Lions' veterans extoll Aaron Glenn's wide-ranging strengths as defensive results strengthen case for top job

(Getty Images)

Allen Park — Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell has been prepared to lose defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn for years.

At the Senior Bowl in early 2022, Campbell openly shared concern the New Orleans Saints would lure Glenn back to the bayou just a year after he left to join Campbell in Detroit.

After that season and the next, Glenn had multiple interviews for vacancies, but an offer never came. If we're being reasonable, it’s not difficult to understand why. No matter how prepared he might have been to take the next step, or how well he interviewed, Detroit’s defensive production hadn’t been good enough to sell to a fan base on the potential hire.

Glenn took over at an exceedingly young unit when he arrived, and even though they steadily improved, it’s nearly impossible to generate enthusiasm for a hire who hadn’t finished better than 23rd in scoring in any of the past three seasons.

But in 2024, the rebuild and development of Detroit’s defense has caught up with the rest of the franchise’s turnaround. Glenn’s group is top-10 in scoring, at the top of the charts against the pass and on third down, and among the league’s best in the red zone and at generating turnovers.

The legitimate excuse the league’s franchises had to pass him over in the past has evaporated. Glenn — ranked the league’s top coordinator in an NFLPA survey last year — should finally get his long-awaited chance to lead his own team after this season ends.

The past two weeks, I sought out several veteran defensive players in Detroit’s locker room, targeting guys who had played for multiple teams and multiple head coaches, to gain perspective on what makes a good head coach to better explain why Glenn is ready for the opportunity.