Who will be the next head coach of the Detroit Lions?
That is a question that we soon have an official answer to but for now, I am going to give you my best guess.
First, the candidates who I personally believe are TRUE candidates for the job. (Not in any particular order)
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Eric Bieniemy
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Robert Saleh
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Darrell Bevell
Yep, that is the entire list of who I believe are TRUE candidates to become the next head coach of the Detroit Lions.
First of all, I don't believe the Lions are going to bring in a college coach, so that eliminates guys like Pat Fitzgerald, Lincoln Riley, and Matt Campbell.
Second, you can forget about guys like Jim Harbaugh and Urban Meyer as I don't think there is any way that either would come to Detroit over some of the other jobs that are available. Not to mention, I don't see the Lions having an interest in either Harbaugh or Urban.
So, who will the Lions hire out of Bieniemy, Saleh, and Bevell?
Well, though I think it would be cool to see a Matthew Stafford-led offense under the watching wing of Eric Bieniemy, I am still leaning towards him getting the head coach position with the Houston Texans (though watch out for Brian Daboll to swoop in and get the gig). NOTE: I have been notified by my DSN colleague Ryan Griffin that Bieniemy has not interviewed and is not scheduled to interview with the Texans at this point.
That brings things down to Robert Saleh and Darrell Bevell, who finished the 2020 season as the Lions interim head coach.
My opinion is that the job will be offered to Saleh and it will be his to either take or turn down. If Saleh decides that another destination is better for him and his family, I think the Lions would go with Bevell as ownership and upper management seem to love him.
All of that being said, I have been begging for the Lions to hire Saleh since midway through the 2019 regular season and I truly believe that my wish will come true and that he will come home to be the next head coach of the Detroit Lions.
Nation, what do you think?
Saleh is the right choice; that is why I don’t think they will choose him. The Lions tend to hire who they “like” and not who is best to bring about the right culture. That is why I think they choose Bevell or Marvin Lewis.