Left to right: Lion defensive coaching band of Ryan Phillips, Randy Melvin, Mike Benevides and Mark Washington. Photo: Nik Kowalski, BC Lions.
In the professional football coaching ranks, perhaps the most consistent element is the fact that it’s anything but consistent for many individuals in the profession. Ironically, that instability has led four individuals whose paths have crossed multiple times with the BC Lions to all work together once again in 2026. And what a four-piece band it is.
The original Lion of the quartet, Mike Benevides, first arrived as the club’s special teams co-ordinator in 2003, the same year the squad lured a key free agent to the secondary from Montreal in Mark Washington. Two years later, an unheralded defensive back out of Eastern Washington made the team in training camp and went on to be one of the league’s best at his craft over a decade in orange and black. That man was Ryan Phillips.
Like the players on the field, the Lions’ 2011 Grey Cup coaching staff was a star-studded group that featured football lifer Randy Melvin as the defensive line coach. By then, Washington had retired and immediately made the seamless transition to defensive backs coach and Phillips was still climbing the Lion record books. Benevides, by then, was the defensive coordinator and one year away from being promoted to head coach in the wake of Wally Buono’s decision to focus on front office duties.
While each individual had stints away from the club- it’s still hard to believe Phillips donned a Montreal Alouettes jersey and scouted for the Calgary Stampeders in between Lions stints-the re-addition of Washington as linebackers coach just before training camp reunited the quartet of defensive masterminds. Melvin returned in 2025 to run the defensive line, while Phillips has remained on staff since 2019 and has now served under three head coaches.
While the Lion unit features some intriguing men on the field: reigning Most Outstanding Defensive Player Mathieu Betts, free agent addition Darnell Sankey and second-year man Jackson Findlay are just a few examples, the history of this four-man band leading the group is one heck of a story.
Speaking to bclions.com in the lobby of the team’s hotel in Winnipeg on the eve of last week’s pre-season game, Benevides couldn’t keep the smile off his face while reminiscing about the 20-plus-year story.
“When I sat there earlier this year and thought about it, I felt it just didn’t even seem real,” said Benevides.
“I’ll never forget standing in the hallway when we signed Washington from Montreal in 2003. I remember him in the hallway. We’ve now had a long-standing relationship, obviously, he turned into a coach in 2008; I gave him a defensive coordinator title in 2014 when I was here, and I was always maintaining a close relationship with families.”
The family element is truly special. Each coach now has adult children, and in Melvin’s case, grandchildren. When Benevides and the two former Lion players were first carving out their careers, they were all young fathers.
“You look at Ryan Phillips, right? He came in as a rookie in 2005, played for us for a long time, played with Mark, and all that kind of stuff, “added Benevides.
“We won multiple Grey Cup championships together, and I remember him as a young, young man, and now he’s a grown, grown adult with family and all the rest, so it just feels really special.”
Washington played five seasons with the team and was later promoted to defensive coordinator before serving in the same role with Ottawa and Hamilton. For him, this feels like a homecoming. The familiarity with Benevides and the other three football lifers certainly made it an easy decision to return to the West Coast.
“It’s incredibly special for us to have this opportunity to stand on the sideline again with each other. I know the men, I know their character,” Washington says.
“We’ve all grown, matured and gotten better as coaches. I’m really excited to work with these guys. Coming here in 2003, I’m from out east, and now I’m here, it was like ‘don’t get stuck on Highway One going into downtown.’ All of a sudden, 20-23 years later, whatever it is, that’s an amazing thing.”
2026 marks Phillips’ 20th season with the organization. After retiring with the second-most interceptions in club history behind only Larry Crawford, the Seattle native began coaching the defensive backs upon his 2019 return and was promoted to defensive co-ordinator in 2022. When Buck Pierce returned Benevides to that role last season, Phillips stayed on to work with the secondary. It’s safe to say it’s been a good transition for everybody involved. We also asked Benevides if he ever envisioned Phillips and Washington staying in the CFL in their post-playing lives as coaches.
“I’ve told them both that they’ve worked their asses off. They’ve become outstanding coaches. I may have seen it in Mark while he was playing, but not as much for RP,” said Benevides.
“These men are extremely talented. They can make much more money doing something else. Especially RP, being as talented and as charismatic as he is. You’re seeing that come to fruition now.”
