Tag: Aaron Glenn

Falcons request interview with Lions DC Aaron Glenn

The #Falcons have requested an interview with Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn

The Atlanta Falcons continue to work their way through the top head-coaching candidates, requesting multiple interviews on Thursday morning. Both Detroit Lions coordinators are on the Falcons’ list.

After an earlier report that Atlanta requested an interview with Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, the team has done the same with defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Johnson gets all the credit, but Glenn has played an equally important role in helping the Lions go from the laughing stock of the league to a contender.

Glenn, a former NFL defensive back who was drafted in the first round back in 1994, took a job in Detroit after spending five years in New Orleans as a defensive backs coach. He was recently voted as the NFL’s top defensive coordinator by the players in a poll held by the NFLPA.

Stay up to date with each Falcons interview request using our head coach tracker!

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Titans request to interview Lions DC Aaron Glenn for head coach job

The Titans have reportedly requested to interview Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn for their head coach job.

The Tennessee Titans have reportedly put in their first request to interview a candidate for their head coaching vacancy.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Titans have put in a request to speak with Detroit Lions defensive coordinator, Aaron Glenn.

This is the second coach who the Titans reportedly have interest in to replace former head coach Mike Vrabel.

Earlier in the day, Justin Melo of The Draft Network reported that the Titans are expected to interview Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator, Brian Callahan, although he did not say the team had requested an interview yet.

After a 15-year career in the NFL, Glenn has worked as a scout (New York Jets), assistant defensive backs coach (Cleveland Browns), defensive backs coach (New Orleans Saints) and defensive coordinator (Lions).

He’s been the DC in Detroit since 2021 but the defense has never finished better than 23rd in points allowed per game, which is where the unit was ranked this season.

However, as owner Amy Adams Strunk said, it’s vital that candidates show her a staff that can bring a fresh perspective to the team, so any candidate who can accomplish that will have a shot, even if they aren’t offensive-minded.

Follow along with all of the latest updates in the Titans’ head coach search with our interview tracker right here.

Justin Herbert ready to give input on next head coach and general manager for Chargers

Justin Herbert is prepared to give his input on who should be the next head coach and general manager.

As the face of the franchise, Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert is prepared to give his input on who should be the next head coach and general manager. 

“Having been in the league for four years, I hope that I’m getting better with understanding and seeing things the way they are,” Herbert said.

The Chargers are currently looking for Brandon Staley’s and Tom Telesco’s replacements. In a statement made soon after their release, owner Dean Spanos shared that the organization’s focus would be “building and maintaining a championship-caliber program.”

Herbert signed a multi-year contract extension last July, meaning he will be the leader of the Chargers for the forseeable future. With Herbert at the helm, he knows the team’s success is part of his responsibility. 

“I know that they’re working on that and we have complete faith and trust in the front office to do their job and they’ve done a great job so far,” Herbert said. “Hopefully I’m able to talk with them and offer whatever advice I have.

We’ve got complete trust in them and if they came to me and they needed my viewpoint, my perspective, I’d love to offer it,” Herbert said. “But like I said, I believe in them. They’ve done such a great job taking care of us as players.”

The status of the organization is currently at a crossroads. If the Chargers get it right, they can make the team successful with Herbert as its figurehead and smart personnel. But if they get this wrong, it’ll be a never-ending sob story for the franchise.

Chargers head coach, general manager interview tracker

Here is a running list of the head coaching and GM candidates the Chargers have requested to interview or have interviewed.

After parting ways with Brandon Staley during the 2023 regular season, Chargers owner Dean Spanos is in search of the new head coach.

Additionally, Spanos will be looking to fill the general manager void left by Tom Telesco, who was relieved of his duties after ten years in the role.

To keep you up to date with who they will be interviewing for the head coaching and general manager positions, we have created this tracker.

Chargers request interviews with 6 head coach candidates

The Chargers wasted no time getting to business on Day 1 of the offseason as they requested interviews with six head coaching candidates.

The Chargers wasted no time getting to business on Day 1 of the offseason as they requested interviews with six head coaching candidates.

The early list includes Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham and Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken.

