Commanders Coaching Candidate Power Rankings: Lions' Ben Johnson on Top
As new Washington Commanders general manager Adam Peters and managing partner Josh Harris make their way toward a new head coach the list of candidates is consistently being worked and re-worked with everyone having their favorite.
Some want to see Peters move the Commanders from defensive-minded coach Ron Rivera to an offensive brand of football, and Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is the favorite for most of those folks.
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However, it's important to remember Peters and Harris aren't looking for an offensive or defensive guy, but a leader. And that can come from either side of the line of scrimmage.
“We're looking for the best leader for this team, for the Washington Commanders," Peters said in his introductory press conference. "And so, we have set criteria that we're going to have it be aligned in that vision. And it's not going to be in a box. It's not going to be offense, it's not going to be defense. It's going to be the best leader for this organization.”
With the next round of interviews taking place, or scheduled to be held after the AFC and NFC Championship Games, here are the current power rankings of each candidate confirmed to have an in-person interview coming up or concluded at the time of this writing.
COMMANDERS COACH CANDIDATE POWER RANKINGS
1. Ben Johnson, Detroit Lions Offensive Coordinator
Johnson played a masterful game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and their coach, Todd Bowles.
Bowles is known for scripting defensive attacks that harass and confuse opposing quarterbacks but Johnson was ready for him and did things to get the Bucs' defense twisted over their own feet at times in their Divisional Round win.
“You always see something different in a play — week to week to week — that you didn’t see before or another team doing,” Brian Baldinger of NFL Network said following the contest.
Johnson's ability to get his offense to succeed in high-pressure situations while being pulled in several directions is a testament to his ability to focus in the face of distractions.
Something he'll need in Washington.
2. Bobby Slowik, Houston Texans Offensive Coordinator
Things didn't go quite as well for Slowik and his Texans, but getting to the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs in their first year with quarterback C.J. Stroud, head coach DeMeco Ryans, and this coordinator himself, is a testament to the talent and smarts growing inside the team.
Concerns about Slowik spending one year as a coordinator and play-caller before being called up to lead the whole team are being calmed by the fact that if Peters picks him he's doing it with years or knowledge about the coach, not just one.
3. Raheem Morris, Los Angeles Rams Defensive Coordinator
The reason most are against 'retread' coaches - those who have held the top jobs before and been fired - is because a lot of those candidates tend to be stuck in their way.
When you look at Rivera, a lot of time was spent discussing how the Commanders were trying to recapture what he did with the Carolina Panthers, not how to best lead this new team in a potentially new fashion.
Morris last fully held the reins of an NFL team with the Buccaneers over a decade ago, and its not that he didn't have his way of doing things then, but he's learned from and with a lot of others since then.
It's not just possible given Morris' age at the time compared to now, and the experiences he's had since leaving Tampa Bay that he's not looking to recreate what he tried there but unleash his freshly grown approach to the job.
Making him a born-again new tire, looking to put his tread down on a franchise with potential.
*At the time of this writing Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald did not have a confirmed in-person interview with Washington.
