Aaron Glenn shared how Dan Campbell and his daily talks with Jameson Williams helped get him ready to become a head coach.

Over the weekend, Glenn oversaw his first rookie minicamp. The former Detroit Lions defensive coordinator, now the head coach of the New York Jets, is beginning to build the structure for what he hopes will be a new chapter of winning football in New York.

Meeting with local reporters Saturday, Glenn immediately praised Lions coach Dan Campbell for preparing him to take on the duties of running an NFL team as a head coach.

“I have to give a lot of thanks to Dan Campbell for putting me in situations to act as the Lions’ head coach at times,” Glenn said. “He put me in the room. He asked for my input on how to organize practice. So those things made it easy for me to write up practice plans. It’s been smooth stepping up in front of the full team. All of that helped get me ready for this role. I really do owe him credit.”

Glenn discussed how his coaching role has steadily expanded, requiring him to connect with more players. He started with the Saints as a defensive backs coach, then handled Detroit’s entire defense. Now, in New York, he’ll have to lead every part of the roster.

Still, Glenn said he doesn’t expect working with the offense to be a challenge. He recalled how daily early-morning meetings with wideout Jameson Williams showed his ability to relate to players, no matter the position.

“I think (Campbell) recognized I had influence over the team, not just the defense, because I bonded with offensive guys too,” Glenn said. “I know I’ve mentioned this, but every day at 7:30 a.m., Jamo would come into my office and we’d just talk.”

I don’t remember Glenn mentioning that while he was with the Lions, but it certainly supports the leadership traits Campbell often spoke of during his four years in Detroit. Fortunately for the Lions, people are now saying the same about Kelvin Sheppard.

“I always believed Shep could become a great coach,” Campbell said during the NFL Combine earlier this year. “Two years ago, I just felt like, ‘This guy is going to be ready to call plays soon.’ So AG and I made sure to give him more and more responsibility. We were getting him ready. We didn’t promise anything, but it was all part of the plan. I felt strongly he was ready.”