GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The Lions have lost another assistant coach. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported early Wednesday morning that defensive line coach Terrell Williams is heading to New England to serve as the Patriots’ defensive coordinator.
Williams has a long history with Mike Vrabel, New England’s new head coach. Williams worked under Vrabel for six years when he led the Tennessee Titans, serving as the DL coach and eventually the assistant head coach.
Williams coached with the Lions for just one season but certainly played a role in helping develop Detroit’s young linemen, including Levi Onwuzurike and Mekhi Wingo.
Wingo took to X on Tuesday night when rumors of the deal started leaking out.
“Noooooooooooo,” Wingo said in a quote tweet of a CBS sports article. (Yes, it included 12 o’s.)
Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes already have their work cut out for them. They need to replace offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who was hired as head coach by the Bears earlier this week. They will likely need to replace defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, who has also been tied to several head coaching vacancies this cycle.
Finding a new D-line coach is nothing new. Williams was the third defensive line coach in four seasons for Campbell. Todd Wash held the role for two years before John Scott Jr. was hired in 2023.
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