Despite Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn garnering ample head coaching interest, the Detroit Lions will keep both of their coordinators for one more year. There is one coaching staff change coming, though not yet formally announced, with Terrell Williams set to become the Lions' new defensive line coach.
Williams was head coach of one of the teams at the Senior Bowl last week. So that explains the delay in a formal announcement that he's joining the Lions' staff, since he was pretty busy with other things when the news broke.
Williams has spent the last six seasons as the Tennessee Titans' defensive line coach, adding the title of assistant head coach this past season. He also served as the Titans' head coach for a preseason game last preseason. He has worked in the NFL since 2012, with the Oakland Raiders (2012-2014) and Miami Dolphins (2015-2017) before landing with the Titans. He overlapped with Lions' head coach Dan Campbell that first year in Miami.
Williams seems like the kind of coach players want to play for, and he has surely made an impression on plenty of guys during his time in Tennessee. Some who are set to be free agents may want to follow him to Detroit, with an added nod to the culture Campbell has built.
Here are five pending free agents who could follow Williams from the Titans to the Lions.
5 free agents who could follow Terrell Williams to the Detroit Lions
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5. DE Teair Tart
Tart had a weird exit from the Titans late in the 2023 regular season, as they waived him in mid-December amid his desire for a new contract and the team's issue with his effort and attitude. He apparently asked for and was granted his release. He played on a $4.3 million second-round tender this season, after an agreement on a contract extension was not reached.
The Houston Texans claimed Tart off waivers, as two other teams also put in a claim. So whatever issues that prompted his exit from Tennessee, other teams weren't overly concerned in terms of taking a late-season fleir.
Tart comes in at No. 71 on Pro Football Focus' ranking of the top 150 2024 free agents.
"On the field, Tart is difficult to displace with just one blocker in the run game, and he has solid juice as a pass rusher. He makes a great member of a platoon as a zero- or one-technique who can push a pocket or knife through double teams, and he shows good recognition as to when to get his hands up for a batted pass."-Pro Football Focus
Williams had an up-close view of Tart as his position coach-good, bad or maybe ugly, for basically four seasons. The Lions could look to reshape their defensive tackle group outside of Alim McNeill this offseason, and Williams has valuable insight here.
4. CB Sean Murphy-Bunting
Murphy-Bunting was a free agent a year ago, and in a broad sense it's possible he was on the Lions' radar as Brad Holmes undertook the effort to remodel the secondary. He landed a one-year "prove it" deal with the Titans of course, starting 14 games with two interceptions, eight pass breakups and 57 total tackles and a 91.8 passer rating allowed as he battled multiple injuries.
According to Pro Football Focus, Murphy-Bunting posted solid coverage grades this season with no pressure (68.2) and when the opposing quarterback had less than three seconds to throw (63.2), with a forced incompletion rate of 8.8 percent. On the flip side, his grade in single coverage was a dismal 33.7.
It's a deep class of free agent cornerbacks this year, pending franchise tags and such, and Murphy-Bunting is widely ranked as a top-10 option.
The former Super Bowl champion with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would not be the big swing at cornerback Lions' fans want, and arguably should be made to add a veteran. But as a piece of the equation who won't be expensive, there's a potential fit.
3. C/OG Aaron Brewer
It doesn't feel like the lock it once may been that the Lions will re-sign left guard Jonah Jackson. Graham Glasgow has raised his value after an excellent season back in Detroit, and he may find the kind of money he's clear about seeking elsewhere. So there could be an issue, in terms of needing either a starter at left guard or someone with the versatility Glasgow (and Evan Brown before him) has.
Brewer went from undrafted by the Titans in 2020 to a 17-game starter who played every offensive snaps in each of the last two seasons. And he did it at two different positions, left guard in 2022 and center this season. He was Pro Football Focus' No. 11 center by overall grade this year.
Brewer is still on the small side (295 pounds), and he's more athletic and quick than brutely strong. He would be a good fit for the Lions' run schemes though, which are aided by offensive lineman who can move and pull like he can.
Brewer is of course not someone Williams coached directly on the Titans' defensive line. But he is someone Williams' pupils went against in practice for four years, and in that light Williams got to witness Brewer's development into a reliable starter.
If the Lions have a need for a veteran interior offensive lineman, Brewer could be on the list of pivot options in free agency.
2. WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine
Within the premise the Lions lose Josh Reynolds in free agency, or they let him leave if the cost gets too high, Westbrook-Ikhine has been offered as an alternative in free agency by Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus.
"Westbrook-Ikhine is the vertical field-stretcher with good run-blocking chops that could be a nice complementary piece in Detroit’s offense, and with big paydays looming for Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown and many others, they need to start filling out the roster with good value additions that fill a specific role well."
By playing time and snap share, Westbrook-Ikhine has been a prominent player in the Titans' offense over the last three seasons. He ended this season on IR due to a hand injury, and he had 28 catches for 370 yards and three touchdowns over 14 games. In 2022, he averaged a noticeable 15.9 yards per reception. In each of the last two seasons, his average depth of target has been north of 12.0 yards.
Straight-line timed speed being what it is in terms of actual football value, he posted a 40-yard dash of nearly 4.7 (4.68) coming out of Indiana in 2020. But the actual numbers he has put up say he is a bit of a "vertical field stretcher" as Spielberger suggested.
Westbrook-Ikhine's blocking chops make him a potential fit for the Lions. You can't play wide receiver for this team if you can't, or aren't at least willing, to block. So if Reynolds is gone, a player Williams has seen could be surface as an option.
1. DE Denico Autry
Among players who have a strong tie to Williams as he prepares to leave the Titans, it's fair to assume no one has a deeper tie than Autry. His rookie year with the Oakland Raiders in 2014 was Williams' last as the defensive line coach there, then Autry signed with Tennessee in 2021.
In those three seasons back with Williams in Tennessee, Autry has posted nine, eight and 11.5 sacks, with 10, eight and 12 tackles for loss in those respective campaigns. Those 11.5 sacks this season are his career high.
Back in December, Autry said he was open to re-signing with the Titans. But that was before they fired Mike Vrabel, and with a new head coach coming in Williams probably started seeking other options knowing it was not guaranteed he'd be retained. Things have changed, so Autry's desire to stay may have too. His connection to Williams could put the Lions on his radar.
As it's easy to gather based on the mention of his career, age is a notable thing with Autry. He will turn 34 in July. But as Pro Football Focus said, he remains "one of the best 5-technique defensive ends in the game", with brute power, sneaky movement ability and the savvy of a wily veteran to consistently get around the quarterback.
The cost to sign Autry will not be prohibitive, as he's likely in line for a one-year deal in free agency. But he looks like a great fit for the Lions, who need to add to their defensive line, and Williams will presumably be a huge advocate on both sides to foster the move.