Lions Reshape Front Office: Chris Grier Joins Detroit as Personnel Advisor Among Several Staff Changes
Detroit announces 21 updates across its player personnel and football operations departments ahead of the 2026 season
ALLEN PARK, Mich. — The Detroit Lions are making several changes behind the scenes as the organization prepares for the 2026 NFL season.
Detroit announced Wednesday a series of updates to its player personnel and football operations staffs, including the addition of Chris Grier as Personnel Advisor and the appointment of Dwayne Joseph as Vice President of Player Personnel. In total, the Lions announced 15 player personnel updates and six football operations changes. (Detroit Lions)
Chris Grier joins Lions as Personnel Advisor
The most recognizable name among Detroit’s personnel moves is Grier, who joins the organization as a Personnel Advisor.
The Lions did not provide additional details regarding Grier’s specific responsibilities in Wednesday’s announcement, but his addition gives Detroit another experienced voice within its personnel department. (Detroit Lions)
Detroit has placed a major emphasis on talent evaluation and organizational depth during its rise in recent seasons, and adding another experienced evaluator provides additional support to the personnel operation.
Dwayne Joseph named Vice President of Player Personnel
Detroit also announced Dwayne Joseph as Vice President of Player Personnel, placing him in a prominent position within the Lions’ personnel structure.
Joseph is joined by several other notable appointments, including Joe Kelleher as Director of Pro Scouting and Rob Lohman as Vice President of Roster Operations/Evaluations. (Detroit Lions)
Those positions touch several important areas of roster construction, including professional scouting, player evaluation and roster management.
Lions announce 15 player personnel updates
Detroit’s complete list of player personnel changes includes:
Blake Ask — Pro Scout
Paul Bargerstock — Director of Football Information Systems
John Collins — Scouting Assistant
Justin DeLeon — Nunn Wooten Scouting Fellow
Chris Grier — Personnel Advisor
Joseph Harvey — BLESTO Scout
Paul Ibrahim — Manager, Decision Science & Football Information
Jamarco Jones — Scouting Fellow
Dwayne Joseph — Vice President, Player Personnel
Joe Kelleher — Director of Pro Scouting
Rob Lohman — Vice President, Roster Operations/Evaluations
Mark Olson — Assistant Director, College Scouting
Ademi Smith — Area Scout
Austin White — Auxiliary Scout
Levi Wilson — Senior Director, Football Technology (Detroit Lions)
The range of positions shows the changes extend well beyond traditional scouting. Detroit’s updates include roles involving decision science, football information systems, technology, college scouting, pro scouting and roster evaluation.
Football operations staff also receives updates
The Lions also announced six changes to their football operations staff:
Lauren Crawford — Team Operations Coordinator
Joey Jaroshewich — Senior Manager of Equipment
Fred Murphy — Strength & Conditioning Fellow
Tim O’Neill — Director of Equipment Operations
Khamari Prude — Equipment Coordinator
Grant Steen — Assistant Strength & Conditioning (Detroit Lions)
Those additions and new roles further shape the infrastructure supporting Detroit’s players and coaching staff throughout the season.
Detroit continues building behind the scenes
Much of the attention surrounding the Lions during August is naturally focused on training camp, preseason games and the construction of the 53-man roster.
Wednesday’s announcement provides a look at another side of that process.
Successful roster building doesn’t begin and end with the general manager or coaching staff. Scouts, analysts, technology personnel and football operations staff all contribute to the decisions that eventually shape the product Detroit puts on the field.
The addition of Grier and the appointment of Joseph headline a sizable round of organizational updates as the Lions continue preparing for the 2026 season.
With training camp underway and roster decisions approaching, Detroit isn’t only evaluating and strengthening its roster — the organization is continuing to build the football operation behind it as well.
MCSN will continue providing coverage of the Detroit Lions throughout training camp, the preseason and the 2026 NFL season.