The Detroit Lions are promoting from within to fill the open spot on their staff, with Steve Oliver taking over as tight ends coach.<\/p>\n
Oliver has been with the Lions since Dan Campbell took over as head coach back in 2021. He\u2019s served as the assistant offensive line coach for the last three seasons, previously working as an offensive quality control coach. NFL Network was the first to report the news of Oliver\u2019s promotion.<\/p>\n
Tyler Roehl coached the team\u2019s tight ends last season. But he left to take the offensive coordinator position at Iowa State after one season in Detroit.<\/p>\n
Oliver played college ball at the University of San Diego, crossing paths with Lions offensive line coach Hank Fraley in 2012. He joined Idaho\u2019s coaching staff after his playing career ended. Oliver served a variety of roles for the school as an offensive assistant, tight ends coach and even director of operations.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s been credited as a face behind the scenes here throughout the last couple of years. Former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson credited Oliver and J.T. Barrett <\/a>for having a creative voice when it came to tweaking plays or presenting new ideas.<\/p>\n When speaking about his continued development, offensive tackle Giovanni Manu said it blew his mind <\/a>that Oliver wasn\u2019t talked about more. Manu said Oliver was the coach who worked behind the scenes with the younger players before and after practices.<\/p>\n Detroit\u2019s tight end room features Sam LaPorta and Brock Wright, with Zach Horton and Thomas Gordon signed to futures deals. Shane Zylstra, Anthony Firkser and Giovanni Ricci are free agents heading into the offseason.<\/p>\n