DETROIT – The Detroit Lions have announced their new coaching staff for the 2025 season amid a multitude of departures.
Tuesday’s (Feb. 18) announcement comes as no surprise, as the Lions have lost key figures who played a significant part in the franchise’s turnaround, such as former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson (Chicago Bears head coach), former defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn (New York Jets head coach) and wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El (Bears assistant head coach).
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Below is the complete list of the 2025 Lions’ coaching staff, with new positions for returning coaches and nine new staff members bolded.
2025 Detroit Lions Coaching Staff
- Dan Campbell – Head Coach
- Scottie Montgomery – Assistant Head Coach/Wide Receivers
- John Morton – Offensive Coordinator
- Kelvin Sheppard – Defensive Coordinator
- Dave Fipp – Special Teams Coordinator
- Mark Brunell – Quarterbacks
- Tashard Choice – Running Backs
- Caleb Collins – Defensive Assistant
- David Corrao – Senior Defensive Assistant/Outside Linebackers
- Hank Fraley – Run Game Coordinator/Offensive Line
- Bruce Gradkowski – Offensive Assistant
- Shaun Dion Hamilton – Linebackers
- August Mangin – Defensive Assistant
- Justin Mesa – Offensive Quality Control
- Jett Modkins – Assistant Special Teams
- Steve Oliver – Assistant Offensive Line
- Jim O’Neil – Defensive Assistant/Safeties
- Kacy Rodgers – Run Game Coordinator/Defensive Line
- Tyler Roehl – Tight Ends
- Seth Ryan – Assistant Tight Ends
- David Shaw – Passing Game Coordinator
- Dre Thompson – WCF Minority Coaching Assistant/Defensive Quality Control
- Deshea Townsend – Passing Game Coordinator/Defensive Backs
- Marques Tuiasosopo – Offensive Assistant
- Mike Clark – Director of Sports Performance
- Jill Costanza – Director of Sports Science
- Josh Schuler – Head Strength & Conditioning
- Corey Smith – Assistant Strength & Conditioning
- Jesse Giambra – Chief of Staff/Head Coach Administration
Tashard Choice‘s name precedes itself as he served as the running backs coach for the Texas Longhorns from 2022 to 2024.
During his three seasons, Choice helped three different tailbacks produce 1,000-yard rushing seasons, which include Bijan Robinson in 2022, Jonathon Brooks in 2023, and Tre Wisner in 2024.
Before that, he was the running backs coach at his alma mater, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, from 2019 to 2021, where he guided Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs to First-Team All-Acc accolades in 2021.
Choice toted the rock himself for the Dallas Cowboys, who selected him in the fourth round (122nd overall) of the 2008 NFL draft.
He showcased his talents during his NFL career with the Cowboys (2008-11), Washington Commanders (2011), Buffalo Bills (2011-13), and Indianapolis Colts.
Choice appeared in 88 career games (four starts) and rushed 372 times for 1,579 yards (4.2 avg.) and 10 touchdowns while adding 81 receptions for 574 yards (7.1 avg.).
After spending the last five seasons at Baylor, Caleb Collins joins the Lions as a defensive assistant in 2025.
Collins spent the 2021-24 seasons as the Chicago Bears outside linebackers coach after originally joining the division foe as a defensive quality control coach in 2020.
Before joining Baylor, Collins served as a defensive analyst (2019) and defensive graduate assistant (2018) at LSU.
He began his coaching career at Sam Rayburn High School in Pasadena, Texas, in 2017.
Before starting his coaching career, Collins played linebacker at Southeastern Louisiana from 2012-15.
Bruce Gradkowski is entering his first season with the Lions, their offensive assistant in 2025, after spending the last two seasons as the offensive coordinator for the St. Louis Battlehawks (they spent the 2024 season in the UFL and the 2023 season in the XFL).
In both of his seasons leading the Battlehawks' offense, the team finished second in their respective leagues in points scored.
Before transitioning to professional coaching, Gradkowski spent the 2022 season as an offensive analyst at Toledo, the 2021 season as the head coach of St. Francis de Sales High School (Toledo, Ohio), and a volunteer assistant quarterbacks coach at Anthony Wayne High School (Whitehouse, Ohio) from 2017-18.
Before launching his coaching career, Gradkowski was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the sixth round (194th overall) of the 2006 NFL Draft out of Toledo.
He showcased his talents with the Buccaneers (2006-07), Cleveland Browns (2008), Oakland Raiders (2009-10), Cincinnati Bengals (2011-12), and Pittsburgh Steelers (2013-16).
Gradkowski appeared in 37 career games (20 starts) and completed 375-of-709 passes (52.9%) for 4,057 yards and 21 touchdowns.
August Mangin joins the Lions as a defensive assistant in 2025 after spending the last four seasons with the San Francisco 49ers.
Mangin served as the 49ers' special teams quality control/game management specialist from 2022-24 after initially joining the team as a special teams quality control coach in 2021.
Before starting his NFL coaching career, Mangin had stints as a lead defensive analyst at LSU from 2019-20 and as a special teams analyst for the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2018.
He spent the 2014-17 seasons as the special teams coordinator at Northwestern State University, additionally coaching safeties in 2014, linebackers in 2015, tight ends in 2016, and defensive ends in 2017.
Although he was a fullback at LSU from 2005-09, Mangin started his coaching career as a graduate assistant special teams/tight ends coach at Northwestern State University in 2011 and as a graduate assistant special teams/tight ends at LSU from 2012-13.
Justin Mesa joins the Lions as an offensive quality control coach in 2025 after most recently spending four seasons at Washington State.
