Aaron Glenn really advanced himself as a head coaching candidate this season, and after weeks of speculation suggesting it would happen he is indeed now the new head coach of the New York Jets.

So the Detroit Lions are in search of a new defensive coordinator, which head coach Dan Campbell fully expected he’d have to be. Some Lions’ assistant coaches could end up following Glenn to New York, but looking ahead to free agency some players could do so too.

Reports say Glenn is seeking an experienced defensive coordinator, with Steve Wilks the name that has been prominently mentioned in the days since Glenn became the Jets’ head coach. But the core defensive philosophy for the Jets is sure to have Glenn’s finger prints all over it, which is to say (assuming he carries his philosophy from Detroit) they’ll blitz a fair amount and play lots of man coverage.

The Jets seem to have some defensive players who will fit what Glenn likes to do defensively very well. But he will surely want some players who are already familiar with his scheme/philosophy, and obviously also fit it well. And when we get down to it, some upcoming Lions’ free agents who built a relationship with Glenn over his four years in Detroit could willing entertain following him to New York.

Here are five upcoming Lions free agents who could follow Glenn to New York.

5 Lions 2025 free agents who could follow Aaron Glenn to the Jets

5. DE Marcus Davenport

The Lions took a one-year flier on Davenport last offseason, and while this year’s injury was rather random (an arm/elbow injury when Cardinals offensive tackle Paris Johnson chopped down on his arm in Week 3), the undeniable reality is he just can’t stay healthy (six games played over the last two seasons). He also has just three sacks over his last 21 games played, so the potential he once showed as a former first-round pick is fading fast.

So Davenport will be headed for his fourth teams in as many seasons in 2025. Where that will be is the question, with the likelihood his options are few.

Glenn was on the New Orleans Saints’ coaching staff when they took him 14th overall in the 2018 draft. As cheap, no-risk options go to bolster their pass rush go, the Jets could do worse than Davenport.

4. DL John Cominsky

Cominsky missed the entire 2024 season after suffering a torn MCL in his right knee early in training camp. Over the previous two seasons with the Lions he had 66 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, six sacks and 20 quarterback hits as a useful and versatile defensive line piece.

Cominsky found a home in Detroit after being picked up off waivers in 2022. This season’s injury makes it unlikely he’ll be re-signed this offseason, but landing back with Glenn in New York is definitely in the cards as the Jet re-tool parts of their defense.

3. LB Derrick Barnes

Barnes’ 2024 season ended very early (Week 3) due to a torn MCL and PCL in his right knee after he was hit by a low block. His ACL remained intact, so there seemed to be a faint chance he could’ve returned before the season ended. But that was put to bed before the regular season was over, and the Lions’ playoff run didn’t last long enough anyway.

Over the last couple seasons, Barnes fully developed into a really good all-around off-ball linebacker in Glenn’s defensive scheme. Aside from whatever concern there could still be about his injury recovery come March, the Lions also have some good depth at linebacker and could let him explore the open market without fear they won’t be able to replace him.

Barnes was a college defensive end who made the full transition to linebacker when he got to the NFL. That versatility is something Glenn would value, along with knowing him well. The Jets’ new defensive scheme (again assuming a replication of what Glenn did in Detroit) would require more traditionally-sized linebackers, not someone like Jamien Sherwood, who thrived in the previous scheme this season but is a converted safety (216 pounds).

2. DL Levi Onwuzurike

Onwuzurike was finally fully healthy this season, and it showed. His traditional surface stats won’t blow your hair back (28 total tackles, 1.5 sacks, one tackle for loss), but he did have 13 quarterback pressures (per Pro Football Reference) and Pro Football Focus graded him as a top-25 defensive tackle in the league. Per PFF, his 12.5 percent pass-rush win rate was a top-15 mark among defensive tackles.

“Onwuzurike has flashed whenever he’s been healthy over his first four seasons in the league after getting drafted one round ahead of recently extended interior defender Alim McNeill in 2021. The former second-round pick out of Washington is the penetrating three-technique interior pass-rusher that every team covets, with his 12.5% pass-rush win rate in 2024 ranking as a top-15 mark at the position.”
-Pro Football Focus

One fully healthy season, as good as it was, won’t allow Onwuzurike to completely break the bank in free agency (PFF projects a two-year, $16.5 million deal with $10 million guaranteed). But he has very likely played himself out of the price range the Lions will be in to viably re-sign him, so the Jets (and Glenn) come in as an easy landing spot.

1. CB Carlton Davis

Davis proved himself to be exactly what the Lions needed from a veteran cornerback this season, with his skills (77.0 passer rating allowed, 11 pass breakups) and his swagger. He also finished the season sidelined with a broken jaw, continuing a run of seasons where he has banged up going back to his time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He has missed at least four games in each of the last four seasons, and durability concerns don’t go away as players age.

On Thursday, during his season-ending press conference, Lions general manager Brad Holmes acknowledged Davis’ high level of play this season along with there being no contract talks at this early stage.

“I thought we got very good play from him. I will be honest, I thought that he played better this year than he did the year before, than last year in Tampa, and he’ll tell you that too,” Holmes said. “So, no intense action yet, but we’re very aware of it and we’ll go through our normal process.”

The Jets obviously have Sauce Gardner in place as their top cornerback. But running mate D.J. Reed is a free agent, and he sounds like he’s ready to move on.

“I’m ready to go to free agency, bro. I’m ready to see what’s next for me,” Reed told Tyler Dunne on The Go Long podcast late in the season.

Davis is easy to see as an ideal replacement for Reed if the Jets have to go that way, almost too easy even, due to his tie to Glenn and familiarity with the incoming defensive scheme. The Lions have to balance Davis’ age (28) with how many years and how much money to commit to him, and it won’t be easy to do with him likely to have multiple suitors.

Davis may want to stay in Detroit. But the pull of Glenn toward the Jets, assuming the interest is there from them, stands to be very real.