ALLEN PARK, Mich. — The Detroit Lions have fired special teams coordinator Brayden Coombs.
The team announced the move Monday, a day after falling to 1-2 under interim coach Darrell Bevell and 5-9 overall this season with a 46-25 loss to the Titans.
The unit did come up short Sunday in the loss to Tennessee on a fake punt on fourth-and-4 at the Detroit 31. C.J. Moore took the direct snap and was stopped a yard shy of the marker by the Titans.
The decision appears to have been made by Coombs without consulting Bevell.
“If we’re going to say, ‘Hey, we’re doing this,’ then I feel like it’s important that I come through with that,” Bevell said. “And sometimes when it goes the other way, there’s moments that you can really help yourself or hurt yourself, and I thought this was really an important moment.”
USA Today reported that sources around the league insisted that Coombs was not a good cultural fit, was often late to meetings and considered a self-promoter.
“I don’t want to use those words from me. We’ll just move on from there,” Bevell said when asked about any other issues.
Former Detroit coach Matt Patricia hired Coombs in January after he worked with the Cincinnati Bengals for 10 seasons. The Lions fired Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn last month.
Detroit has struggled this season, but it has been relatively strong on special teams under the 34-year-old Coombs.
Detroit hosts Tampa Bay (9-5) on Saturday.
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