Lions Have Not Yet Received Ben Johnson Interview Requests

Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson broke out in his first season calling plays for the Detroit Lions. The unit improved in many metrics and finished the regular season fifth in scoring average.

Johnson is expected to be in demand around the league as the offseason begins. With several teams parting ways with their head coaches, there are openings where Johnson could be a fit.

Though he has just one year of coordinator experience, Johnson’s creativity, and ability to maximize the impact of Detroit’s best players has made an impact. As a result, head coach Dan Campbell expects to hear from teams who have interest in interviewing the offensive coordinator.

“I have not gotten anything yet, but no, I would certainly not be shocked,” Campbell said. “He would be worthy of that, I think a ton of Ben, I said it before, I just think he’s extremely bright, he’s creative, he’s organized, he’s a great communicator. I mean, he’s got it, and I would do anything I can to help him. That’s the bottom line. Of course, I don’t want to lose him, but I’m not gonna hold him back either. I would help him any way I can help him.”

Campbell dealt with interest from opposing teams regarding defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn last season. Glenn interviewed with multiple teams but returned to Detroit.

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Now, with the spark that Johnson created for Detroit’s offense, there’s a chance he’s courted by teams around the league. Campbell said he thinks the interest is indicative of the culture he’s building with the Lions.

“I think all of this, with where we’re trending, I’d like to believe that anybody that’s outside looking in sees what’s going on here and they understand,” Campbell explained. “If you want to know, talk to our players, talk to the coaches, talk to the people in the organization, they’ll tell you what it’s like. It’s not hard to hide things, so I think word gets around, and I think, yeah, this is a place you’d like to be. I think free agents would like to be here moving forward. I believe that, I think we’re turning the corner on that. When you’re a team that’s trending the right way and you play football a certain way, I think that’s appealing.”

Speaking Monday, Campbell praised the work of Johnson, Glenn and special teams coordinator Dave Fipp for their work in the team’s season-ending victory over the Green Bay Packers.

The head coach said Johnson, “didn’t bat an eye,” when calling for a hook-and-ladder play late in the game that turned a second-and-17 into a third-and-three during the game’s final drive.

“Our coordinator’s conviction in critical moments of that game was huge,” Campbell said. “I’m talking about all three.”

Team culture is ‘Why we’ll always compete’

By leading the team to a winning record, Campbell demonstrated the strides he’s made as a coach within the season itself.

Late-game issues plagued him early but weren’t a problem late in the year. Additionally, he made strategic decisions over the course of games that put the team in positions to win more frequently.

Like his young team, the head coach showed plenty of growth. While his players saw Sunday night’s game as a chance to prove something, Campbell was able to prove his mettle as well.

“I guess, if anything, it proves we’re on the right track one more time,” Campbell said. “The coaches that I have here, the players that we’ve drafted, the players we’ve kept that were here before us, the free agents we’ve signed, it was the right decision, man, these are the right guys for us particularly in 2022. Now, there’s gonna be decisions that have to be made moving forward, but they fit us, they fit the mold. To us, you have to meet a certain type of criteria to be here, we don’t just strictly look at talent, and our guys have created that culture. They’ve embraced it, it’s part of who we are and it’s why we’ll always compete.”