“I don’t even know how you could’ve imagined it,” added Phillips on the reunion with the other three.
“It’s funny because I’m out here every day running around and still thinking I can still play a little bit (laughs). Now, we get all the way to this full circle moment, where I, along with everyone else, am coaching now. It’s a different dynamic. What’s also great about us is that we’re all competitors. Everyone wants credit for our success, but the great thing is, one week it can be Bene, the next week it can be me, other weeks it can be Mark or Randy who devises something big that pays off in the game. After breaking in as a player when Mark was still here, I never would’ve imagined we’d have these full-circle moments.”
As for Melvin, he’s the definition of a ‘football lifer.’ Before and after his Lion stints in the championship season of 2011, 2017 as a guest coach in Kamloops, and then back full-time for 2018, his resume includes a Super Bowl ring on Bill Belichick’s New England Patriots squad of 2001, stints with the Cleveland Browns, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and multiple stops on the U.S. College circuit. Before returning to the Lions in 2025, Melvin enjoyed success with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, reaching the Grey Cup in 2019 and 2021.
“It’s awesome to join such a talented group of men. Being familiar with these men speeds up the process of getting on the same page. Everyone of them has a great depth of knowledge and understands what it takes to win,” said Melvin on being back with the group.
In Melvin, the Lions have a cagey veteran with an intense demeanour on the field and that of a calm influence off of it. The word ‘teacher’ is best used to describe his methods from veteran and rookie defensive linemen alike.
“I’ll never forget hiring him quite late in the 2011 offseason,” recalled Benevides.
“We were looking for someone, and I went to Wally with the idea of bringing Randy in. Adding him to the puzzle was one of the highlights of my early coaching career. He did great things with the likes of Brent Johnson, Khalif Mitchell, Khreem Smith, Eric Taylor, and many others. Our Grey Cup defensive line was one of our best. He was able to elevate those guys, and we led the league in sacks—plenty of All-Stars. As you said, he has a Super Bowl ring. He’s the best in the league at what he does.”
“The best thing is that all egos are in check, which allows very fruitful discussions, and at the end of that discussion, we come to a consensus,” added Melvin on the group’s coaching philosophy.
“We all row the boat in the same direction toward winning. The joy for me comes with the trust and the willingness that allows me to be me. There is directness and toughness in my coaching style. Bene involves us in all aspects of football. I feel very comfortable in presenting my ideas. He has created an environment in which everyone has a voice in the room.”
The domino effect of Buono’s big move to the West Coast over two decades ago has certainly paid dividends for Benevides and a 2026 Lions defensive staff that has one heck of a history tale to tell.
“They’re outstanding coaches, outstanding teachers, outstanding men, and they do bleed orange,” added Benevides.
“We have three extra defensive coordinators is how I see it. I love them all. And we are all in on chasing this Grey Cup. Hard to believe that 2011 was the last ring we won together with this franchise.”
No matter how this band reunion’s 2026 story ends, one thing is clear: their presence on the sidelines and up in the coaching booth makes the club enter this season in a very good position on defence.
“I’ve told our players that if something unfortunate happened to me, I would trust them with my children and my family. I really mean that. I’m excited about what we can do,” said Benevides.
Adds Phillips: “We’ve all been to multiple Grey Cups, multiple Western Finals. This year, we understand it’s all about achieving that final goal.”
The defensive band is back together. And they’re in the studio looking to record a championship album in 2026.
A Look At Each Band Member’s Lion Resume:
Mike Benevides:
2003-07- Special Teams Coordinator
2008-11- Defensive Coordinator
2012-14: Head Coach
2023-24: Special Teams Coordinator
2025 present: Defensive Coordinator
Mark Washington:
2003-07: Player
2008-13: Defensive Backs Coach
2014-18: Defensive Coordinator
2026- present: Linebackers Coach
Ryan Phillips:
2005-16: Player
2017: Scouting Assistant
2019-21: Defensive Backs Coach
2022-24: Defensive Coordinator*
2025- present: Secondary Coach/Pass Game Coordinator
*Phillips added the title of Assistant Head Coach for the 2024 season.
Randy Melvin:
2011: Defensive Line Coach
2017: Guest Defensive Line Coach at Training Camp
2018: Defensive Line Coach
2025- Present: Defensive Line Coach