Detroit Lions announce 5 new coaching hires

One of the benefits of Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia entering his second year with the team is now he has time to hire his staff. Earlier in the offseason, he already made his imprint on the coaching staff by moving on from offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter and replacing him with former Seattle coach Darrell Bevell.

On the eve of free agency, the Lions announced that five more coaching changes had been made.

Here’s a look at each one:

RB coach Kyle Caskey

With David Walker’s sudden retirement from coaching in the NFL, Caskey was already rumored to be his replacement when he showed up to the NFL Combine sporting Lions gear. Caskey comes from the Bengals, where he helped improve the careers of Giovanni Bernard and Joe Mixon, among others.

Rodney Hill - Assistant strength and performance coach

The Lions have shaken up their strength and conditioning staff, as the former coach, Harold Nash Jr. is no longer the strength and condition coach, but the “Football Performance Coordinator.” Josh Schuler, Nash’s former assistant, is now the “Strength and Power Coordinator.”

Hill takes Schulder’s spot and comes from Central Florida after a one-year stint with the New York Giants in 2017.

Stephen Thomas - Defensive quality control coach

Thomas held this same position with the Philadelphia Eagles back in 2015. Since then, he’s been at Princeton University as the team’s special teams coordinator/inside linebackers coach.

Leon Washington - WCF Minority Coaching assistantship/Offense & special teams

You may remember Washington’s playing career as an NFL running back. He played as recently as 2014 with the Titans and also spent a very brief amount of time with the New England back in 2013. Though he was mostly a backup, he averaged 4.7 yards per carry in his career.

It’s unclear what his role will be in Detroit, but Washington is continuing to transition to his coaching career. In 2016 and 2018, he completed diversity coaching fellowships with the Jaguars and Falcons respectively.

Marquice Williams - Assistant special teams coach

The Lions fired special teams coach Joe Marciano and replaced him with John Bonamego. Marciano’s interim replacement last year—and Detroit’s former assistant special teams coach—Devin Fitzsimmons, left for Vanderbilt.

That left an opening for Williams, who has a history special teams coaching. From 2016-17, he was the special teams assistant for the Chargers, and spent the previous six years rising through the college ranks in various assistant coaching roles.

Here’s a look at their full coaching staff, per the Lions’ official announcement:

2019 DETROIT LIONS COACHING STAFF

Matt Patricia – Head Coach
Paul Pasqualoni – Defensive Coordinator
Darrell Bevell – Offensive Coordinator
John Bonamego – Special Teams Coordinator
Al Golden – Linebackers
Bo Davis – Defensive Line
Brian Stewart – Defensive Backs
Steve Gregory – Defensive Assistant
Stephen Thomas – Defensive Quality Control
Billy Yates – WCF Minority Coaching Assistantship/Defense
Kyle Caskey – Running Backs
Jeff Davidson – Offensive Line
Sean Ryan – Quarterbacks
Robert Prince – Wide Receivers
Chris White – Tight Ends
Hank Fraley – Assistant Offensive Line
Brian Picucci – Offensive Assistant/Quality Control
Leon Washington – WCF Minority Coaching Assistantship/Offense & Special Teams
Marquice Williams – Assistant Special Teams
David Corrao – Director of Football Research
Evan Rothstein – Head Coach Assistant/Research & Analysis
Harold Nash Jr. – Football Performance Coordinator
Josh Schuler – Strength & Power Coordinator
Rodney Hill – Assistant Strength & Performance Coach