NFL Network analyst calls out Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard

Former NFL linebacker Manti Te’o had some words for Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard and his system on a Tuesday episode of NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football”.

The “GMFB” crew did a segment on the Lions’ 2026 outlook, and while they agreed the Lions have a strong roster and are in a good position to rebound in 2026, Te’o expressed some reservations about Sheppard’s man coverage-heavy scheme.

“When you run man coverage the way Kelvin Sheppard runs man coverage, it’s hard to be an elite defense,” Te’o said. “Playing man coverage is really good against the pass if you have a good pass rush. When you don’t blitz– they run a certain man coverage where they just depend on the front to get home– you need to have elite pass rushers…. You look at Detroit, the only guy who can get to the [passer] is Aidan [Hutchinson].”

Te’o added that Detroit’s pressure rate with Hutchinson on the field last season was third in the NFL at 40%. But with him off, it dropped to 22%. He also said man coverage “is not good against the run”.

“You have the pieces offensively, you’ve got them defensively, I just don’t like the system,” he said. 

Sheppard is entering his second season as Detroit’s defensive coordinator after an up-and-down first season in the role last year. The Lions indeed ran the fourth-highest man coverage rate in the NFL last year at 35.10%, and the most base defense in the NFL (a third linebacker instead of a fifth defensive back) at 62.57%. 

Sheppard, who spent the past four seasons as Detroit’s linebackers coach, was promoted with the idea of keeping many of the same principles that Aaron Glenn ran in his four-year stint as Lions defensive coordinator.

Glenn’s defense involves, as we’ve established, high rates of man coverage and base defense. It’s designed to stop the run first, and trust its pass rushers and defensive backs to work well enough in tandem against the pass.

Detroit’s defense started well in 2025, ranking seventh in the NFL in defensive estimated points added with -31.61. But as injuries in the secondary piled up, Detroit posted a +15.19 defensive EPA, just 21st in the NFL.

It’s pretty similar to what happened in 2024 under Glenn when Hutchinson broke his leg in October and a slew of other injuries followed. By the end of the season, the Lions’ defense was a shell of itself and lost 45-31 in the divisional round of the playoffs after earning the NFC’s top seed.

So while many of Detroit’s defensive shortcomings recently can be chalked up to injuries, its system may simply not be working. The Lions could be stubborn in 2025 with their defense, often asking too much of the corners and safeties in coverage and putting them in bad positions.

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Sheppard is aware of this. He has said he wants to be more open minded about his scheme in 2026 and is looking at other defenses around the NFL to see what he wants to apply to his own.

“I’d be lying to you if I said I didn’t kinda pick and prod,” he said. “And some things that felt right within what we do as our core principles, we applied it, and I think it’s going to make us better.“

Sheppard has also said he wants to use the nickel package more in 2026, which could signal more schematic changes are coming.

“We are planning to utilize the nickel position more,” he said. “We have a lot of candidates that we have been kind of logging into that role, You know we lost Amik (Robertson). He was essentially our 100 percent nickel player last year. So, who is that going to be? It’s a lot of question marks right now that we are starting to go through as we go."

As Sheppard said, the defense is adjusting to the free agency departure of key veteran nickel Amik Robertson, along with that of linebacker Alex Anzalone and defensive lineman D.J. Reader.

Teo’s words are harsh but probably spell out something Sheppard and the Lions already know: they need to do things a bit differently in 2026. The Lions are trying to come out with a different attitude and a different hunger this year. We’ll see how their defensive scheme reflects that.

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