mater, Central Michigan, for the years in between.

The Rams had an opening with John Fassel leaving to join the Dallas Cowboys. This will be the eighth NFL team to hire Bonamego as its special teams coordinator, dating back to the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2002.