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INDIANAPOLIS – The Miami Dolphins hired Jeff Hafley as coach hours after they interviewed Kelvin Sheppard for the job, but Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan said Tuesday, Feb. 24, that Sheppard was more than a Rooney Rule interview and that the Detroit Lions second-year defensive coordinator will "be a head coach in this league one day."
"I think if you want to build a bully, Kelvin, he can lead men," Sullivan said at the NFL scouting combine. "There was a toughness and a command that he had, and his ability to articulate that. And it wasn’t false bravado. I mean, he walked out of the room and we all kind of looked at each other like, 'Wow, that was really impressive.' I have no doubt as he gets down the road in his career, he’ll have a lot of opportunities."
HIT THE ROAD, ROARY: Detroit Lions to play in Germany for 2026 regular season game
Sheppard joined the Lions staff as outside linebackers coach in 2021 and was promoted to defensive coordinator last winter after Aaron Glenn was hired to coach the New York Jets.
The Lions had a middle-of-the-pack defense last season under Sheppard, ranking 18th in total defense, 14th against the run, 20th against the pass and 22nd in points allowed. They improved their sack percentage from 2024, but created fewer takeaways while dealing with massive injury problems for the second straight season.
Starting defensive backs Kerby Joseph, Brian Branch, Terrion Arnold and D.J. Reed all spent part of last season on injured reserve. In 2024, the Lions' injuries were concentrated in their front seven.
Sullivan said Sheppard, who played eight NFL seasons for six teams, including the Dolphins and Lions, impressed with his "energy" and "command of the room" during the interview process.
Asked to counter the perception that his interviews of minority candidates Sheppard and Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator Patrick Graham were done solely to satisfy the NFL's minority hiring process guidelines, Sullivan insisted both were "legitimate candidates."
NFL teams are required to interview at least two minority candidates for head coaching positions.
The Dolphins announced the interviews of Sheppard and Graham on Jan. 19, the same day they hired Hafley, who worked with Sullivan with the Green Bay Packers.
"The truth of the matter is there is a pace and a timing as to which you have to move to make sure that you’re going to get your guy," Sullivan said. "You can’t get left holding the bag. At that point in the process, it was clear to us that Hafley was who we wanted to go after and he had other options on the table, so there was a timing element to where we had to get on down the road to make sure that we weren’t going to lose him to somebody else.
"Cannot say enough good things about Patrick Graham. I was with him in Green Bay. He’s a phenomenal coach. He will continue to do great things in this league, and Kelvin was very, very impressive and I have no doubt that he’ll be a head coach in this league one day."
Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Dolphins GM: Lions DC Kelvin Sheppard will be NFL head coach soon
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"I think if you want to build a bully, Kelvin, he can lead men," Sullivan said at the NFL scouting combine. "There was a toughness and a command that he had, and his ability to articulate that. And it wasn’t false bravado. I mean, he walked out of the room and we all kind of looked at each other like, 'Wow, that was really impressive.' I have no doubt as he gets down the road in his career, he’ll have a lot of opportunities."
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HIT THE ROAD, ROARY: Detroit Lions to play in Germany for 2026 regular season game
Sheppard joined the Lions staff as outside linebackers coach in 2021 and was promoted to defensive coordinator last winter after Aaron Glenn was hired to coach the New York Jets.
The Lions had a middle-of-the-pack defense last season under Sheppard, ranking 18th in total defense, 14th against the run, 20th against the pass and 22nd in points allowed. They improved their sack percentage from 2024, but created fewer takeaways while dealing with massive injury problems for the second straight season.
Starting defensive backs Kerby Joseph, Brian Branch, Terrion Arnold and D.J. Reed all spent part of last season on injured reserve. In 2024, the Lions' injuries were concentrated in their front seven.
Sullivan said Sheppard, who played eight NFL seasons for six teams, including the Dolphins and Lions, impressed with his "energy" and "command of the room" during the interview process.
Asked to counter the perception that his interviews of minority candidates Sheppard and Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator Patrick Graham were done solely to satisfy the NFL's minority hiring process guidelines, Sullivan insisted both were "legitimate candidates."
NFL teams are required to interview at least two minority candidates for head coaching positions.
The Dolphins announced the interviews of Sheppard and Graham on Jan. 19, the same day they hired Hafley, who worked with Sullivan with the Green Bay Packers.
"The truth of the matter is there is a pace and a timing as to which you have to move to make sure that you’re going to get your guy," Sullivan said. "You can’t get left holding the bag. At that point in the process, it was clear to us that Hafley was who we wanted to go after and he had other options on the table, so there was a timing element to where we had to get on down the road to make sure that we weren’t going to lose him to somebody else.
"Cannot say enough good things about Patrick Graham. I was with him in Green Bay. He’s a phenomenal coach. He will continue to do great things in this league, and Kelvin was very, very impressive and I have no doubt that he’ll be a head coach in this league one day."
Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Dolphins GM: Lions DC Kelvin Sheppard will be NFL head coach soon
Continue reading...
