Jan. 27, 2026, 7:45 a.m. ET
As coaching dominoes continue to twist and turn across the NFL, the Detroit Lions are retaining one of their top defensive assistants.
Per a report from The Athletic’s NFL insider Dianna Russini, the Lions have reached agreement on a deal to retain defensive assistant and safeties coach Jim O’Neil. O’Neil recently interviewed for the New York Jets’ defensive coordinator vacancy.
O’Neil joined the Lions as a defensive assistant in 2024, helping oversee a Lions safeties tandem that featured Kerby Joseph garnering first-team All-Pro status and Brian Branch earning Pro Bowl honors.
Joseph led the NFL with nine interceptions in 2024 and became the first Detroit safety to garner first-team All-Pro honors since Yale Lary in 1962. Per Pro Football Focus, Joseph had the No. 1 cover grade (91.1) of any safety and graded No. 9 among all players at the position in tackling (86.9) during the 2024 season.
Meanwhile, in 2024, Branch became the only NFL player since at least 1999 to have two pass defenses in each of their first five games of a season and ended the year with the most forced incompletions (12) among safeties.
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As a unit, the Lions’ defense allowed the lowest passer rating (82.0) and lowest passing touchdown percentage (3.0) in the NFL, while allowing the second-lowest completion percentage (82.0) and tied-for-second fewest passing touchdowns allowed (18) in 2024.
The future of that Joseph-Branch tandem is one of Detroit’s largest questions as the 2026 offseason begins. Detroit’s Joseph-Branch duo was limited to just 18 combined games in 2025 as Joseph dealt with a degenerative condition in his left knee and after Branch ruptured his Achilles.
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