Two Lions’ position coaches are being eyed for future NFL head coaching jobs

Teams are going to keep poaching from Detroit

Mike Payton — Detroit Lions Beat Writer
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I know Detroit Lions fans absolutley hate it, but this is what happens when you have a good team. Other teams want to be just like you. We’re getting ever closer to Black Monday, when the NFL will have a new round of head coach openings to keep an eye on. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero recently put together his annual list of candidates to watch for the 2026 coaching search, and of course, he had defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard on the list. He should be fully expected to get interviews this offseason.

The more notable thing here is the two position coaches Pelissero says to keep an eye on for the future. These guys probably won’t get interviews for head coaching jobs this year, but they could get some coordinator interviews for sure.

Tight ends coach Tyler Roehl

Roehl just got to the NFL, but he’s making some noise already. Before the Lions, he was the offensive coordinator for Trey Lance and Christian Watson at North Dakota State. He helped put both of these guys on the map, and that, in turn, put him on the map. After a stop with Matt Campbell at Iowa State, Roehl headed to Detroit. Lions head coach Dan Campbell recently gave Roehl some credit for the input he has on the Lions’ offense.

If the Lions move on from John Morton after this season, Roehl is definitely someone who could take over the OC role for Detroit.

Linebacker coach Shaun Dion Hamilton

The rise is happening so fast here. Hamilton was just on the Lions’ 53-man roster in 2021. Then, in 2022, he was a defensive assistant, got promoted to assistant linebackers coach in 2023, and is now the linebackers coach. He’s still just 30 years old.

He may not get a ton of interview requests this year, but you have to believe that if Sheppard gets a head coaching job, he’s probably going to be considered to be Sheppard’s DC wherever that is.

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