Lions already have their ideal Aaron Glenn replacement under contract

And just like that, the Detroit Lions got poached to hell by the NFL head-coaching carousel. Former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson took over the Chicago Bears earlier in the week. With defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn taking over one of the teams he used to star for in the New York Jets, Dan Campbell needs to replenish the supporting staff around him. It starts by promoting this one coach.

One name who has not been tied to the Bears or Jets job is inside linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard. The former third-round pick out of LSU spent eight years in the league playing for six different franchises. While he was most notably with the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins, Sheppard spent his final NFL season with the Lions before eventually getting into coaching a few years later.

The biggest name to follow either Glenn or Johnson is rumored to be Lions quarterbacks coach Mark Brunell, who is slated to become the Jets' next offensive coordinator. The Jacksonville Jaguars legend has successfully pivoted off a blossoming media career into a great coaching one. What cannot that man do? What does matter is the Lions need to prioritize keeping Sheppard on staff.

The best thing Campbell has going for him is he knows Sheppard well and he is still under contract.

Why Detroit Lions need to promote Kelvin Sheppard to be their next DC

To be quite frank, Campbell owes it to himself to see if he cannot fill any holes on his staff internally before pursuing outside candidates. It was not that long ago that the Philadelphia Eagles lost both of their star coordinators to head-coaching opportunities. Sean Desai and Brian Johnson may not have clicked replacing Shane Steichen and Jonathan Gannon respectively, but it was worth a shot then.

At the end of the day, I do fully expect for the Lions to pull back after this season. I mean, why would they not? When does this franchise ever get the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs? The good news is I am not that high on the Green Bay Packers or the Minnesota Vikings next year either. While the Chicago Bears should be better, it is impossible for them to be any worse.

To make it abundantly clear, the Lions may have seen their Super Bowl window close after losing their two rockstar coordinators to other jobs. Coaching attrition is the quickest way to bring a team back to earth, college or pro. However, I do think promoting someone from within like Sheppard helps stop the bleeding a bit. Even if the Lions bleed out, they are not going to run dry because of Dan Campbell.

It would not shock me at all if the Lions repeated as NFC North champions, but with a lesser record...