The Detroit Lions have another vacancy on their coaching staff.
After the rival Chicago Bears hired Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as their next head coach and the New York Jets hired defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, it appears that another assistant coach has left.
J.T. Barrett, the Lions’ assistant quarterbacks coach for the past two seasons, hinted on social media that he was leaving the team. The move will give the Lions even more positions to fill during the offseason, when they will be rebuilding after an early playoff exit.
Quarterbacks Coach Makes Roundabout Announcement.
Though neither the Lions nor Barrett issued a formal announcement regarding his departure, the former Ohio State quarterback appeared to announce the move on Instagram, changing his handle to “QB coach” and tagging the Bears.
Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune also reported on the move, stating that Barrett was accompanying his offensive coordinator.
“J.T. Barrett is also coming from Detroit to join Ben Johnson’s staff,” Biggs wrote on X. “He’ll be the #Bears quarterback coach. The previous two years, he served as the Lions’ assistant quarterback coach.
Johnson has already brought several key Lions coaches to Chicago. According to Benjamin Raven of MLive.com, Antwaan Randle El, who coaches wide receivers, will also join Johnson on the Bears’ staff.
“Randle El is following former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to the Bears, where he will take over as the assistant head coach and wide receivers coach,” he said. “It’s a promotion for the former Pittsburgh Steelers receiver who has been on Dan Campbell’s staff in Detroit since the beginning.”
Randel El left a major mark on the offense in Detroit, Raven added, and it will be hard for the team to replace him.
“Randle El’s work speaks for itself,” Raven commented. “Amon-Ra S. Brown is a two-time All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowler through the first four seasons of his career, all under Randle El. Jameson Williams surpassed 1,000 yards for the first time this season, demonstrating his sky-high potential as a first-round pick despite more off-field issues.”
Lions Could Promote From Within
The Lions may already have a candidate in mind to take over for Johnson as offensive coordinator next season. Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press reported that passing-game coordinator Tanner Engstrand is a frontrunner for the job.
“So who takes over for Johnson as the Lions’ OC? My money would be on passing-game coordinator Tanner Engstrand,” Monarrez wrote. “He’s held the position for two seasons and it’s the same job Johnson had before Dan Campbell promoted him to OC.”
The Lions had one of the NFL’s top offenses during the last two seasons, creating a balanced attack both on the ground and through the air. Though the Lions won a league-best 15 games this season, they fell flat in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs as the offense struggled with execution, tossing four interceptions in a loss to the Washington Commanders.