Ranking the potential 2024 head coaching opportunities for Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn

Compared to Ben Johnson, who has six interview requests for head coaching jobs and four virtual interviews scheduled this week, Aaron Glenn is not quite as fully in-demand. He has four interview requests, and as of his press conference on Thursday morning no interviews formally scheduled this week.

Update, Jan. 19, 10:20 a.m. ET: According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Glenn has interviews scheduled with the Atlanta Falcons and the Tennessee Titans.

Update, 6:15 p.m. ET: According to ESPN's Adam Schefter and the team, Glenn has completed an interview with the Falcons.

Update, Jan. 20, 11:45 a.m. ET: According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Glenn has interviews scheduled with the Washington Commanders and the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday.

But the Lions' defensive coordinator is arguably just as strong a head coaching candidate as his colleague on the other side of the ball, if not a stronger head coaching candidate than Johnson. A recent poll of players that ranked him the No. 1 coordinator in the league will (or should) only bolster his appeal to teams looking for a new head coach.

Glenn's eventual departure from the Lions for a head coaching job is just as inevitable Johnson's. And he's not just a token candidate being interviewed to satisfy a league rule that it's easy to lean toward as a crutch for his candidacy. He will be an NFL head coach, and it could happen when this season is over the for the Lions.

There are seven current head coaching openings, with the Las Vegas seemingly likely to make Antonio Pierce their permanent head coach. The Raiders are also the only team to not submit an interview request for Johnson or Glenn, so let's just scratch them from the list of options here.

Going from No. 6 (the worst) down to No. 1 (the best), here's how the current potential head coaching opportunities rank for Glenn.

Ranking the current potential head coaching opportunities for Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn

6. Carolina Panthers

The Panthers have Johnson high on their list of head coaching candidates again, with one of the aforementioned virtual interviews reportedly scheduled with the Lions' offensive coordinator on Friday. They have not submitted, and may not at this point submit, an interview request for Glenn.

Even if the Panthers wanted to talk to Glenn, the reasons the job in Carolina is not very appealing stand as the same for him as they would be for Johnson or any other candidate. David Tepper has taken the throne as the worst owner in the NFL, the roster is well shy of the talent it needs to be good anytime soon and Bryce Young looks like he'll be overmatched in the NFL. The bad far outweighs any of the good or the potential promise.

Glenn may simply not be wanted for the Panthers' job unless all else (Johnson, etc.) fails. In the grand scheme of things, they're doing him a favor if that's the case.

5. Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers are one of the teams who have submitted an interview request for both Lions' coordinators, and they have a virtual interview scheduled with Johnson on Saturday now.

After firing Brandon Staley, the Chargers seem likely to lean toward an offensive mind with their next head coach. The fanbase wants Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh, and he's the easy favorite until further notice. The presence of quarterback Justin Herbert is a great place for any new regime to start, and he's the chief reason the job would appeal to head coaching candidates-of course including an offensive mind like Johnson.

Getting down to it, Glenn doesn't seem to be very high on the Chargers' list as they aim for a big name or other coaches with an offensive background. Even if he ultimately interviews, the odds he gets the job are incredibly low until shown otherwise.

4. Seattle Seahawks

Johnson's fourth interview currently scheduled over Friday and Saturday is with the Seahawks, who are looking to replace Pete Carroll. A request for Glenn has not been submitted, yet, but it still could come as Seattle is clearly undergoing an extensive search.

Succeeding Carroll will be a tough task for whoever gets it. Glenn would surely not fear it, and Seattle has a good base of talent to keep building from. But it's not clear if he'll even get the chance to interview for the job, so the Seahawks get bumped down the list here.

3. Washington Commanders

All indications suggest Johnson is the Commanders' No. 1 candidate, and there are plenty of reasons the job would appeal to him. A virtual interview on Friday will be the first step in the process there.

But the Commanders also made an interview request for Glenn, in concert with their request to interview Johnson, as they wasted no time getting started on their search to replace Ron Rivera. So an eventual interview with the Lions' defensive coordinator is in play too.

The job in Washington has all kinds of upside and appeal-the most projected cap space in the league right now, lots of draft capital (five top-100 picks), talent already in place on both sides of the ball, etc. The new regime can sell of that to candidates, including Johnson. But don't dismiss Glenn as the guy who may get that job just yet.

2. Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons are going after some big fish to replace Arthur Smith, interviewing Bill Belichick and more surprisingly Harbaugh this week. After a 1-on-1 meeting with owner Arthur Blank, Belichick will have a more extensive meeting with the entire Falcons' brass this weekend.

The Falcons are another team who has requested to interview both Glenn and Johnson. Glenn has a tie to the front office in Atlanta, as general manager Terry Fontenot worked in the New Orleans Saints' front office when Glenn was on Sean Payton's coaching staff there.

The Falcons' pursuit of Belichick is ramping up. But even with one of Belichick's potential options (Dallas) out of play, it's no guarantee they can close the deal. Blank has fallen short in his pursuit of a big name coach before. The presence of CEO Rich McKay could be a fly in the Belichick ointment, as noted by Pro Football Talk.

The current pursuit of big names aside, Glenn would not be an "ok, we'll settle for him" candidate for the Falcons. The tie to Fontenot, and defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen should he stay in his post a the defensive coordinator under a new head coach (Glenn being the hire may make that more likely) is meaningful until Atlanta hires a new head coach.

1. Tennessee Titans

In his prediction for who would be hired for the seven current head coaching openings earlier this week, ESPN's Dan Graziano predicted Glenn to the Titans.

"I've been told by a couple of people close to this situation to keep an eye on Glenn as a strong candidate. The Titans are casting a wide and diverse net, and this is one of the tougher ones to call at this point, but Glenn has appeal as a former player, as a part of what Dan Campbell has built in Detroit and as the coordinator who graded out the best of any on either side of the ball in a recent NFLPA poll of players. He will get a head coach job sooner rather than later, and he could be the guy the Titans pick to work with GM Ran Carthon on their rebuild."

The Titans are the remaining team that requested to interview both Glenn and Johnson.

With a young quarterback in Will Levis, the Titans could (or even should) be inclined to hire an offensive-minded head coach. That's why it's easy to dismiss Graziano's prediction they'll hire Glenn, and even call it a massive mistake if it happens. An offensive coordinator he hires to work with Levis, if successful, would be in line for head coaching jobs elsewhere and possibly have to be replaced quickly.

The Titans' decision to fire Mike Vrabel remains puzzling. But he was apparently not in harmony with general manager Ran Carthon, and that was apparently the top thing that led to his dismissal.

Glenn said he has learned the importance of a head coach and a general manager being on the same page, after observing Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes in Detroit, and he will carry that into his opportunity to be a head coach whenever it comes.

Right or wrong from some perspectives, Glenn should be regarded among the top candidates for the head coaching job in Tennessee right now.