Detroit Lions believe new position coach is best in the NFL

Last week, Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell was asked about the progress of second-year defensive tackle Brodric Martin. Campbell, more or less, punted on the question, saying it was difficult to judge players on both sides of the line before full pads come on. However, Campbell did take the opportunity, unprompted, to praise new defensive line/run game coordinator coach Terrell Williams.

“I can tell you this, Terrell (Williams), who—I’ve got a lot of confidence in Terrell Williams as our D-Line coach, I think he really is—he’s the best D-Line coach in this league. And if he’s not, then you can argue what place he is,” Campbell said. “(Martin’s) been working with him, a ton of one-on-one, individual. Look the kid wants it, he’s working, and he’s improving.”

Williams was hired this offseason after the Tennessee Titans let him out of his contract following a full regime change. While with the Titans, Williams helped oversee one of the most consistently-good defenses, developing young talent like Pro Bowlers Jeffery Simmons and Harold Landry, while getting the most out of veterans Denico Autry and Jurrell Casey.

Campbell had one year of overlap with Williams previously, when Campbell served as the tight ends coach (and interim head coach) of the Miami Dolphins while Williams was the team’s defensive line coach. Williams also has a shared history with Lions general manager Brad Holmes, coaching the front office executive back when he was a defensive linemen at North Carolina A&T.

“But Terrell, man, he’s a great teacher. He’s a straight shooter,” Holmes said back at the NFL Combine. “He’s really the first coach that really taught me the nuances of achieving what you want to achieve on the field, behind the scenes. He’s the one that used to bring me in and sit me down and watch tape with me all summer and kind of learn those ins and outs and developing a relationship so you can build that trust with the coach.

“And then when he was a great coach in terms of holding us accountable, and so you built that trust. When we didn’t do the right thing, he held us accountable. And we didn’t like it all the time, but he’s an excellent teacher.”

In Detroit, Williams will be tasked with coaching up a pretty youthful defensive line. Aidan Hutchinson is looking to continue his upward trajectory in Year 3 after making his first Pro Bowl last year. Alim McNeill is also improving, but could elevate his game to another level. Meanwhile, players like Martin, third-year defensive end Josh Paschal, fourth-year defender Levi Onwuzurike, and rookie defensive tackle Mekhi Wingo are all still looking to make big impacts early in their respective careers.

Even defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, who doesn’t have a history with Williams, has noticed Williams’ coaching skills in the few months they’ve worked together.

“The technique, the way that he goes about coaching, he’s very confident, and his intelligence about the position, too,” Glenn said. “Listen, I’ve been around a couple of good ones. Ryan Nielsen, who’s actually the coordinator in Jacksonville, I’ve been around him for a while and they’re comparable as far as knowledge, as far as defense. And he believes exactly what I believe in when it comes to d-line play, so that’s a good thing.”

As Williams described back at the Combine, part of that philosophy is built on one tentpole of defensive play: violence. The Lions will need that violence to carry over to production. Because while the Lions were one of the best run defenses in the league last season, their pass rush was far less successful—particularly with their defensive linemen. Despite Hutchinson’s success (finishing second the league with 121 pressures, per PFF), the Lions finished 23rd in sacks, 19th in PFF’s pass rush grade, and 26th in ESPN’s pass rush win rate.

If Williams can live up to his billing, the Lions young defensive line could take a big jump in 2024.