Getty Dan Campbell coaching the Lions during a 2022 game against Green Bay.
The Detroit Lions have a big decision to make with regards to what happens at offensive coordinator, and they might not be in a complete rush to make a move at this point in time.
Without many hirings at head coach, the league’s carousel hasn’t begun to spin in the opposite direction just yet, meaning the Lions could have a bit more time to gage what they want to do moving forward at the position. In spite of that, the team might also understand what they want to do already.
The latest Lions news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Lions newsletter here!
In an ESPN Insider piece looking at updates concerning the coaching carousel, Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler passed along some of the latest rumors about what could take place across the league. The Lions have an offensive coordinator role to fill after letting go Anthony Lynn, and might not be looking very far to fill it.
According to Fowler, the Lions could be targeting an in-house hire to fill the role, perhaps specifically tight ends coach Ben Johnson. As mentioned in the piece, Johnson has a good relationship with Jared Goff and helped the team down the stretch. That could lead to his inclusion for the full-time role moving forward.
What happens next remains to be seen, but the Lions continue to not look like they are in play for an outside name. That could lead to an internal promotion for their coordinator role in 2022.
Campbell Could Remain Lions’ Offensive Coordinator
The team improved down the stretch and made some big plays, and a big reasons has been the offensive plan they’ve had. Campbell has been a big part of that, but in spite of his improvements, the coach isn’t completely willing to commit to a return in the role no matter how comfortable he feels.
Speaking with the media on January 5, 2022 on a post at DetroitLions.com, Campbell talked about his feelings on the role and what his plan was. As the coach said, he doesn’t have an idea of what he wants to do just yet at the position.
“Honestly, I haven’t. I know I’m getting a lot more comfortable and I do feel like this is something I can do and be good at, but I’m not ready to commit to what I am going to do next year yet. I got to sit down and process all this at the right time,” Campbell said honestly when asked by the media.
The Lions could look outside the house or inside the house for a new coordinator. Additionally, Campbell could always elect to call the plays himself again, but this news on Johnson would seem to indicate he might be looking to hand over duties to someone he is more comfortable with.
Johnson’s Coaching Biography
If Johnson isn’t a name that is well-known for Lions fans, that is hardly a surprise. The tight ends coach has been in the background for a while now while putting together his career, but looking beyond that, nobody can deny the experience he has piled up thus far whatsoever. Johnson got his start in the league in 2012 with Miami as a offensive assistant after playing quarterback in college for North Carolina. During 2013-15 Johnson was Miami’s assistant quarterback coach. When 2015 came, he was promoted to tight ends coach during the season. From 2016-2017, Johnson was an assistant wideout coach where he helped Jarvis Landry become an elite wideout given 22 total scores in his career there. In 2018 before he departed, Albert Wilson was mentored for success as well with 4 touchdowns, which remains his career high.
Johnson joined the Lions in 2020 under Matt Patricia and immediately helped T.J. Hockenson with his development. This past season, he was given more influence over the team’s offense and helped Campbell with game planning and schematics. If he is the choice, he has seen plenty of offense in his time from tight end to wideout to playing quarterback himself.
All of this could culminate in a big promotion for Johnson when all is said and done.
READ NEXT: Lions Worst Contract Identified for 2022 Offseason