Lions quarterback vehemently cancels a $98.5 million deal due to…
Terrell Williams is not the only recent addition to Dan Campbell’s staff; the official announcement of his hiring as the defensive line coach of the Detroit Lions has not yet been made. The Lions are going to hire Deshea Townsend to be their new defensive passing game coordinator, according to Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report.
To be clear, Tanner Engstrand, the offensive team’s coordinator of the passing game this season, had nothing to do with Townsend’s hire as a defensive coach. Engstrand has drawn interest in a couple positions as offensive coordinator; the Seattle Seahawks are the team with whom he is most closely associated.
It’s also important to remember that the Lions played without a defensive passing game coordinator in the previous campaign.
Another ex-NFL player on Campbell’s staff is Townsend. From 1998 to 2010, he was a cornerback in the NFL, spending the first 12 of those seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. with four seasons (2002–2005), he was a teammate of Antwaan Randle El, the wide receivers coach with the Lions.
Townsend began working as a coach in 2011. For the previous two seasons, he was the Jacksonville Jaguars’ cornerbacks coach and coordinator of the passing game. In addition, he worked for the Tennessee Titans (2016–2017), Chicago Bears (2019–2021), Arizona Cardinals (2011–2012), New York Giants (2018), and Mississippi State (2013–2015) for three years.
Football Talk Pro added Together with his responsibilities as defensive passing game coordinator, Townsend will also hold the position of cornerbacks coach. That would mean Dre’ Bly is no longer employed by the Lions as their cornerbacks coach after just one season, but it’s possible he will be kept in a different capacity.
The Lions’ pass defense ended the regular season ranked 27th in the league, allowing 12.3 yards per completion (tied for worst) and 7.8 yards per attempt (second-worst). They gave up more than 320 passing yards in a run of five games in a row, including the playoffs.