Johnson appears to be the hottest offensive coordinator candidate of the cycle, as he appears at the top of several teams’ odds lists. So far, he’s the only interview request candidate whose name has appeared on Chargers’ HC futures in sportsbooks. Johnson has been one of the engines in the Lions’ red-hot resurgence with Jared Goff. Playmakers like Sam LaPorta, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Amon-Ra St. Brown have broken out under his watch in Detroit.

Glenn has been the defensive coordinator of the Lions for three seasons while boasting nearly a decade of coaching on his resume. He also has 15 seasons worth of NFL playing experience as a cornerback.

Wilks has head coaching experience with the Cardinals and an interim stint with Carolina. He has nearly 30 years of coaching experience between college and the NFL stints. He was the Chargers’ defensive backs coach from 2009 to 2011 before joining Ron Rivera’s staff in Carolina.

Graham has overseen the defenses of the Dolphins, Giants and Raiders. In 2023, Las Vegas finished eighth in points allowed and 11th in passing yards allowed.

Of note with Wilks, Glenn and Graham: They would fulfill the Rooney Rule requirement of interviewing external minority candidates.

After taking the Falcons to the Super Bowl as their head coach in 2016, Quinn became the defensive coordinator of the Cowboys in 2021 and quickly transformed their defense into one of the best units in the league.

Monken has revitalized the Ravens’ offense in his return to the pros behind an MVP campaign from Lamar Jackson. The two-time CFP national champion at Georgia also has offensive coordinator stops with Tampa Bay and Cleveland in the pros.

This list will presumably grow over the coming days, but these four names represent a start. Being that he’s not NFL personnel, Jim Harbaugh would not require a formal interview request.

The Chargers will also likely have a handful of names for general managers they’d like to interview. Considering the reported interest in Harbaugh, Colts’ assistant general manager Ed Dodds may make sense for an interview request.

Commanders request permission to interview Lions’ coordinators Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn

Ben Johnson is expected to be one of the more popular names on the coaching carousel.

The Washington Commanders are wasting no time in searching for their next head coach. After announcing a new advisory committee to lead the search for a new head of football operations and head coach, the Commanders are reportedly interested in Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh.

Now, according to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, the Commanders have requested interviews with the Detroit Lions’ two coordinators: OC Ben Johnson and DC Aaron Glenn.

Johnson, 37, has been Detroit’s offensive coordinator since 2022 and helped turn the career of quarterback Jared Goff around. He is a former quarterback at the University of North Carolina. Johnson is one of the more coveted coaching candidates in this cycle and turned down jobs last offseason to return to the Lions.

Glenn, 51, was a first-round pick of the New York Jets back in 1994. He played 15 seasons in the NFL for five teams. He began his coaching career in 2014 and became Detroit’s defensive coordinator in 2021.

 

Commanders request head coach interviews with Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn

The Washington Commanders have requested head coaching interviews with Lions coordinators Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson

The Washington Commanders fired Ron Rivera this morning and it has taken them just a few hours to make their first interview requests. Both coordinators for the Lions, Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson, have been requested by the Commanders to interview with their group assigned to finding the new head coach.

Both men were expected to see their names in the mix for head coaching vacancies after the team won the NFC North and finished 12-5. Johnson has been a hot coaching name in circles all year as he morphed the Lions’ defense into something not many expected. For Glenn, the Lions’ break defense also garnered attention specifically with his development and usage of defensive linemen and edge rushers.

Washington is expected to be seen as the best coaching vacancy for potential new hires. The team is projected to have over $70 million in salary cap space, they also have the second overall pick in the NFL draft, and the new leadership group has brought renewed energy to the franchise.

If Johnson and Glenn do interview for the job they will do so with their group created by owner Josh Harris will include Magic Johnson, David Blitzer, Mitch Rales, Bob Myers, and former NFL general manager Rick Spielman.

Lions looking to ease C.J. Gardner-Johnson back onto the field

Lions looking to ease C.J. Gardner-Johnson back onto the field and he’s not thrilled about it

Over the last two weeks, C.J. Gardner-Johnson has been back at practice for the Detroit Lions. He worked his way back from a torn pectoral muscle he suffered in Week 2 this season. Since then, the Lions have been searching for production from their safety position.

