Detroit Lions fans are mixed on potential impact of losing Aaron Glenn

If Aaron Glenn gets a head coaching gig, Detroit Lions fans will apparently have a mixed reaction.

This week, the first domino in the 2023 NFL coaching carousel fell with the Carolina Panthers hiring former Colts coach Frank Reich. Typically when the first domino falls, the rest of the jobs tend to fill up quickly.

However, the fate of Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn is still unknown. He interviewed for both the Indianapolis Colts and Arizona Cardinals openings. The Colts have started their second round of interviews, and as of Friday afternoon, Glenn there has been no indication yet whether Glenn has made it to the next round.

As for the Cardinals job, with Reich in Carolina and Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn removing his name from contention, Glenn is now just one of six known candidates for the job.

In other words, there’s still a realistic shot Glenn lands a head coaching job this time around. So on this week’s Tuesday Open thread, I asked Lions fans how big of a deal it would be to them if Glenn left Detroit this year for another coaching gig.

Here are my favorite responses:

ATLA1234 believes losing Glenn risks losing some of the progress the defense made towards the end of the year:

I think losing Glenn would definitely setback some of the progress that has been made over the course of this past season. While Glenn still has a lot to prove, he definitely grew as a coach & made necessary changes to the defense after that 1-6 start. He improved with the players, & it’d be nice to see that growth continue. I’d be surprised if the defense falls flat on its face right out the gate again.

Enor is not yet convinced Glenn makes a good coordinator or head coach. Rather, his skill set is best suited for a position coach.

I just don’t see Glenn getting a head coaching gig after 2 seasons at the bottom of the league.

I also may be in the minority, but it seems like AG is a “unit” type of coach, able to rally within a particular unit, but I don’t see this translating to the entire team management that would be needed to oversea the development of an entire roster. His communications with the media and our view of him from things like Hard Knocks just give me the impression of a guy who can handle the defensive unit and the unit coaches, but would really struggle to communicate in a larger-organizational context. But I could be very wrong!

57lion brings up an interesting point. Would people flock to Detroit to take that defensive coordinator job if Glenn leaves?

If Glenn were to leave I think it would be an attractive job. Young talent with GM and HC placing emphasis on D during off season. Team on upward trajectory as playoff contender. I think BH and DC could be choosy versus settling on somebody.

1951LION thinks the Lions would rebound fairly quickly if they lost Glenn:

If he leaves, It will set us back one year. and possibly not even that. That Defensive bridge hasn’t been built yet. We have the blueprints but some of the materials are still being built, and others are being repaired and modified.

There will be a new shipment this spring, they will be included to the players we have left from last year, and if It’s AG thats putting the Defense together, or someone else, the dastardly deed will get done. I would prefer AG keeps his position, as I believe that is the quickest route to success.

Detroit_vs_everyone had another good point. The next phase in building the roster of this defense is likely in the secondary… so it would be untimely to lose Glenn, a former All-Pro cornerback.

I think it’s a very big deal, considering the next thing on the rebuild is the secondary, and this is where Glenn shines as a coach. Plus, they parted ways with Pleasant, who was the DB’s position coach, so the assumption is AG took that over as part of the defensive turn around. The other assumption is he didn’t mentor someone to take over that role on the fly, or even if he did, much of that effort is still in progress. So, there is a definite gap between Glenn and “next coach up” at DC. I think AP was the succession plan, now the plan would presumably be an outside hire…”

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