Ben Johnson must be a fantastic multitasker. Last year, the Lions’ offensive coordinator was highly selective in taking head-coach interviews while leading Detroit to the NFC Championship Game. And as the Lions prepare for another postseason run, expect a similar approach. The Bears, Patriots and Jaguars are on his interview list this week, but don’t rule out a return to Detroit.
Speaking to Kevin Clark on This is Football two weeks ago, Dan Orlovsky said Jared Goff and Caleb Williams are different. Both in college and the NFL, Williams doesn’t play quickly with regard to completing passes. And that’s primarily why he would encourage the Bears to steer away from Johnson.
“I think I would very much entertain others, if I was Kevin Warren,” Orlovsky said. “The reason is this: If you just have watched the emergence of Ben Johnson as a play-caller with Jared Goff, I can very clearly tell you why it’s worked so well is Jared plays on time so well. Jared is a rhythm passer. He is one, two, three, four, five throw; one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, and throw. Ball fake, come out, hitch and throw. And so there there’s a rhythm into that play-calling in in pass game. That’s not necessarily Caleb’s strong point; it’s not.
“That’s why I would be a little bit more leery of, while that player is unbelievably talented and that coach is unbelievably creative, together is that the perfect marriage? And I don’t know if I’m there yet.”
Williams his rookie year in solid fashion, securing valuable momentum in a 24-22 season-ending win at Green Bay last week. He started all 17 games and passed for 3,541 yards with 20 touchdowns and just six interceptions, compiling an 87.8 passer rating. But to Orlovsky’s point, Williams also led the league with 68 sacks taken. So, if Williams and Johnson wouldn’t be a good marriage, which quarterback would ensure a lifetime of marital bliss?
Joe Burrow. That’s according to respected NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah, who told Clark last month on This is Football that remaining with the Lions is more attractive than going anywhere but the riverfront in the Queen City.
“If I’m Ben Johnson,” Jeremiah said, “I’m keeping an eye on Cincinnati and going, ‘I would rather stay in Detroit and wait two years, three years for that opportunity to open up. Because if you want to take what I’ve done to another level, the only quarterback who could run this stuff that I’m doing better than Jared Goff is the guy in Cincinnati.”
The guy in Cincinnati just finished the season leading the NFL in both passing yards (4,918) and touchdown passes (43), and ranked third with a 108.5 passer rating. And don’t think the frugal reputation of Bengals ownership would keep Johnson from pursuing that role with Burrow. Super Bowl victories would mean more than a few million dollars when Johnson looks back on his career, Jeremiah said.
By staying in Detroit, Johnson also would risk going the route of now-former defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, dismissed by the Bengals on Monday after a down year. While Anarumo is expected to be in high demand as a free-agent defensive coordinator this month, he’s not likely to get as many head-coach interviews as he did in past years.
However, after Johnson engineered such high-powered Lions offenses over the past two seasons, few expect the Lions to regress in 2025.
For more information on the Bears, Bengals and Lions, or the NFL hiring cycle, visit the respective team pages and Coach/GM Carousel page at ProFootballPost.com.
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