DETROIT -- Ndamukong Suh once rose with the Detroit Lions from the No. 2 pick in the draft to the type of All-Pro wrecking ball who could leave for a mega contract in free agency.

Now, he might take the coach who helped get him there.

The Miami Dolphins will interview Lions defensive line coach Kris Kocurek for the same position on their coaching staff, TheMMQB.com reported Tuesday. The Lions granted permission for Kocurek to interview as part of the process of moving the defense into Matt Patricia's hands.

Kocurek has spent his entire nine pro seasons with the Lions, spanning across two head coaches. He's become one of the more renowned defensive line coaches in the country for how he's developed players out of the limelight, from George Johnson to Devin Taylor to Kerry Hyder to Anthony Zettel.

He's helped the top draft picks reach the Pro Bowl, too, from Ezekiel Ansah to Ndamukong Suh. And now, he could reunite with Suh if the Dolphins go through with hiring him. The two spent the first five years of Suh's career together, culminating with Suh's All-Pro season with 8.5 sacks in 2014 that catapulted him to a six-year, $114 million deal with Miami.

The Lions have granted the interview likely because they are ready to give full autonomy of the staff to Patricia, the candidate they're widely expected to name as the replacement to Jim Caldwell as head coach whenever the Patriots season finally wraps up. Patricia has spent the past 13 seasons on Bill Belichick's defensive staff and will likely stock his new one with lots of his hand-picked selections.

It was expected that Kocurek could be a candidate for that staff, given that he's stayed through regime changes in the past and that he's well-respected in league circles. But it could take another three weeks for the Patriots' season to end, if they make the Super Bowl, and Kocurek's opportunities to find work elsewhere could shrink in the process of waiting.

The Dolphins are looking to make some staff changes after they slipped to 6-10 after a 10-6 year in 2016 under rising coach Adam Gase. Hiring a coach of Kocurek's pedigree could be a way to take advantage of the team's top financial resource in Suh.