Fact or Fiction: Is Aaron Glenn on Hot Seat?

The Detroit Lions are expecting their revamped defense to perform at or exceed the expectations of the coaching staff.

With veterans added along the defensive line and secondary, combined with adding two young defensive backs in the draft, the defense should be a factor in the team's pursuit of a Lombardi Trophy.

Among the question marks heading into a pivotal season is whether defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn will unite the defensive units quickly enough to produce at a championship level.

According to Lindy's Sports NFL preview magazine. "Coming off the winningest season in franchise history, there aren't a lot of hot seats these days. But after years of being lauded for trying to make lemonade with a bad roster, excuses have now run out for defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. He's hugely popular with players and around the league, but his units have never performed that well.

"Now that the Lions have finally invested heavily on that side of the ball, including spending their top two draft picks on cornerbacks -- after signing another one in free agency, and trading for yet another, the time to produce has arrived. If they continue to be held back by their defense, the fingers will start to point at Glenn awfully quick."

Glenn's defense has made steady improvements since 2021, but the secondary was torched far too often in 2023. The organization has not found a steady defensive backs coach to develop players.

Both Aubrey Pleasant and Dre Bly failed to get the defensive backs to perform consistently and were jettisoned out quickly.

New defensive assistant Jim O'Neil has previously worked with Glenn and believes the 51-year-old is clearly destined to become a head coach in the NFL.

“He’s a no-brainer head coach in this league, first of all," said O'Neil. "He’s got an unbelievable work ethic. I mean, he’s there early. He’s out late, even in the offseason. He’s truly, truly passionate and I think because of his history as a player, he can hold these guys to a standard that some coaches struggle to hold guys to."

Glenn is very close with head coach Dan Campbell, but has acknowledged everyone on the coaching staff is held to a very high standard.

While it is a fact Glenn is on the hot seat, confidence should be higher the defense will finally meet expectations this season.

Additional reading

1.) Roundtable: Lions Players Who Could Be Released Before Training Camp

2.) Lions' 2024 Roster Bubble: Quarterbacks

3.) Lions Hire New Senior Director of Football Administration