Ben Johnson Allows Dan Campbell to 'Sleep Real Good at Night'
Ben Johnson was almost one and done as Detroit Lions offensive coordinator – and not by the Lions' choosing.
Both the organization and the team's fans held their collective breath as Johnson, riding the wave of Detroit's offensive success in 2022, became a candidate for multiple head coaching vacancies earlier this year.
He interviewed for the Houston Texans' and Indianapolis Colts' openings, and at one point was rumored to be the favorite to land the Carolina Panthers' job.
Yet, the highly-coveted offensive play-caller ultimately decided to stay in Detroit, and was rewarded with a new contract.
It was a huge sigh of relief for all of Motown, including Lions head coach Dan Campbell. Just like the franchise's fanbase, Campbell did not want to lose Johnson to another team.
"Listen, I was excited, and I told Ben I would do anything I could to help him get to the next level, you know, to take that next step, as long as that's what he wanted. But, I also made it very clear that I didn't want to lose him," Campbell said on the latest episode of the "Green Light with Chris Long" podcast. "So, you know, I don't want to be that guy that ever felt like I was holding you back. But, I wanted to help him. But, man, when he said that he was going to come back with us, I was ecstatic."
Campbell had all the reason in the world to be "ecstatic" about Johnson's return.
Detroit experienced a big jump in productivity with Johnson calling the plays a season ago.
In fact, after ranking just 25th and 22nd in points scored and yards gained in 2021, the Lions, under Johnson's leadership, became a top-five offensive unit in both categories last season.
The 36-year-old play-caller also established a solid rapport with Detroit signal-caller Jared Goff, who experienced a resurgence of sorts in 2022. Specifically, Goff threw for 4,438 yards and 29 touchdowns, after recording just 3,245 yards and 19 touchdowns through the air the season prior (with Anthony Lynn as his offensive coordinator for the majority of the year).
"The most important thing that a head coach does is hire his staff. And, it's about your staff and the people around you. Because without the right staff, you are nothing, in my opinion," Campbell further expressed to Long. "For me, you have to lean on those guys. And so being able to get him (Johnson) back is huge, man. He is a hard worker. He's creative, he's smart. He knows how to communicate. And, he alleviates a lot of pressure on me. You know, I sleep real good at night knowing that he's the head of that offense."
