Having spent three seasons as defensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions, Aaron Glenn could be on the verge of getting his first chance as an NFL head coach.
Per ESPN’s Dan Graziano, Glenn is considered a “strong candidate” to replace Mike Vrabel with the Tennessee Titans by people close to the situation:
“The Titans are casting a wide and diverse net, and this is one of the tougher ones to call at this point, but Glenn has appeal as a former player, as a part of what Dan Campbell has built in Detroit and as the coordinator who graded out the best of any on either side of the ball in a recent NFLPA poll of players. He will get a head coach job sooner rather than later, and he could be the guy the Titans pick to work with GM Ran Carthon on their rebuild.
A three-time Pro Bowler during his playing days, Glenn shifted to coaching in 2014 when he spent two seasons as an assistant defensive backs coach with the Cleveland Browns. He was the defensive backs coach for the New Orleans Saints from 2016 to ’20 before landing his current job.
The Titans, Atlanta Falcons, Los Angeles Chargers and Washington Commanders have requested interviews with Glenn for their openings at head coach.
Vrabel’s firing at the end of the regular season was a bit of a surprise since he was generally regarded as one of the better coaches in the NFL, but the Titans decided to move on after missing the playoffs in back-to-back years.
Per The Athletic’s Dianna Russini and Joe Rexrode, there were also issues behind the scenes ranging from Vrabel disagreeing with ownership that general manager Ran Carthon was ready for the job to a lack of communication between the personnel department and coaching staff about how analytics were being used to inform decisions.
Vrabel went 54-45 with three playoff appearances and two AFC South titles in six seasons with the Titans.
The Lions defensive stats since Glenn took over in January 2021 don’t necessarily stand out. They haven’t ranked higher than 19th in yards allowed and 23rd in points allowed per game over the past three seasons.
But players across the NFL seem to have a very high opinion of Glenn. The 51-year-old was voted the top defensive coordinator in a survey conducted by the NFL Players Association.
NFLPA president J.C. Tretter told Graziano that Glenn actually received the highest marks of any coordinator in the three categories surveyed (offense, defense, special teams).
