Ex-Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis has talked to Detroit Lions about coaching job

The Detroit Lions will sit down for virtual interviews with several hotshot young coaches in the coming days, but they already have talked to at least one experienced candidate about replacing Matt Patricia as head coach.

Former Cincinnati Bengals coach and current Arizona State co-defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis has told colleagues he has spoken with the Lions about their head coaching vacancy.

"He said it was good," Arizona State coach Herm Edwards told the Free Press. "He said he had good conversations with (Lions owner Sheila Ford Hamp). And (Chris) Spielman called him, too. It was just another conversation, making sure his wife was OK (with a potential move)."

Lewis led the Bengals to seven playoff appearances in 16 seasons as head coach, but was fired after his third straight losing season in 2018.

He did not return a call from the Free Press earlier this week.

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The Lions have announced seven completed interviews for their open general manager position, with in-house candidates Kyle O’Brien, Lance Newmark and Rob Lohman, and external candidates Rick Smith, Thomas Dimitroff, Scott Pioli and Louis Riddick.

They have not confirmed any head coaching interviews.

Lewis, 62, is one of the most seasoned candidates looking for a head coaching position this hiring cycle.

He won a Super Bowl as Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator in 2001, and went 131-122-3 with the Bengals, where he won NFL Coach of the Year honors in 2009.

In 2003, Lewis took over a Bengals team coming off a 2-14 season and won eight games in his first year. He led the Bengals to four division titles and had six seasons with double-digit victories.

Last month, Lewis interviewed with the Houston Texans, the team announced Dec. 23.

"I think he would be an excellent candidate, there's no doubt. An excellent head coach," Edwards said. "Of what they're trying to do, what it sounds to me now, they're trying to marry a head coach with a GM with a new owner, he's got a lot of knowledge. He's got a lot of experience that you can't give a young guy. You got to go through the experience, and he's gone through the experience of the NFL. He's been there a long time, so he knows a lot. He can give them a lot of information."

The Lions and other NFL teams are expected to begin interviewing candidates currently employed by other NFL teams this week. Interim coach Darrell Bevell could formally interview for the head coaching job, and the team is interested in meeting with a wide range of candidates, including San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh and Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.

Los Angeles Rams director of college scouting Brad Holmes is among those still expected to interview for the GM job.

The Lions are one of three teams currently in the market for a head coach (along with the Texans and Atlanta Falcons), and one of six teams looking for a GM (the Texans, Falcons, Jacksonville Jaguars, Carolina Panthers and Washington).

They prefer to hire a candidate with previous experience for at least one of their open positions, though that is not a prerequisite for the job.

Lions owner Sheila Ford Hamp said in an internal email last month that she hoped to conclude both searches by mid-January.

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.