Dré Bly enters his first season on an NFL staff as the Detroit Lions' Cornerbacks Coach in 2023.
Prior to transitioning into the NFL, Bly spent four seasons as the cornerbacks coach at North Carolina (2019-22). While at UNC, Bly was named Rivals' ACC Recruiter of the Year for the 2022 class and helped CB Storm Duck earn Second-Team All-ACC honors in 2022 after posting 12 pass defenses and three interceptions.
Bly started his coaching career as a minority coaching intern with the New Orleans Saints for the 2017 preseason and the Miami Dolphins for the 2018 preseason.
Before entering the coaching ranks, Bly played 11 seasons in the NFL with the St. Louis Rams (1999-2002), Detroit Lions (2003-06), Denver Broncos (2007-08) and San Francisco 49ers (2009). He appeared in 167 games (116 starts) and totaled 498 combined tackles, 149 pass defenses, 43 interceptions, 20 forced fumbles, 5.0 sacks and five interceptions returned for touchdowns. He earned two Pro Bowl berths with the Lions and won Super Bowl XXXIV with the Rams.
Bly starred as a cornerback at North Carolina from 1996-98, becoming the first freshman defensive player in college football history to earn consensus First-Team All-American honors. In 1997, he became the first two-time consensus All-American in UNC football history, and in 1998, he set the ACC career record for interceptions with 20, a record that stood until 2012.
A native of Chesapeake, Va., Bly and his wife, Kristyn, have four sons, Trey, Jordan, AJ, and Emanuel, and a daughter, Peyton.
