Lions OC Ben Johnson is said to be a top target for the Washington
We all knew Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson was a hot name for seven NFL head coaching jobs, but it looks like he could be the top name for many openings. Johnson has long been reported as a top target for the Carolina Panthers, who pursued him heavily last year. Now it appears that Washington commanders are also pushing for him.According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, Johnson emerged as the Commanders’ first “best choice.”Washington is approaching the head coaching search with openness and flexibility, but the commanders have their eyes set on Detroit’s Ben Johnson, according to sources. Carolina also hopes to land Johnson. So far, 4,444 Johnsons have been asked to interview for four other jobs: Panthers, Chargers, Titans and Falcons.Keep up with all the latest Lions head coaching news with our 2024 Detroit Lions coordinator tracker.Shortly after becoming the Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinator in early 2022, Ben Johnson sat down with his quarterback to dive into game film. They reflected much of what Jared Goff ran for during his most successful years with the Los Angeles Rams. They covered plays Johnson made as an assistant in previous stops. And they laid out a loose plan to revamp the Lions’ offense and rebuild Goff’s career.Johnson voted for Goff. He was “really curious about what I thought and what I liked,” Goff said this spring, and that collaboration helped transform the Lions from a 3-13-1 team in 2021 to a 12-5 division champion this season. Detroit’s offense finished in the NFL’s top five in yards and points every season Johnson coordinated, and the 2023 team ended a 32-year playoff drought.”He’s one of the main reasons I’ve been successful,” wide receiver Amon-Ra St. said. About Brown Johnson. “… He’s a brilliant mind and one of the hardest-working coaches I’ve ever been around. And as players, we trust him. We know that whatever he says, we feel like it’s going to work.”Detroit Lions fans: The truest in America, long unnoticed by … AmericaAs Johnson built up his quarterback and his team, he also built his own reputation as a savvy play caller and respected teacher. Once a little-known position coach who jumped from the college ranks to the NFL, he is now a coveted head coach candidate. In an era when NFL teams are chasing wonders like Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams and Mike McDaniel of the Miami Dolphins, the 37-year-old Johnson could be the next young, analytics-driven player to make the jump.Cam Sexton is still surprised Johnson took up coaching after their years together as quarterbacks at the University of North Carolina. “If you had asked me at the time what Ben Johnson would be doing today, [I would have said] he would probably be working on NASA’s Artemis program,” Sexton said.Johnson graduated top of his class in A.C. from Reynolds High in Asheville, N.C., and helped the football team to a state championship at quarterback. But he didn’t get any college appearances or scholarships. So he went to North Carolina in 2004 and spent three years as the third quarterback for the Tar Heels, studying math and computer science. He enjoyed writing computer games – he once built a hockey game, Sexton recalled – and solving complex mathematical equations.”Ben is really exceptionally bright,” said John Shoop, his offensive coordinator and position coach at UNC in 2007. “But…he also has common sense and communication skills.”On the field, Johnson scored little on special teams, but he immersed himself in UNC’s offensive system – along with everyone else. Tar Heels video coordinator Chris Allen recalled that Johnson was “always” in the video room, often sitting alone and reviewing game tapes, individual scripts, scouting reports and even film, which forced Allen to dig through the archives. “I couldn’t get rid of him,” Allen recalled.Johnson was usually the quarterback on UNC’s varsity team, but Chase Rice, Johnson’s high school teammate and North Carolina quarterback, said he doesn’t see his role that way. “He looked at it like it was going to make us better,” Rice said. “I remember him running the scout team and he knew more about the other team’s offense than we did.”John Bunting, the coach of the Tar Heels from 2000-06, said that Johnson was more of a graduate assistant than an assistant. He wore headphones on game days and announced the plays from the sidelines. But it was the less technical side of the game that attracted Johnson to training; he characterized Shoop as an inspiration for the way he treats other staff and players. It was about relationships.”He’s one of those guys who could probably get a Ph.D. or something,” Shoop said. “I’m not sure if he even knew if he had [the coach] bug or not. Obviously something started to seep in when we were together.Johnson’s first job was as a graduate assistant at Boston College in 2009. To streamline play calling and help quarterbacks organize their thoughts on the field, Johnson colored the offensive coordinator’s play sheet and quarterbacks’ wrists. Blue represented one staff group; red meant you.More than a big meathead and#039; Dan Campbell brought the lions to life.Two years later, Boston College brought in a new coordinator, Kevin Rogers. After spending half a decade in the NFL as Brett Favre’s coach in Minnesota, he brought in the Vikings’ West Coast offense and tasked Johnson with helping him put together the playbook.”Well, Benny doesn’t just put the playbook together, he memorizes it, from the routes to the blocking schemes, so to speak,” recalled Rogers, now the Browns’ senior offensive assistant.Johnson made the jump to the NFL in 2012 when the Dolphins signed him..
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