Getty Dan Snyder watching from the stands.
Even though the Washington Commanders did not play on Sunday, January 28, something positive might’ve happened for the organization.
With the elimination of the Detroit Lions in the NFC championship game, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson became available for hire, and NBC Sports’ Peter King reported that the belief is that Johnson will be the next head coach of the Commanders.
“The coaching/coaching-agent industry is sold that Detroit offensive coordinator Ben Johnson will get the Commanders’ job,” King wrote in his January 29 column. “Along with drafting a quarterback at No. 2 overall (or somewhere if new GM Adam Peters trades out of two), Washington owner Josh Harris seems likely to bury the Dan Snyder Era once and for all.”
Snyder was the longtime owner of the Commanders, and the team finished with a 164-220-2 record and made the playoffs only six times in his 24 years of owning the team. After multiple scandals plagued the franchise over the years, Snyder was pressured to sell the team in April 2023 to an ownership group led by Josh Harris.
The head coaching job became open when the Commanders fired Ron Rivera on January 8.
Washington Commanders Coaching Search Update
Johnson won’t be the only coaching candidates whom the Commanders interview. With only two head coach positions left to fill — Washington and the Seattle Seahawks — there are many head coaching candidates to choose from.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Commanders will interview Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn.
“Similar to the Seahawks, the Commanders’ search committee has taken its time in a process that figures to ramp up soon,” Rapoport wrote in a story published January 28. “Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn is set to meet with Washington early this week (flying there Monday and interviewing Tuesday), and he’s considered a strong candidate.
“On Tuesday, the plan is to travel to Detroit to visit for a second time with both Lions coordinators — Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn. In addition, Washington is also set to meet with Ravens defensive line coach and associate head coach Anthony Weaver early in the week, as his interviews have been noteworthy.”
Legendary head coach Bill Belichick is also on the market and given his track record as one of the greatest coaches in NFL history, he’s another name for the Commanders to think about.
Players Call Ben Johnson a ‘Genius’: Report
As offensive coordinator of the Lions, Johnson helped lead Detroit to its first divisional playoff game and conference championship since the 1991 season.
Under Johnson, 37, the Lions were fifth in the league in points scored (453), third in total offense (6,460) and tied for fifth in yards per play (5.9).
“There’s a reason why his players call him a genius, it’s because he is so involved,” The Detroit News’ Nolan Bianchi said, according to a January 18 story by Nick Carboni of WCNC in Charlotte. “At every level of designing and deploying that offense, he has full and complete control of those things.”
Johnson was elevated to offensive coordinator from passing game coordinator before the 2022 season. Before joining the Lions in 2019, he spent seven seasons in various coaching capacities with the Miami Dolphins.