The Lions today made a big move for a new man to run their defense, as coach Jim Schwartz has hired veteran assistant Gunther Cunningham as the teams new defensive coordinator. The two had worked together as assistants on Jeff Fisher’s staff in Tennessee. Schwartz was defensive coordinator under Fisher this past season, when the Titans posted an NFL-best 13-3 record with a defense that ranked second in points allowed.

Cunningham, a 40-year coaching veteran on the college and pro levels, was Kansas City’s head coach from 1999-2000 and the Chiefs’ defensive coordinator in 1995-98 and from 2004 through this past season.
He’ll set about trying to fix one of the league’s worst defenses. Terms of his contract were not disclosed.