5 candidates for the other coaching position the Lions need to fill

The Lions need to find their next tight ends coach.

Mike Payton — Detroit Lions Beat Writer
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As we all know, the Detroit Lions are looking for a new offensive coordinator. By the way, if you’re looking for updates on that job, we have a tracker built for you here.

There is another job the Lions are looking to fill right now, and that’s the tight end coach after Tyler Roehl left for Iowa State. Here are five candidates to keep an eye on:

Ben Steele, Cardinals tight end coach

He is a former NFL tight end who played in the league at the same time Dan Campbell did, but the real draw here is watching what he did in Arizona with Trey McBride.

The Cardinals’ All-Pro tight end has a similar play style to Sam LaPorta, so you know Steele has a background that fits what Detroit wants to do at tight end. Steele also helped Austin Hooper reach the Pro Bowl in Atlanta and helped O.J. Howard to his best years in Tampa Bay.

Jon Embree, Dolphins tight ends coach

Embree gets a lot of credit for making George Kittle the tight end he is today. Embree helped him make the All-Pro and Pro Bowl teams before leaving with Mike McDaniel for Miami.

The Dolphins utilized multiple tight ends, and if the Lions want to get into some of these three-tight-end sets that became popular this year, Embree gives them a really good chance of building that in.

Tim Kelly, Giants tight ends coach

This is an intriguing one because not only would the Lions get a tight ends coach with a lot of experience, but they would also get a guy who has been an offensive coordinator in the NFL.

He was a coordinator for the Texans and the Titans. He’s also been a quarterbacks coach. Plus, he played defensive tackle for the Eagles. He’s quite the experienced coach at this point.

Kevin Koger, Falcons tight ends coach

Everyone has been wondering whether Kyle Pitts will ever break out again. In 2025, he did, and Koger deserves some credit for that.

The former Michigan tight end is still new to coaching, but he’s held the tight ends coach job with two NFL teams, and his head coach was fired by both. He did his thing for both the Falcons and the Chargers.

Dan Arnold, Wisconsin-Platteville tight ends coach

Yes, I’m reaching pretty hard on this one, but Campbell coached Arnold for three seasons in New Orleans. Arnold is brand new to coaching. He took the Wisconsin-Platteville job this year, and maybe he’s not fully ready to take on a job like this, but he can work up to it by getting an assistant job.

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