When the next NFL hiring cycle gets rolling, Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson figures to be a top head coaching candidate again. And rightfully so.
In three seasons directing the Lions’ impressive offense, which is among the league’s most productive and fun to watch, Johnson has emerged as a shrewd X’s and O’s man. It’s easy to understand why franchises seeking to fill the highest coaching jobs have pursued him the past two cycles.
Perhaps club owners should also take a longer look at Johnson’s counterpart on defense, because Lions defensive playcaller Aaron Glenn is worthy of much more attention. As it turned out, Detroit coach Dan Campbell made great moves in hiring both his top lieutenants.
Although Glenn hasn’t achieved the rockstar status of his Detroit colleague on the interview circuit, he has played a major role in the team’s impressive turnaround under Campbell. This season, Glenn has received high marks from around the league for holding together the Lions’ defense, which has lost several key players because of injuries, including star defensive end Aidan Hutchinson for the remainder of the season in Week 6.
Campbell praises Glenn for his work ethic and preparedness, attributes Campbell has admired in his friend since their days as NFL teammates, and time together as assistant coaches on the New Orleans Saints’ staff. What separates Glenn from many coaches is the way he leads, Campbell says, and any team owner would be wise to give Glenn his own shop to run.
As the NFC North-leading Lions prepare for a road game against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, Glenn, 52, is making all the right moves for a defense that’s shorthanded. While injuries are part of life in pro sports’ most dangerous workplace, some losses are much harder than others to overcome.
In a 47-9 blowout victory over the Dallas Cowboys, Hutchinson suffered two broken bones in his lower left leg, and he underwent season-ending surgery. The Pro Bowler entered the game leading the NFL is sacks, quarterback hits and pressures. The Lions were already without defensive end Marcus Davenport, who suffered a season-ending injury in Week 3.
Then in a 52-6 rout of the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 11, linebacker Alex Anzalone suffered a broken forearm. He’s expected to be sidelined for up to eight weeks. Detroit moved to bolster its pass rush by acquiring linebacker Za’Darius Smith in a trade with the Cleveland Browns, but it’s up to Glenn to shoulder the load on defense by finding new ways to best use the remaining active players.
The evidence shows Glenn has performed well under duress.
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Against Detroit, opponents average 17.7 points and 94.8 rushing yards, placing the team fifth in the league in both categories. The Lions (9-1) lead the Philadelphia Eagles by a game in the race for the No. 1 overall seeding in the NFC playoffs, and Glenn is earning rave reviews for his contribution to their success.
The evidence of Glenn’s coaching acumen is as incontrovertible as it is overwhelming, Troy Vincent, the NFL’s vice president of football operations, said.
“Throughout Aaron’s NFL playing experience and now in his current position as the Lions’ defensive coordinator, he has demonstrated extraordinary leadership, growth and creativity,” Vincent wrote to Andscape in a text message Wednesday. “Tremendous coaching skills cannot be denied, as witnessed through the Lions’ significantly improved defense.”
From the time he and Glenn briefly were teammates on the Dallas Cowboys, Campbell believed Glenn had what it took to one day be a great coach.
The No. 12 pick of the New York Jets in the 1994 NFL draft, Glenn had a 15-year playing career with the Jets, Houston Texans, Cowboys, Jaguars and Saints. The three-time Pro Bowl cornerback then transitioned to coaching and scouting, eventually rising to run the Saints’ secondary under then-coach Sean Payton. Campbell coached the Saints’ tight ends, and the Texas A&M alums forged a bond.
After Campbell was named Detroit’s coach in 2021, Glenn followed him to direct the team’s defense. Make no mistake, the hiring of Glenn was one of Campbell’s most important moves in his effort to turnaround the woebegone Lions.
During the 2008-09 season, the Lions went 0-16. Before the arrival of Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes, the Lions had last won a division title during the 1993-94 season. Detroit hadn’t won a playoff game since the 1991-92 season. Last season, the Lions accomplished both feats en route to reaching the NFC Championship Game.
To be sure, the Lions got it figured out faster on offense than on defense (they lead the league in scoring at 33.6 points per game), contributing to Johnson being more sought-after than Glenn to potentially fill coaching vacancies. Glenn, however, has interviewed for openings the past three cycles, and Campbell is confident Glenn is ready to lead an entire team.
“He’s got great vision for putting a plan together,” Campbell told reporters in Detroit. “He understands football very well. And when you start talking about his leadership, he’s one of these guys, he’s special. He’s special. He’s got it.
“His ability to communicate, to relate, to push, to grind, to love, demand, he’s got it all. He’s an outstanding communicator, he’s an outstanding teacher. … That’s why I say I’m fortunate that he’s on staff with me.”
For Glenn, there’s nothing more important than always setting the right example.
“I try to do everything I can to keep my focus on the players,” Glenn said. “I try to do everything I can to keep my focus on the team, and how can I best utilize … my staff to make sure that we’re on the up-and-up as far as playing good defense. Everybody’s different. And that makes it fun to be able to utilize each player to their own unique qualities, to put ’em in those positions [to succeed].”
Glenn’s coaching philosophy is simple: Be authentic and a positive influence on those around you.
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“The No. 1 thing is, be yourself,” Glenn said. “Players know a fake when they see one. And when you try to fake your way through this business, you’ll get yourself put outta this business really quickly, because then the respect factor is gone.
“Leadership to me comes down to one word – influence. How are you influencing the players? How are you influencing the coaches? Leadership is not me giving a rah-rah speech. They’ve heard that before. It’s how I’m influencing those guys.”
The buzz around the league is that while Glenn has received head coaching consideration in previous cycles, he is well-positioned to be a finalist for positions in this one. He’ll be one of the strongest candidates, said Rod Graves, the leader of the group that advises the NFL on diversity, equity and inclusion in hiring.
“Aaron has proven that he is one of the NFL’s best coaches,” Graves, executive director of the Fritz Pollard Alliance, wrote to Andscape in a text message. “He has joined the league’s elite as an excellent strategist.
“The Detroit Lions have developed an attitude of toughness, physicality and attention to detail. Aaron is big reason for that. He coaches the way he played.”
“There is an expectation that Aaron should unequivocally be in the mix as head coaching jobs materialize. He may well be the beginning of coach Campbell’s tree,” Vincent said in a text message.
Even if Johnson still winds up being the first to branch out on his own, Glenn surely seems capable of rising higher. It’s just a matter of team owners paying more attention to others who are growing.