Road to Success

The story of Ben Johnson’s meteoric rise begins in North Carolina. He spent his childhood there, pretending to be Joe Montana in his neighborhood. A quarterback himself during his playing career, Johnson walked on to the football team at the University of North Carolina. Perhaps something to pass the time as he earned a degree in mathematics and computer engineering. He’s a smart guy, after all.

His two loves? Problem-solving and football. Coaching became the logical next step. Over time, Johnson would rise through the ranks. Graduate assistant at Boston College for two years, then a promotion to tight ends coach. The NFL called by age 25. He joined the Miami Dolphins as an offensive assistant in 2012. He was promoted to assistant QBs coach a year later. During the 2015 season, shortly after head coach Joe Philbin was fired, a certain interim head coach named Dan Campbell — then Miami’s tight ends coach — promoted the 29-year-old Johnson and tasked him with leading his former position group.

That trust between Campbell and Johnson, developed there in Miami, paved the way for where he is today. When Campbell took over the Lions in 2021, he quickly retained Johnson as his tight ends coach. When former Lions offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn was demoted halfway through the 2021 season, Campbell trusted Johnson — just 35 at the time — to help run his offense, eventually naming him the team’s new OC last offseason.

If it seems like Johnson, still just 36 years old, dropped out of thin air to lead the Lions to one of the most successful offensive seasons in franchise history, it’s because he did. Few could’ve predicted the level of offensive success the Lions (9-8) achieved in 2022. Johnson’s role in it all has made him one of the top offensive coordinators in the league, and a serious head coaching candidate this offseason, in short order.

“I would certainly not be shocked,” Campbell said of Johnson getting head coaching looks this offseason. “He would be worthy of that. I think a ton of Ben. … 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 going to hold him back, either.”

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Per multiple reports this week, the Texans, Colts and Panthers have all requested to interview Johnson. His name has been floated for months as a potential head coaching candidate, and now that the process has begun, the interest in Johnson remains real. How we got here, as quickly as we did, is fascinating. In part, because one of the biggest storylines for the Lions entering the season was what to make of Johnson and the offense.

Lynn was not a fit in Detroit. The offense struggled under his watch. He and quarterback Jared Goff weren’t on the same page. He saw his play-calling duties stripped away at midseason and his role in the offense diminish. In turn, Campbell called plays and Johnson assisted with the offensive game plan. Production improved, but more was needed. The Lions ranked 26th in scoring and 22nd in total offense. Campbell couldn’t afford to get another OC decision wrong.

So, he turned to Johnson — a coach he’s trusted for some time.

“I knew early when I met him as a very young coach that there was something about him,” Campbell said in August. “He was special. He’s bright a guy. He picks things up fast. He’s an ex-quarterback. He’s coached on multiple levels. So, what I’d say is I feel real good about that relationship, and he knows what I’m looking for. We’re in constant communication. He’s been around me long enough to where he doesn’t necessarily have to ask me all the time what I’m looking for. He will, but he’s got a real good feel of what I’m looking for. We’re on the same page.”

Johnson did well in what was essentially a trial run, which helped him earn the full-time title of OC last offseason. Players raved about him before the season. Goff’s eyes would seemingly light up whenever he was asked about him. You could see pieces of this offense coming together. A more comfortable Goff, playing in an offense designed to suit his strengths. Better weapons, including the growth of second-year wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and the addition of veteran DJ Chark. An offensive line that featured three first-round picks. Johnson liked the foundation of talent in place.

“The guys have been phenomenal — both players and coaches,” Johnson told The Athletic before the season. “The whole staff, I wouldn’t be able to do it without them and they’ve been so supportive the whole way. I’m fortunate to have such experienced guys that played and have coached a long time. We’ve got a couple of guys that have been to Super Bowls as players and coaches. They know what it should look like, so that makes my job a lot easier. The players, I think, are legitimately excited.”

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There was enough there for the Lions’ offense to take a leap. The final product, however, could result in Johnson taking one.

The Lions finished the season fourth in scoring and fifth in total offense. Detroit scored 453 points this season, second-most in franchise history. It scored 30 or more points eight times, a franchise record. Goff’s touchdown-interception ratio of 4-to-14 is the best in a single season by a Lions QB. His passer rating of 99.3 ranks second, his 29 passing touchdowns are tied for fourth and his 4,438 passing yards rank fifth for a single season. Running back Jamaal Williams topped 1,000 rushing yards for the first time in his career, led the league in rushing touchdowns with 17 and broke Barry Sanders’ single-season team rushing touchdown record. St. Brown became the youngest receiver in team history to record 100 catches and 1,000 yards in a season. Lions tight ends, Johnson’s former position room, caught 12 touchdowns in 2022 — a franchise record. Nine of those 12 came after T.J. Hockenson was traded. Detroit’s offensive line allowed the second-fewest sacks in the league, and the offense as a whole recorded the fewest turnovers of any team during the regular season.

“I’ve got to be careful how much I keep pumping him up,” Goff joked about Johnson last month. “He’s great. He’s unique in his own way. I think the best thing about him is his communication and the way he listens, and the way he takes our input and is constantly communicating and keeping us all on the same page. … He does a great job leading and putting guys in the right spot.”

Campbell is open about wanting his assistants to get opportunities in this league. His assistants, in turn, know they have his support. That’s why it’s not a surprise to see Campbell discuss Johnson the way he does. Same time, Campbell was as much a part of the Lions’ offensive success as anyone.

Through two years, Campbell has shown a good feel for pushing the right buttons with his staff when he has time to evaluate things. He saw things weren’t working with Lynn and made the tough but necessary move to turn to Johnson. Campbell was hesitant to reveal who the Lions’ primary play-caller would be leading up to the season, perhaps a sign that he felt good enough about the offense with either he or Johnson running the show.

But as the year progressed, it at times felt like Campbell went out of his way to deflect praise and defer to Johnson. In reality, many of the wrinkles we saw on Sundays were contingent upon certain looks the two thought they could exploit in various conversations leading up to games. They worked hand-in-hand getting the offense where they wanted it to be.

“There’s a lot of tweaking throughout the week,” Johnson said last month, when asked about the process of putting together a game plan. “We’ll start with a core on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and by the time we get to Saturday and Sunday, there’ll be some new things popping up. I’ve been in places, and I think Campbell’s the same way, where Saturday night walkthrough or even Sunday morning, there’s five new plays that pop up out of the blue that you didn’t even get the chance to practice, but you feel really good about. So we’re not afraid to do that if as the week goes, we feel like we want to trend a certain direction. …

“Sometimes you don’t know early in the week maybe who you have available, who they have available, or how you want to fully attack them, but like I said, Coach always has a great vision at the end of the week there, and we know offensively, defensively and special teams-wise how we’re going to attack the opponent.”

Still, Johnson helped get Detroit’s offense where it is today. Detroit tripling its 2021 win total, from three wins to nine, was fueled by an offense that ranked among the best in football. Now, other teams could look to hire him to do the same. But is he ready for such a leap?

Johnson has been coaching in the NFL for more than a decade, but he has just one year of experience as an offensive coordinator/play-caller. NFL teams haven’t been shy about hiring young, bright offensive minds, and Johnson certainly fits that bill. But being an NFL head coach is so much more than calling plays. A head coach has to know how to build a roster and field a team. Make tough decisions in critical moments. Earn the respect of a locker room and the players inside — some of whom might be older than Johnson. Can he do that?

A year ago, the question about Johnson was whether he was ready for a promotion.

That’s still true. Just for different reasons.

(Top photo: Junfu Han / USA Today)