The Detroit Lions are one of the most talked-about teams heading into the new season, both because they’re already being considered serious contenders but also because they’re going into a new season with a very new staff. The Lions, of course, lost offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn as soon as the 2024 season wrapped up, plus some assistant coaches, so there are quite a few nervous peeps out there in Detroit who hope they can still be serious players come fall.
Well, a panel of ESPN experts are talking about which coaches could be the next head coaches in the NFL going into 2026, and one of the Lions’ more under-the-radar coaches is on the tally.
Another One Bites the Dust?
In a June 16 feature for ESPN, a panel discussed which NFL staffers will graduate to becoming head coaches in 2026, and one of our guys is on the roster. As Queens says, another one bites the dust?
Now, the 2026 season is a long way away, so this isn’t something we should worry about quite yet. But, when the 2025 season wraps up, there will inevitably be some coaching shakeups, and that will result in some musical chairs when it comes to coaches around the NFL. It’s always exciting to see which coaches pop up with other NFL teams during the offseason, as long as it’s not losing someone important from our team, of course.
In the feature, they asked the question, “Which key assistant coach is most likely to be in the 2026 head coaching cycle?” Lions beat reporter Eric Woodyard picked a Lions coach.
In the piece, Woodyard named Lions assistant head and wide receivers coach Scottie Montgomery as a possible new head coach candidate.
“Detroit’s coaching staff has been gutted since last season, and Montgomery is making the switch from coaching the running backs to the wide receivers,” Woodyard noted. “He has said his ultimate goal is to become an NFL head coach, and he has put in the work. For the past two seasons, Montgomery’s leadership has played a key role in turning the Lions’ ground attack into one of the most prolific in league history, with running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery becoming the first duo to each rush for at least 10 touchdowns in consecutive seasons in 2023 and 2024.”
He added, “That’s no small feat, and if he’s able to continue that production with the wide receivers, he certainly could be in the next head coaching cycle as a name to watch.”
A Detroit Lions Player With Something to Prove
Elsewhere, Woodyard also names Lions quarterback Jared Goff as a guy with something to prove in the new season. After a historic 2024 regular season, during which he reached career highs in touchdowns (37) and QBR (68.4) — it all ended in disappointment with a stunning upset loss to the Washington Commanders in the NFC divisional round,” he notes. “Goff accounted for four of the team’s five turnovers in that game, including three interceptions and a lost fumble.”
So, Woodyard asks the question: “Can Goff help the team win a Super Bowl? He has yet to prove that despite all of his individual success.”
