The Detroit Lions are adding to their coaching staff with the hiring of former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Deshea Townsend as their pass-game coordinator, per Bleacher Report insider Jordan Schultz.
He joins former Steelers WR Antwaan Randle El on Detroit’s coaching staff. Randle El has been the Lions’ wide receiver coach since 2021. Townsend served in a similar role with the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2022-23 as well as coaching their cornerbacks during that time.
He was a fourth-round pick by the Steelers in the 1998 draft and played with the team through the 2009 season. He won two Super Bowls in Pittsburgh, one against the Seattle Seahawks in the 2005 season, and the other against the Arizona Cardinals in the 2008 season. He spent one year with the Indianapolis Colts to end his career and quickly transitioned to a coaching role with the Cardinals as an assistant defensive backs coach.
He has since spent time with the Tennessee Titans, New York Giants, and Chicago Bears working with defensive backs and also spent a brief stint with Mississippi State in a similar role.
As a player, Townsend logged 80 career starts with 470 total tackles, 393 solo tackles, 27 tackles for loss, 15.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, and 21 interceptions. Against the Seahawks in Super Bowl XL, he had one sack and six total tackles.
He will be joining a team that made it all the way to the conference championship as the Lions earned their first playoff wins since 1992. Head coach Dan Campbell and GM Brad Holmes were named the coach and executive of the year by their peers in 2023. He will be working with QB Jared Goff as well as some impressive receiving talent. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Josh Reynolds, Sam LaPorta, and Jahmyr Gibbs should give him plenty to work with in the passing game.
If the Lions continue to succeed, his pass-game coordinator role on a prominent and relevant NFL team could lead to bigger and better opportunities in the future. Given that Randle El is the WR coach, the two former teammates will be working closely together in Detroit.
