What exactly are the Detroit Lions looking for in a defensive coordinator?

The Detroit Lions have begun their search for a new defensive coordinator. We look into Matt Patricia’s past can help determine what he’s searching for.

Recently, the Detroit Lions had their defensive coordinator, Paul Pasqualoni, decide to step away from football. Within the next few days, reports of interviews and meetings with potential replacement candidates should arise.

Everyone saw this move coming from a mile away as Detroit needed to make significant changes to their defense. Entering a crucial offseason, where the team’s defense was at a historic low; Patricia will attempt to find a coordinator worthy enough to anchor his defense.

Last year’s hire of offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell proved to be a success, with their total offense jumping from 24th to 17th in his first year. That included a ranking in the top 10 during the first eight weeks of the regular season before quarterback Matthew Stafford‘s injury. Lions fans’ can only hope that their next hire at defensive coordinator is just as impactful as the Bevell hire.

So, what exactly are the Lions looking for in a defensive coordinator? To find a clear answer, let’s jump back to when Patricia was first hired.

Patricia didn’t have much time to put together his coaching staff due to his final super-bowl run with the New England Patriots. On January 30 of last year, CBS Sports NFL reporter Jason La Canfora tweeted that the organization was in talks with former Baltimore Ravens and new England Patriots defensive coordinator Dean Pees about coming out of retirement.

Pees, who is currently the Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator, worked with Patricia and the Patriots for six seasons. So they both come from the same defensive philosophies. Also, Pees was a massive part of the Ravens Super Bowl run in 2013, serving as their defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.

Both Pees and Patricia were linebacker coaches before their respective promotions to defensive coordinator. They also spent years under New England’s head coach Bill Belichick. One would imagine that they see eye to eye when it comes to running a defense.

This gives out the indication that Patricia could have been looking for a defensive coordinator that would run the defense the exact way that he did with the Patriots. In theory, he would want that so he wouldn’t have to worry about running the defense himself and focus purely on his head coaching responsibilities during a make-or-break season in Detroit.

What do you think? Who should the Detroit Lions hire as their defensive coordinator next season? Someone with New England connections perhaps? Or a similar hire in comparison with Darrell Bevell? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.