The Detroit Lions officially made their second coordinator hire of the offseason on Tuesday, putting Dave Fipp in charge of special teams.
Fipp had been expected to join the Lions for several days, though the Philadelphia Eagles initially denied the Lions’ interview request.
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When the Eagles hired Nick Sirianni as head coach last week, they allowed Fipp to pursue other opportunities.
Fipp spent the past eight seasons with the Eagles, where his return units combined for nine kick- and punt-return touchdowns.
He worked alongside new Lions coach Dan Campbell with the Miami Dolphins in 2011-12, and spent a decade before that coaching various positions in college.
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This season, the Lions had one of the best special teams units in the NFL. Punter Jack Fox made the Pro Bowl and finished second in the league in net punting in his first full season in the league, and Jamal Agnew scored his fifth career return touchdown.
Agnew and kicker Matt Prater are scheduled to be unrestricted free agents in March.
The Lions hired Aaron Glenn as defensive coordinator last week, and have agreed to terms with Anthony Lynn as offensive coordinator, though that deal has yet to be finalized.
The Lions also have retained Hank Fraley as offensive line coach and are expected to add Aubrey Pleasant as defensive backs coach, Duce Staley as running backs coach and Mike Clark as strength and conditioning coach.
Contact Dave Birkett at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.
