The Lions could look to add the franchise's first female defensive coach to their staff in 2025

The Detroit Lions have been experiencing some changes early in the offseason, and one of the biggest ones was the loss of defensive line coach Terrell Williams, who is now the defensive coordinator for the New England Patriots.  The Lions had probably the best possible hire that they could have had when they hired Buccaneers […]

Mike Payton Detroit Lions Beat Writer
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The Detroit Lions have been experiencing some changes early in the offseason, and one of the biggest ones was the loss of defensive line coach Terrell Williams, who is now the defensive coordinator for the New England Patriots. 

The Lions had probably the best possible hire that they could have had when they hired Buccaneers defensive line coach Kacy Rodgers. He spent six years with the Bucs and coached up their defensive line to constantly be one of the top units in the league. 

Now that he's here, he's going to need an assistant defensive line coach to help out. Especially now that the Lions just parted ways with their current assistant Cameron Davis.

There's one coach that perfect for the role and that's Titans defensive quality control coach Lori Locust. 

Locust spent four years as Rodgers' assistant defensive line coach. She was a key member of the Buccaneers' defensive line, which was among the top five in pressures and sacks in 2020, and helped Tampa Bay win the Super Bowl that year. The Bucs line was top 10 in sacks the two following years she was there. 

The Lions need coaches who can help them reach the quarterback, and this duo has proven they can do that at a high level. 

In addition to Locust coaching for the Bucs, she was also with the Ravens as a coaching intern in 2018 and coached in the AAF during the league's existence. 

Locust would be the Lions' first female defensive coach. They currently have one other female coach in Jill Constanza. She is the team's director of sports science and an assistant strength and conditioning coach.