Mesa served as the Cougars' assistant special teams/assistant tight ends coach in 2024, an offensive quality control coach from 2022-23, and the director of transfer recruiting in 2021.
His other NCAA experiences include serving as the director of player personnel at Wyoming from 2017-18, serving as the wide receivers coach at Dixie State in 2016, and serving in various administrative and coaching roles with the USC Trojans from 2006-12.
With the Trojans, he was the team’s tight ends coach from 2011-12, an offensive administrative assistant in 2010, a graduate assistant (wide receivers) in 2009, and a recruiting and operations assistant from 2006-08.
Mesa also has extensive work at the high school level, serving as the head coach at San Marino (Calif.) High School from 2019-20 and as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Loyola High School (Los Angeles, Calif.) from 2013-15.
Tyler Roehl enters his first professional coaching venture with the Lions in 2025 as the tight ends coach.
Roehl most recently served as Iowa State’s assistant head coach/running backs in 2024, where he helped the Cyclones go 11-3 and finish the year ranked No. 15 in the final AP poll.
Before his lone season at Iowa State, Roehl spent 11 seasons coaching at North Dakota State.
He served as the offensive coordinator/tight ends/fullbacks coach from 2019-23, the tight ends/fullbacks coach from 2014-18, and as an offensive assistant in 2011.
During his tenure with the Bison, Roehl helped North Dakota State win seven FCS National Championships and capture eight Missouri Valley Football Conference titles.
Roehl’s other coaching stops include serving as the defensive coordinator/running backs coach at Moorhead (Minn.) High School from 2012-13 and as the running backs coach at Concordia College in 2010.
Before starting his coaching career, Roehl played running back at North Dakota State from 2004-08.
After spending the last six seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Kacy Rodgers enters his first season with the Lions as the run game coordinator/defensive line coach.
As the run game coordinator/defensive line coach (2022-24) and defensive line coach (2019-21) in Tampa Bay, Rodgers helped the Buccaneers win Super Bowl LV and capture five NFC South championships.
Over his six seasons leading the defensive line, Tampa Bay allowed the fewest rushing yards (9,378) and lowest rushing average (3.98) in the NFL while allowing the third-fewest rushing touchdowns (68).
The Buccaneers also had the most forced fumbles (95) and second-most sacks (281) in the League during that span.
Before his tenure in Tampa Bay, Rodgers served as the defensive coordinator for the New York Jets from 2015-18, the defensive line coach for the Miami Dolphins from 2008-14, and as the defensive line coach (2005-07) and defensive tackles coach (2003-04) for the Dallas Cowboys.
Before entering the professional coaching ranks, Rodgers held a variety of defensive coaching positions with Arkansas (2002), Middle Tennessee State (1999-2001), Northeast Louisiana (1998) and Tennessee-Martin (1994-97).
As a player, Rodgers spent four seasons as a defensive end at Tennessee (1988-91) before spending time with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Shreveport Pirates of the Canadian Football League.
David Shaw joins the Lions as the team’s passing game coordinator in 2025, his 10th season coaching in the NFL and his first since 2005.
Shaw most recently served as a senior personnel executive with the Denver Broncos in 2024.
From 2011-22, Shaw served as the head coach at Stanford, becoming the only four-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year in conference history.
The winningest coach in program history, the Cardinal won 96 games, captured three Pac-12 titles, appeared in eight bowl games, and won two Rose Bowls under Shaw’s leadership.
He helped produce 24 Associated Press All-American players, three Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year Award winners, and had 48 NFL draft selections, including six first-round picks under his watch.
Before being named Stanford’s head coach, he served as the team’s offensive coordinator/running backs coach in 2010 and the team’s offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach from 2007-09.
Shaw’s other NCAA experience includes serving as the passing game coordinator & wide receivers coach at San Diego in 2006 and serving as both the tight ends coach (1996) and outside linebackers coach (1995) at Western Washington.
Shaw’s most recent NFL coaching tenure was with the Baltimore Ravens, serving as the team’s wide receivers coach in 2005 and as the quarterbacks and wide receivers coach from 2002-04.
Before his stint with the Ravens, he served as the quarterbacks coach (2001) and offensive quality control coach (1998-2000) with the Oakland Raiders and as an offensive quality control coach (1997) with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Before entering the coaching ranks, Shaw was a wide receiver at Stanford from 1991-94, finishing with 57 catches for 664 yards (11.6 avg.) and five touchdowns in his college career.
Marques Tuiasosopo joins the Lions in 2025 as an offensive assistant, his first job in the professional ranks.
Tuiasosopo most recently served as Rice’s offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach from 2021-24.
Before his tenure at Rice, Tuiasosopo spent the first 12 seasons of his coaching career in the Pac-12.
He had stints as the tight ends coach (2019-20) and quarterbacks coach (2017-18) at California, the quarterbacks coach at UCLA in 2016, the assistant head coach/tight ends coach at USC from 2014-15, the quarterbacks coach at Washington in 2013 (he also served as the interim head coach for the 2013 Fight Hunger Bowl), a graduate assistant (2011) and the tight ends coach (2012) at UCLA and as an assistant strength & conditioning coach at Washington from 2009-10.
Before launching his coaching career, Tuiasosopo was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the second round (59th overall) of the 2001 NFL draft out of Washington, splitting his career with the Raiders (2001-06, 2008) and New York Jets (2007).
Tuiasosopo appeared in 13 career games (two starts) and completed 49-of-90 passes (54.4%) for 554 yards and two touchdowns.
