The Detroit Lions made three coaching hires official Wednesday, meaning they have moved on from a pair of defensive coaches.
Both Dre Bly and John Scott will not return to the Lions in 2024. Additionally, Brian Duker is out as he has reportedly left to join the Miami Dolphins' coaching staff. The team officially announced the hires of Deshea Townsend, Terrell Williams and Jim O'Neil.
Townsend was most recently with the Jacksonville Jaguars as the team's cornerbacks coach for the last two seasons, while Williams was the defensive line coach for the last six years. O'Neil comes to Detroit after last serving as Northwestern's defensive coordinator from 2021-22.
The hires of Townsend and Williams had been previously reported earlier in the offseason.
Williams will serve as the defensive line coach and run game coordinator, while Deshea Townsend will be the defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator.
Bly and Scott were with the Lions' organization for one season each, serving as the cornerbacks and defensive line coaches, respectively. Duker had been with the team for three seasons, most recently as the defensive backs coach.
The Lions have made these moves in an effort to bolster the performance of their defense, which ranked 19th in yards allowed, 29th in passing yards allowed and second in rushing yards allowed.
Detroit also had multiple coaching contracts expire with senior assistants Jim Hostler and defensive quality control coach Wayne Blair. Senior assistant John Fox is also no longer with the team, per the Detroit Free Press.
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