Lions mailbag: Breaking down the hiring of TE coach Steve Heiden

Earlier this week, news broke that the Detroit Lions are expected to hire Steve Heiden as their next tight ends coach. The news came as a bit of a surprise, given the Lions already had a tight ends coach in Tanner Engstrand. While the Lions haven’t made the hire official yet, reports suggest that Engstrand isn’t going anywhere.

So... what’s the deal with the hire? Who is Heiden, what does he offer, and where does this leave the hierarchy in the Lions coaching staff on offense? (Note: This podcast was recorded right before news broke that Duce Staley will be joining the Panthers coaching staff.)

That’s one of the main topics on this week’s Midweek Mailbag podcast, and it kicks off our discussion at the very beginning.

Here are the other topics on this week’s show:

• Could the Lions pick a tight end with one of their first four draft picks in a top-heavy class? (7:15)
• Could Hendon Hooker be a mid-round target for the Detroit Lions after Ray Agnew was spotted chatting with him at the Senior Bowl? (12:25)
• Getting the backup quarterback position settled (16:50)
• Should we expect any more front office shakeups this year? (18:10)
• Devon Witherspoon vs. Christian Gonzalez (23:00)
• Could the Lions use a special cap rule to retain Will Harris? (31:40)
• Breaking down contract projections for DJ Chark (34:30), John Cominsky (38:55), Alex Anzalone (42:00)

Listen to the whole episode below:

Subscribe to the PODcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or iHeartRadio. Follow Pride Of Detroit on Twitch to get notified when we record the PODcast live and chat with us. Video replays are available on Twitch and highlights can be founded on YouTube.