As the next NFL recruiting cycle begins, Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is once more a number one head coaching candidate. And rightly so.

Over the course of three seasons leading an impressive Lions offense that’s amongst the best and fun to look at in the league, Johnson has established himself as an astute X’s and O’s man. It’s easy to see why franchises trying to fill top coaching positions have been courting him over the last two cycles.

Perhaps franchise owners must also take an extended take a look at Johnson’s defensive counterpart, as Lions defensive quarterback Aaron Glenn is value far more attention. As it seems, Detroit coach Dan Campbell made a fantastic move by hiring each of his top lieutenants.

Although Glenn didn’t achieve his Detroit colleague’s rock star status during interviews, he played a serious role in the band’s impressive turnaround under Campbell. This season, Glenn has received high praise from around the league for keeping the Lions defense healthy, which lost several key players to injury, including star defensive end Aidan Hutchinson for the remainder of the season in Week 6.

Campbell praises Glenn for his work ethic and willingness, traits Campbell has admired in his friend since their days as NFL teammates and their time together as an assistant coach with the New Orleans Saints. What sets Glenn aside from many coaches is the way he runs, Campbell says, and any team owner can be sensible to present Glenn his own shop to run.

As the NFC North’s top team prepares for Sunday’s road game against the Indianapolis Colts, Glenn, 52, is making all the right moves on a defense shorthanded. While injuries are a component of life in skilled sports’ most dangerous workplace, some losses are far more difficult to beat than others.

In a 47-9 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, Hutchinson suffered two broken bones in his left leg and underwent season-ending surgery. The Pro Bowler entered the game leading the NFL in sacks, quarterback hits and pressures. The Lions were missing Marcus Davenport, who suffered a season-ending injury in Week 3.

Then, during a 52-6 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 11, linebacker Alex Anzalone suffered a broken forearm. He is predicted to be sidelined for a maximum of eight weeks. Detroit decided to step up its passing game by acquiring linebacker Za’Darius Smith in a trade with the Cleveland Browns, but it surely’s as much as Glenn to shoulder the defensive load and find latest ways to best utilize his remaining energetic players.

The evidence shows that Glenn performed well under duress.

Against Detroit, opponents rating an average of 17.7 points and 94.8 rushing yards, which supplies the team fifth place in the league in each categories. The Lions (9-1) lead the Philadelphia Eagles by one game in the race for the top overall seed in the NFC playoffs, and Glenn is earning rave reviews for his contributions to their success.

The evidence of Glenn’s coaching acumen is each indisputable and overwhelming, said Troy Vincent, the NFL’s vp of football operations.

“Throughout Aaron’s NFL career and now in his current position as the Lions’ defensive coordinator, he has demonstrated extraordinary leadership, development and creativity,” Vincent wrote to Andscape in a text message Wednesday. “There is no denying his tremendous coaching ability, as evidenced by the Lions’ vastly improved defense.”

Since he and Glenn had briefly been teammates with the Dallas Cowboys, Campbell believed Glenn had what it took to in the future change into a fantastic coach.

Taken twelfth overall in the 1994 NFL Draft, Glenn had a 15-year profession with the Jets, Houston Texans, Cowboys, Jaguars and Saints. The three-time Pro Bowl running back then moved on to coaching and scouting, eventually working his way as much as the position of director of the Saints’ secondary under then-coach Sean Payton. Campbell coached the Saints on tight ends, and the Texas A&M graduates formed a bond.

After Campbell became Detroit’s coach in 2021, Glenn followed him to run the team’s defense. Make no mistake, hiring Glenn was one of Campbell’s most significant moves in his efforts to show around the troubled Lions.

In the 2008-09 season, the Lions went 0-16. Before the arrival of Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes, the Lions last won the league title in the 1993-94 season. Detroit hasn’t won a playoff game since the 1991-92 season. Last season, the Lions achieved each feats en path to the NFC Championship Game.

To their credit, the Lions have picked up on offense quicker than defense (they lead the league in scoring at 33.6 points per game), which contributed to Johnson being more wanted to potentially fill coaching vacancies than Glenn. However, Glenn has been interviewing for the last three cycles and Campbell is confident that Glenn is prepared to guide the entire team.

“He has great vision to put together a plan,” Campbell told reporters in Detroit. “He understands football thoroughly. And if you start talking about his leadership, he’s one of those guys, he’s special. He is special. He has.

“His ability to communicate, relate, push, grind, love and demand – he has it all. He is an excellent speaker, he is an outstanding teacher. … That’s why I say I’m lucky to have him working with me.”

For Glenn, nothing is more essential than all the time setting the right example.

“I try to do everything I can to focus on the players,” Glenn said. “I’m trying to do everything I can to focus on the team and get the most out of… my staff to make sure we’re on track in terms of playing good defense. Everyone is different. And that makes it nice to be able to take advantage of each player’s unique characteristics and put them in the right positions (to be successful).”

Glenn’s coaching philosophy is easy: be authentic and make a positive impact on those around you.

“The most important thing is to be yourself,” Glenn said. “Players know a fake once they see one. And if you attempt to cheat this business, you’re going to get kicked out of it in a short time because then the respect factor disappears.

“For me, leadership comes down to one word –… How do you influence players? What influence do you have on coaches? Leadership isn’t about me giving pathetic speeches. They’ve heard this before. That’s how I influence these guys.”

The buzz around the league is that while Glenn has been considered for the head coaching position in previous cycles, he’s well-positioned to be a finalist for the position on this one. He can be one of the strongest candidates, said Rod Graves, leader of a gaggle that advises the NFL on diversity, equity and inclusion in the hiring process.

“Aaron has proven to be one of the best coaches in the NFL,” Graves, executive director of the Fritz Pollard Alliance, wrote to Andscape in a text message. “He joined the league’s elite as an excellent strategist.

“The Detroit Lions have developed an attitude of toughness, physicality and attention to detail. Aaron is a big reason for this. He trains like he plays.”

“There is an expectation that Aaron will undoubtedly be involved when head coaching positions become available. Maybe he will be the beginning of Coach Campbell’s tree,” Vincent wrote in a text message.

Even if Johnson continues to be the first to branch out on his own, Glenn definitely seems capable of rising higher. It’s only a matter of whether team owners pay more attention to others who’re improving.