Dolphins Request to Interview Detroit Lions Defensive Coordinator

Kelvin Sheppard has earned his first opportunity to interview for a head coaching vacancy.

Detroit Lions Principal Owner and Chair Shield Ford Hamp talks to defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard has earned an opportunity to speak to another NFL team about their head coaching vacancy.

According to multiple reports, Kelvin Sheppard has been requested by the Miami Dolphins to speak to them about their head coach opening.

Last week, the AFC East squad made the decision to part ways with Mike McDaniel.

Sheppard had a solid start to being elevated to the position of Lions defensive coordinator. After being mentored by Dan Campbell and Aaron Glenn, the former NFL linebacker was able to get the defense flying to the football and playing physical.

Unfortunately, the defense dealt with a myriad of injuries and was not able to sustain their level of success all throughout the 2025 season.

The defense gave up far too many explosive plays late in the season and was not as consistent getting off the field on third-down.

Sheppard was asked prior to the conclusion of the regular season if there were big lessons that he picked up this year or things that he did not know that clicked into place, over the course of 17 weeks.

“Yeah, I mean the ebbs and flows of the league. I mean I knew that as a player, I’ve been in this thing. So, I’m calloused as far as one week you’re a guru, the next week you can’t coach a lick. That is what it is. It’s just like a player," said Sheppard. "One week, he’s an All-Pro player, the next week he missed two tackles, ‘That player shouldn’t be out there.’ That comes with the nature of our profession, you’re in the microscope all the time.

"That’s okay. The things that I truly learned, to be honest with you, is in the flow of a game, in having to adjust on the run," Sheppard added. "Like say you’re going to the game and, ‘This is what we’re doing.’ Well, you can’t be hard-headed. If you get in that game and that’s not working, then what? You get to have time and kind of things aren’t going the way you like, then what? And that’s kind of what I’ve learned and the ability to go articulate that to the players, so they understand me. Not that we’re changing, but why we’re changing and how we need them to change as the game progresses. Kind of in-game adjustments.”

Sheppard is considered a rising young coach, but may not just yet be ready to become the top leader of an NFL franchise.