There was some positive play from Tracy Walker earlier in the season but defensively, he was benched in Week 14. Since then, he hasn’t played any defensive snaps. The most consistent safety the Lions have had has been Kerby Joseph and at times, the team will rotate Brian Branch back to play as a split-safety or even have Cover 3 responsibilities.

However, it seems like the player that has stepped up the most as of late has been Ifeatu Melifonwu. Since week 14, he’s seen a significant increase with his role on defense and has become a starter for this unit. During this time, Melifonwu has compiled 21 tackles, three sacks and two interceptions.

It’ll be interesting to see how the Lions work Gardner-Johnson back into the fold with the consistency from Joseph and the spark that Melifonwu has provided. Especially when talking to reporters on Friday, Gardner-Johnson had this to say about a rotation, “Getting into a rotation, I’m cool with it, but how can I say this? I don’t want to sound like I’m selfish or an a******, but I ain’t get back early to be in a rotation. But I’m doing what I need to do as a team player to get my body going.”

Unfortunately, that might be the case for Gardner-Johnson this weekend against the Vikings. From the sounds of it, Dan Campbell and Aaron Glenn will ease him back onto the field. When talking with the media, Campbell alluded to that, “It doesn’t mean that he has to like it, but he’s going to go out there and when he’s on the field, he’s going to give what he’s got.”

No question, all ideas will be on the Lions first defensive series to see if Gardner-Johnson is out there with the starters. If I had to guess, the Lions will look more into their dime packages with Melifonwu, Branch, Joseph and Gardner-Johnson all on the field at the same time. Branch and Gardner-Johnson would play more so over the slot and they wouldn’t have to worry about deep coverage unless they were in man coverage.

Either way, the Lions getting Gardner-Johnson back before the playoffs is huge. Despite only playing two games this year, he does have 13 tackles and two pass deflections. He’ll look to add to that and finish the season strong as he returns to Ford Field on Sunday as the Lions close out the regular season against the Minnesota Vikings.

Vikings vs. Lions: 4 offensive keys for week 18

One last shot. Can the offense help keep the Minnesota Vikings’ slim playoff hopes alive?

One last chance. The Minnesota Vikings have one last chance to cash in on their slim playoff hopes as they face the Detroit Lions on Sunday at noon CST.

The Detroit defense has been a solid unit, but not a dominant one. They are a good complement to their gound-and-pound offense with their physicality and focus on stopping the run.

Minnesota’s offense has been a whirlwind of change, starting three different quarterbacks in the last four games, including now-starter Nick Mullens, who was benched in favor of rookie Jaren Hall after the last meeting against the Lions. Now, with the season on the line, Mullens is back in charge and hoping to lead the Vikings to that final wild-card spot.

To do that, he will need to follow these four keys to success.

Emmanuel Moseley still helping Lions despite not being able to play

Injured CB Emmanuel Moseley still helping Lions despite not being able to play

On the field, the Emmanuel Moseley signing flopped badly for the Detroit Lions. Injuries limited the veteran cornerback to just two snaps in a Lions uniform in between torn ACLs.

Yet Moseley is still trying to be an asset for the Lions. Even though he barely practiced with Detroit after signing as a free agent and only inked a one-year deal, Moseley remains active with the team. He’s in meetings, helping the younger players and doing what he can to stay engaged even though his playing for the Lions is over due to his injury.

Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn certainly has taken notice of Moseley’s presence and leadership. Glenn talked about how much impact Moseley still has on the team during the coordinator’s press conference in Week 18.

“Man, let me tell you something, that player – that person, take the player out, that person is a really caring person. He cares about his teammates,” Glenn said enthusiastically. “He wants to see his guys do well. Man, you sit there and you watch him in the meetings and how he talks and how he interacts with everybody that, man you want that guy to be around because he’s a vet and he’s been around.”

Moseley’s experience playing on good teams with playoff experience in San Francisco is proving to be an asset for the young Lions.

“He’s been around winning,” Glenn continued. “He’s been around winning, and that’s huge for us, as an organization, to have guys like that around in the building even when they have these injuries. So, man, I’m so appreciative of that player always wanting to be around, and then imparting his wisdom into some of the young guys that we have.”

It’s easy to see why the Lions were attracted to Moseley as a free agent even though he had a torn ACL from 2022.