The Detroit Lions have their new defensive coordinator: former Lions linebacker coach Kelvin Sheppard.
The Detroit Lions have reportedly filled one of their coordinator vacancies. NFL Network reports that the team plans to promote linebacker coach Kelvin Sheppard to defensive coordinator. Sheppard will replace Aaron Glenn, who was hired by the New York Jets as their next head coach.
“Having Shep there with me, he’s been there from the beginning, and he knows exactly how I think—exactly,” Glenn said of Sheppard in December. “And that’s a guy that I’ve been actually mentoring to be in the DC role at some point. I think he’s damn near close, if not there, to be ready to do that. He’s a damn good coach.”
As we wrote in our 10 options to replace Glenn at DC, Sheppard was considered the front-runner for the position, having been on coach Dan Campbell’s staff since the beginning of his tenure and quickly taking on new coaching and organizational responsibilities.
Sheppard, who played linebacker in the NFL for eight seasons, brings a high level of experience and intelligence to the Lions’ defensive staff. With a no-nonsense approach to coaching that rewards players for how they produce on the field, Sheppard has earned the trust of both players and coaches over the past four years.
The Lions’ previous defensive scheme demanded a lot of their linebackers, including understanding all aspects of defensive scheme/play calls, as well as making necessary adjustments on the field. They are required to work in unison with the defensive line and secondary, and Sheppard has done a masterful job of making sure his linebackers are fully prepared to embrace these challenges.
At his end-of-season press conference, Campbell noted that he wants to be able to keep the team’s core principles in place, something Sheppard will firmly be able to do.
“I don’t see philosophy changing,” Campbell noted. “I think what we are is what we are, and we’ve been that way since I’ve been here. So, does that mean a couple of things get tweaked? A couple of things will get tweaked, just the nature of new coordinators […] I want to play man (coverage)—we want to play man. I’m going to pressure a little bit. So, these things are not going to go away, we are what we are.”
The hiring of Sheppard has been confirmed by multiple sources on the Lions beat.
