Detroit Lions OL coach Hank Fraley has scored a second, in-person interview with the Seattle Seahawks.
The hits could keep coming to the Detroit Lions coaching staff. With offensive coordinator Ben Johnson gone to the Chicago Bears and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn almost certainly out the door soon, Lions offensive line coach Hank Fraley could be the next to leave.
According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, Fraley has a second interview for the Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator position on Tuesday, this one in person. Other interviewed candidates for the Seahawks job include Saints OC Klint Kubiak, Bears interim coach Thomas Brown, Vikings assistant OC Grand Udinski, and former Buccaneers OC Byron Leftwich. Both Kubiak and Udinski have already completed two interviews for the job.
Fraley has been the Lions’ offensive line coach for the past five years, helping develop his position group to one of the best in football. Under Fraley, Frank Ragnow became one of the best centers in football, Penei Sewell quickly grew into a top-tier tackle, and Detroit rebuilt a highly-successful running game.
This week, both Ragnow and Sewell said they wouldn’t leave Fraley leave Detroit, half-jokingly.
“I haven’t played in this league without Hank and I don’t plan on doing it,” Ragnow said. “I’ll sabotage him, I’ll leak stories, whatever it takes.”
“Yeah, it’s the same as me,” Sewell said. “He’s not going nowhere at the end of the day. He’s not going nowhere.”
Ragnow explained what makes Fraley such a special coach.
“I don’t think I could play in this league without the guy. He’s everything to me. He’s been there since Day 1,” Ragnow said. “In this league, there are a lot of coaches, but there’s not many coaches like him that empower his players and really it is an open dialogue. He really does everything he can to put us in the best positions to be confident and go out there and play well.”
Fraley could also be a potential offensive coordinator candidate for the Lions themselves now that Johnson is headed to Chicago. However, the Lions have not announced any candidates for that vacancy yet.
