| Detroit Free Press
Assessing Detroit Lions’ coach, GM searches as regular season ends
Free Press sports writers Dave Birkett and Carlos Monarrez debate Jan. 4, 2021, who the Detroit Lions should hire as general manager and head coach.
Carlos Monarrez and Dave Birkett, Detroit Free Press
Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith has a full dance card in the coming days, including a second interview with the Detroit Lions.
NFL Network reported Wednesday that Smith, one of the hottest coaching candidates on the market, is scheduled to meet with the Lions for a second time this week, on Friday.
Smith had a virtual interview Tuesday with the Lions, and the team moved quickly to bring him to town.
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The Lions plan to meet with both their next head coach and general manager in person before making any hires.
On Wednesday, they held an in-person interview with GM candidate Brad Holmes of the Los Angeles Rams.
Lions president Rod Wood has said he is comfortable hiring the head coach before the general manager, if that is how things shake out.
More: Why Titans OC Arthur Smith is a hot head coach candidate
Smith is the first known coaching candidate to get a second interview with the Lions. The Titans had the NFL’s fourth-highest scoring offense this season at 30.7 points per game and ranked second or tied for second in total and rushing offense.
In a 46-25 win over the Lions in December, the Titans had 195 yards rushing and one punt.
Smith, the son of FedEx founder Frederick Smith, worked his way up from a low-level Titans assistant in 2011 to tight ends coach in 2016 and offensive coordinator in 2019.
He played offensive line at North Carolina, and had brief stints coaching at his alma mater, at Washington and at Ole Miss before catching on with the Titans.
The Lions have interviewed five other candidates for the job: interim coach Darrell Bevell, ex-Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis, New Orleans Saints assistant head coach Dan Campbell and coordinators Robert Saleh of the San Francisco 49ers and Eric Bieniemy of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.