The Detroit Lions have been linked to two coaching hires this offseason, Terrell Williams and Deshea Townsend, but for the first time since the end of the season, it looks they have lost one of their coaches to South Beach.
After being promoted throughout his three years in Detroit, Duker is headed to Miami.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Lions defensive back coach Brian Duker will leave Detroit to work for the Miami Dolphins. According to Pelissero, Duker will not only teach the Dolphins’ defensive backs, but also serve as the passing game coordinator.
Duker was hired in 2021 by coach Dan Campbell as a defensive assistant, working closely with the Lions secondary. His ties to the Lions coaching staff include his experience as an intern for the Browns in Cleveland, where Lions current defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn worked as an assistant secondary coach in 2015
After Aubry Pleasant was fired midseason in 2022, he was promoted to safeties coach and took over the Lions’ entire secondary. In 2023, he was officially promoted to defensive backs coach, and Dre Bly was hired to help him work with the cornerbacks.
The Dolphins hired Renaldo Hill as their defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator in 2023, but as of this writing, Miami still has Hill on their staff, and there have been no rumors about his future with the team—though it’s worth noting that Hill joined the Dolphins to work with Vic Fangio, who has left his defensive coordinator position to join the Philadelphia Eagles in the same role.
