Former head coach proposed as bold replacement for Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn

Aaron Glenn isn’t going to be fired in-season, but The Athletic has proposed a bold replacement for the Lions’ defensive coordinator.

The Detroit Lions defense played better in Week 5 against the New England Patriots, albeit facing a third-string rookie quarterback making his first start. But take the wins where you can get them, and Aaron Glenn is not going anywhere during the season. After the season is a different question if things don’t improve.

In his recent NFL power rankings, Bo Wulf of The Athletic (subscription required, h/t to SI.com for the quoted passage) offered a bold candidate to replace Glenn.

"Aaron Glenn seemed like a good dude on “Hard Knocks,” but enough is enough. So let’s get crazy and send some draft-pick compensation to the Steelers for Flores and give him a shot to right the ship with the aid of a bye week,” writer Bo Wulf explained. “Flores’ Dolphins defenses went from 32nd in DVOA in his first year to 11th in 2020 and 10th in 2021, so he has some experience turning things around.”"

A bold, unlikely replacement for Aaron Glenn as Lions defensive coordinator

Wulf freely admitted it’s a crazy idea to send draft pick compensation to another team to get a new defensive coordinator, at all let alone during a season.

After being fired in flimsy fashion as head coach of the Miami Dolphins after back-to-back winning seasons, Brian Flores landed under Mike Tomlin as linebackers coach and a senior defensive assistant. Even with ongoing litigation against the league related to hiring practices and his dismissal from Miami, he is sure to land a promotion somewhere next year either as a defensive coordinator or a head coach.

Barring something unlikely and completely unforeseen, Glenn will get a full chance to turn the Lions’ defense in a positive direction over the final 12 games of the season. So Flores will not be effectively “acquired” during the bye week to take over as defensive coordinator, but from a 10,000-foot view it is an interesting thought.