The Detroit Lions have a new man running their defense.
Head coach Matt Patricia has hired former Philadelphia Eagles defensive backs coach Cory Undlin to replace Paul Pasqualoni as Detroit's new defensive coordinator.
Here are five things to know about Detroit's newest assistant coach:
1. Undlin, 48, has been coaching defense at the college and professional level for more than 20 years. He got his coaching start at his alma mater, California Lutheran University, as a linebackers coach in 1998 after a four-year playing career as a safety. Undlin was the linebackers coach there from 1998-99, and was the school's defensive coordinator from 2000-01.
From there, Undlin was a graduate assistant at Fresno State (2002-03). He moved to the NFL as a defensive coaching assistant with the New England Patriots in 2004. He was then a defensive quality control coach in Cleveland (2005-06), assistant special teams coach in Cleveland (2007), defensive backs coach in Cleveland (2008), defensive assistant in Jacksonville (2009), defensive backs coach in Jacksonville (2010-11), defensive quality control coach in Denver (2012), defensive backs coach in Denver (2013-14) and has spent the last five years as the defensive backs coach for the Eagles (2015-19).
2. Patricia's and Undlin's coaching paths have crossed once before, in 2004, when Undlin was a defensive coaching assistant in New England and Patricia was an offensive assistant with the Patriots. I'm sure the two young coaches spent plenty of time going back and forth as as assistants on opposite sides of the ball.
3. Patricia brought up Undlin's name leading up to Detroit's Week 3 contest in Philadelphia against the Eagles, a contest the Lions would eventually win, 27-24.
"They've had a couple moving parts back there, and I think those guys are just trying to understand the techniques that they're teaching," Patricia said. "Cory Undlin, who actually coaches the secondary, is a good friend of mine and I know he's got those guys working really hard."
4. The Lions finished 31st in total defense, allowing 400.4 yards per game, the most in more than a decade. They were 26th in points allowed (26.4 ppg) and last against the pass (284.4 ypg).
The Eagles, who won the NFC East this season and lost in the wild card round of the playoffs, finished 19th in the NFL against the pass (241.6 ypg) despite a plethora of injuries in their secondary. The Eagles have finished in the top 10 in the NFL in interceptions in three of Undlin's five seasons as their defensive backs coach.
5. A native of Sauk Centre, MN, Undlin and his wife, Amy, have a son, Caden, and two daughters, Brooke and Taylor. Undlin has two Super Bowl rings, the first coming with New England following the 2004 season, and his second in Super Bowl LII with the Eagles following the 2017 season.
