Colts Promising Head Coach Candidate Withdraws from Consideration
Through two weeks, the Indianapolis Colts have put together an impressively thorough search for their vacant head coaching position, zeroing in on several exciting candidates. However, one of those young up-and-comers has withdrawn his name from consideration for the Colts and any other head coaching role this offseason, as Ben Johnson has elected to return to the Detroit Lions as offensive coordinator.
The Colts interviewed Johnson last Friday, and the prospect of having the 36-year-old offensive whiz-kid lead the Colts, likely with a top-pick rookie quarterback, was enticing.
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With Johnson pulling the strings, Detroit's offensive maximized its talent in 2022, finishing 4th overall in the league (380.0 YPG), 4th in red-zone scoring (66.2%), 5th in scoring (26.6 PPG), 8th in passing (251.8 YPG), and 11th in rushing (128.2 YPG).
The Lions narrowly missed the postseason and posted their first winning record (9-8) since 2017.
The Colts' offense, on the other hand, was awful. They finished 27th overall (311.6 YPG), 23rd in passing (201.9 YPG) and rushing (109.8 YPG), 29th in red-zone scoring (45.8%) and third downs (32.9%), tied-30th in scoring (17.0 PPG), 31st in sacks allowed (60), and 32nd in turnovers (34).
Suffice it to say, the Colts could use an injection of youth and energy on the offensive side of the ball.
Johnson has spent time previously with the Miami Dolphins (2012-18) and then the Lions (2019-present) working his way up the ranks from quality control and assistant, ultimately to coordinator. In 2021, then-Lions offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn was dismissed and Johnson was promoted after the season. It baffled some fans at the time to promote someone from within the current coaching staff, but Johnson's results obviously speak for themselves.
Aside from the Colts, Johnson also interviewed with the Houston Texans and was scheduled to meet with the Carolina Panthers this week as well.
With Johnson out of the picture, the Colts still have interim head coach Jeff Saturday, special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone, Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen, Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans, and Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn as known candidates.
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