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Though the Detroit Lions have only made two firings official—those of head coach Jim Caldwell and offensive line coach Ron Prince—their online listing of current position coaches suggest an official announcement could be upcoming regarding the status of several other coaches
As pointed out by Justin Rogers of the Detroit News, the current list of coaches no longer includes these employees:
- Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin
- Defensive line assistant Matt Raich
- Defensive line coach Kris Kocurek
- Defensive backs coach (safeties) Alan Williams
- Linebackers coach Bill Sheridan
- Quarterbacks coach Brian Callahan
- Defensive backs coach (cornerbacks) Tony Oden
That list essentially confirms all of the previously reported departures by various media sources. However, it also includes cornerbacks coach Tony Oden, who some believed could stick around under Matt Patricia’s new regime. Oden has been credited with improving the play of Darius Slay and the rest of the Lions’ talented secondary.
However, it appears after four years with the Detroit Lions, his time is up. Given his reputation, there’s a good chance he finds a job elsewhere.
Also of note from the Lions’ official list is that most of the offensive staff remains listed. There have been several reports suggesting that offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter will stick around under Patricia, and while we’re far from confirming that, you can add this to the evidence that Cooter is sticking around for another year. The special teams staff, which was responsible for the sixth-best special teams unit in 2017, also remains intact per the website, as does the strength and conditioning crew.