This could finally be the year the Detroit Lions coaching staff is picked apart. Already this cycle, offensive coordinator Ben Johnson has four head coach interviews and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn has five. Additionally, position coaches Deshea Townsend and Hank Fraley are interviewing for coordinator positions, and Chris Spielman is even interviewing for a general manager job.

The Lions have been lucky to keep the band together for so long, but that luck may soon be running out. So the question becomes: What is the best-case scenario if the Lions end up losing a coordinator?

On this week’s Midweek Mailbag podcast, Erik Schlitt and I discussed which coordinator the Lions are least likely to lose and why.

We both agreed that losing Johnson would be the greater loss.

“The reason I would pick Ben Johnson as the guy I would rather stick with is because this is an offensive league,” Schlitt said. “And the relationship he has with Jared Goff is really what brings this offense to a high level. This is a relationship I don’t want to miss.”

Still, it’s important to note that Glenn did a fantastic job and would also be a significant loss.

“Look at what Aaron Glenn has done when you finally give him good players,” Schlitt said. “He turned this team into a top-five defense. And then he’s at such a disadvantage because he lost so many starters on his defense. However, he has managed to hold on to this position, which shows what a really good coach he is. I feel like he gets the short end of the stick a lot because they haven’t invested as much in defense as they have in offense.”

In fact, I’ve argued that Glenn might be the better candidate for head coach because he’s a culture setter – something the Lions don’t need as much these days but was crucial in Dan Campbell’s early years.

“The one thing that’s very hard to replace (about Glenn) is the teaching, the mentoring, the things that make him such a good candidate to be head coach,” I said. “The leadership. I think he may be a replica of Dan Campbell. Now he will do it his own way, but he will earn the respect of the players in a way that few can, in good times and bad. Other than Dan Campbell, there is no coach who commands more respect in this locker room than Aaron Glenn. That’s not easy to replace.”

You can catch the full discussion starting at 34:45 in this week’s podcast.

Here are the other topics of the show:

• 4:00 – What about the missed play call delay?
• 11:10 – Has Amik Robertson’s play changed the Lions’ future plans with Carlton Davis?
• 7:40 p.m. – Can the Lions defense continue its strong play against the Vikings?
• 32:30 – Breakdown of compensatory picks if the Lions lose Aaron Glenn and Ray Agnew
• 34:45 — Previously noted conversation about which coordinator to lose
• 39:25 – Would losing Agnew be worth the draft pick compensation?
• 44:50 – Can we expect Agnew and Mike Disner to stay since there are no initial rumors?
• 46:50 – Why don’t the Lions get pass interference penalties in their favor?
• 50:45 – How do the Lions prepare for the divisional round during the bye week without knowing their opponent?
• 54:00 – Ranking the Lions’ potential playoff opponents by best and most entertaining matchup

You can watch the entire episode below. Or watch it with bonus content on Twitch and YouTube.