Tag: Jett Modkins

Ex-Lions defensive coach Stephen Thomas lands with the Giants

Thomas spent the last four seasons as the Lions’ defensive quality control coach

Another former Detroit Lions assistant coach has found a new team. Stephen Thomas is the new assistant special teams coach for the New York Giants.

Thomas spent the last four seasons in Detroit as the Lions’ defensive quality control coach. He now moves to Brian Daboll’s staff with the Giants. He’s one of two assistant special teams coaches for the Giants, along with Anthony Blevins. Detroit has one coach in that role, Jett Modkins.

The Lions already filled the defensive quality control coach role by promoting Wayne Blair to the position.

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Instant reaction to Duce Staley departing the den

Instant reaction to assistant head coach Duce Staley departing the Lions for the Panthers and what it means for Detroit

A relatively stable coaching situation with the Detroit Lions took a big turn on Wednesday. Assistant head coach and RB coach Duce Staley is leaving Detroit to join the new staff with the Carolina Panthers.

Staley spent the last two seasons serving under Dan Campbell. The longtime NFL RB was known for his blunt, gruff style, something that the Hard Knocks cameras captured well. He coaxed a great season out of Jamaal Williams, who led the NFL in touchdowns in 2022.

The timing is interesting. The Lions brought in Steve Heiden as the new TE coach on Monday, leaving Tanner Engstrand with the sole role of passing game coordinator after Engstrand held both roles in 2022. Staley’s departure leaves the assistant head coach title open to offer as a way to retain a coach like Engstrand who could be in demand by other teams looking to fill out a new staff.

There is no obvious replacement in-house to replace Staley as the RB coach. Special teams assistant Jett Modkins is one potential name to know.

Detroit Lions to hire Jett Modkins as an assistant Special Teams coach

Detroit Lions to hire Jett Modkins as an assistant Special Teams coach. Modkins is the son of former Lions’ RB coach Curtis Modkins.

The Detroit Lions are planning to hire Jett Modkins as assistant Special Teams coach.

Modkins is the son of former Lions’ running backs coach Curtis Modkins and the pair coached on the Denver Broncos staff the last season. The elder Modkins was still focusing on coaching running backs, while Jett was an intern.

A former running back at Glendale (Arizona) Community College and Mesa (Arizona) Community College, Modkins’ first coaching stop was in 2019 as a defensive volunteer coach with Akron University.

In 2020, Modkins was hired as part of the Broncos Diversity Coaching Intern program and his primary responsibilities were as an offensive quality control coach.

Following the season, Modkins was part of a group of NFL assistant coaches, who took on a leadership role with the East-West Shrine Bowl Professional Development Opportunity program, which “aims to increase professional development opportunities for coaches and draft-eligible players”.

With no game this offseason due to COVID-19, this was an opportunity for Modkins to help college players hoping to make it to the NFL to “participate in various virtual training/informational drills with current NFL coaches”.

With the Lions, Modkins will continue his coaching career arc by working directly under special teams coordinator Dave Fipp, who was hired by coach Dan Campbell two weeks ago.