5 Coaches Brad Holmes Could Hire as Detroit Lions Head Coach
Brad Holmes, the Los Angeles Rams' director of college scouting, is currently in Detroit meeting with the Lions' front office for his second interview for the team's general manager vacancy.
According to many, Holmes has been stellar in his draft evaluations, as the Rams have enjoyed success in both the regular season and playoffs the past few seasons.
"Ozzie Newsome is a dear friend of mine, a good, good friend of mine," former Ravens running backs coach Wilbert Montgomery told the Detroit Free Press. "Ozzie and I go all the way back to high school and I had the pleasure of working with Ozzie Newsome in Baltimore. I would say right now (Holmes) is very, very much a young Ozzie Newsome at this point in his career."
If Detroit chooses to hire Holmes, the idea would be that the head coach would have experience, based on what Detroit's front office has been expressing during the hiring process.
Here are five candidates that Holmes could hire to become Detroit's next head coach.
1. Marvin Lewis
According to a recent ESPN report, "(The) Lions came away impressed by Marvin Lewis in his recent interview. He’s in play there."
Lewis’ career regular season coaching record is 131-122-3, but he was 0-7 in the postseason with the Bengals during his tenure.
He has the most experience of the candidates that could be chosen to replace Matt Patricia.
2. Darrell Bevell
Detroit's roster responded favorably to Bevell's "player friendly" approach after Patricia was fired.
The veteran offensive coordinator has the support of many members of the roster, and could still be a legitimate candidate to be retained by the next general manager.
© Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
3. Doug Pederson
For Detroit, hiring a coach with Pederson’s resume is enticing. There aren’t many coaches on the market that have recently won the "big game."
It is important to note that the Eagles have had some of the worst injury luck in the league the past couple of seasons.
Quarterback Carson Wentz went from an MVP candidate to replaceable status in no time. With receivers being unable to stay healthy, a poor run game and an aging offensive line, things have really fallen apart quickly in Philadelphia.
4. Todd Bowles
In Tampa Bay, the team's defense has emphasized stopping the run.
In his first season in Tampa, Bowles transformed the Buccaneers from the 24th-ranked run defense in 2018 to the top run defense in the NFL in 2019.
The Buccaneers will take on the Saints this weekend in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs.
5. Dan Campbell
The 44-year-old Texas native appears to be an assistant whose stock is on the rise, although he doesn't seem like he's one of the top candidates to replace Matt Patricia on the sidelines.
He got his coaching start with the Miami Dolphins as a coaching intern in 2010. He became the team's tight ends coach the following season, and eventually rose to the position of interim head coach in 2015 after Joe Philbin was let go after four games.
Campbell served as acting head man the rest of the season, and proceeded to lead the Dolphins to a 5-7 record.
He parlayed that into his present job with the Saints as Sean Payton's tight ends coach and assistant head coach.
The former NFL tight end likely has some support within Detroit's front office, due to his relatability and motivational coaching tactics.
© Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
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Why Darrell Bevell Is a Much Better Option for Lions than Marvin Lewis
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