Lions hire ex-Maryland coach Randy Edsall to staff

Bob Quinn may have been down in Mobile, Alabama all week scouting for the Senior Bowl, but that hasn't stopped him from working his tail off to finish off building his ideal front office. That work continued Sunday, as the Lions announced they have hired Randy Edsall as their new director of football research-special projects.

This is a new position in the Lions front office, so Edsall is not replacing any one person in particular. But what does this convoluted title really mean? Tim Twentyman explains:

The football research department assists in all aspects of game preparation, and also provides information to the coaching, personnel and football administration departments to help improve the team’s decisions in the draft, free agency and on gameday.

This is an unusual change in position for Edsall. His resume is filled with mostly coaching jobs, particularly in the college ranks. He comes directly from a five-year stint as the head coach for the University of Maryland, where he turned a 2-10 team in his first year into a 7-6 team in 2014. But after a poor 2-4 start in 2015, he was relieved of his duties.

His connection to Quinn comes from his two years as the head coach at UConn, where Quinn worked as a graduate assistant at the time. Now the roles will be reversed, as Quinn will oversee Edsall's work.

For what it's worth, Dan Orlovsky is excited about the hire:

Awesome for @RandyEdsall and a great hire for @Lions . The man is a great man and an even better coach and football mind! #UConnFootball

— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) January 31, 2016