Former Jets Head Coach Called ‘Perfect Fit’ to Replace Aaron Glenn as Lions DC

On By Littum

Could a former New York Jets head coach replace Aaron Glenn as the Detroit Lions’ next defensive coordinator?

Glenn has become it The Jets’ new head coachaccording to a post from ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Wednesday afternoon.

But who will replace Glenn as defensive coordinator in Detroit?

On Tuesday, ABC’s Ryan Field introduced an interesting candidate for the Lions as they search for Glenn’s replacement in DC.

Field suggested a man with deep ties to the state of Michigan: former Jets head coach Robert Saleh.

“If Aaron Glenn does in fact land with the Jets … the Lions should absolutely bring Robert Saleh home,” Field said.

“The Dearborn native would be a perfect fit for the culture that has been built in Detroit.”

Saleh was born in Dearborn, Michigan and attended Dearborn’s Fordson High School before moving to Northern Michigan for college. Saleh also began his coaching career at Michigan as Michigan State’s offensive assistant (2002) and defensive assistant (2003) before moving to Central Michigan in 2004 to serve as a defensive assistant.

Saleh’s career has taken an upward trajectory over the past two decades, despite his firing from the Jets.

He is a brilliant football mind who is in demand by several NFL franchises right now for both head coaching and coordinator roles. Saleh has interviewed with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders and Dallas Cowboys for their head coaching vacancies, and he is also reportedly the San Francisco 49ers’ top pick for defensive coordinator, a role he filled with San Francisco from 2017 to 2020.

The Jaguars scheduled another interview with Saleh, so it is a developing situation to monitor.

But what about the lions? Should Detroit take Fields’ suggestion and go after Saleh? He’s clearly an excellent DC, but Detroit may also feel it’s a waste of time to go through the interview process with a guy seeking another head coaching job (and with Jacksonville possibly close to happening).

It would certainly be ironic for Saleh to replace Glenn in Detroit, but the chances are slim to none.

More NFL: Former Jets coach receives huge offer from NFC team to become highest paid DC