If the Lions have won in the air recently, Ben Johnson probably had a hand in it. Detroit's tight ends coach has assumed a bigger role in coordinating the passing game since Dan Campbell took over play-calling in Week 10. Might not be long before Johnson is coordinating the whole offense.
"He’s had an incredible influence in the past month," Jared Goff said Tuesday on the Karsch & Anderson Show. "In my eyes, he’s a stud. He does a lot of great things. Ever since I got here, he’s been a guy that I can lean on and rely on with any sort of questions."
Campbell said Johnson helped design the play for tight end Brock Wright's 23-yard touchdown catch in the Lions' Week 13 win over the Vikings. And Goff credited Johnson for coming up with the play that resulted in Detroit's only touchdown in last week's loss to the Broncos, a swing pass to Kalif Raymond who came in motion and pulled a full 360 in the backfield before catching the ball.
Johnson, 35, joined the Lions in 2019 after a decade serving as various offensive position coaches for the Dolphins. Asked last week about taking on a bigger coaching role in the future, Johnson, a former quarterback at UNC, said, "I think any coach in this league would like to climb the ladder."
Goff, for his part, has no doubt Johnson will eventually be a full-fledged offensive coordinator in the NFL.
"As he keeps rising, I think he will absolutely one day be calling plays for somebody," said Goff. "I think he’s a hell of a coach who’s only going to get better."
Campbell will likely be looking for a new offensive coordinator this offseason after unseating Anthony Lynn as Detroit's primary play-caller. He might not have to look far. While Johnson doesn't have the NFL playing experience of most of Campbell's assistants, he has a wealth of NFL coaching experience for someone his age. And he has the trust of the Lions' starting quarterback.
"He’s got a lot of experience coaching quarterbacks in Miami and just being on this side of the ball and seeing a lot of different things, so he’s got a lot of perspective to provide," said Goff. "A lot of things that I learned one way in LA for four years, I come here and get to some learn some things a different way. He’s been one of the guys that’s provided that for me and has allowed me to see different things in different ways."
Goff said Johnson has made a big impact on Detroit's receivers as well.
"It’s really been the details in the last month, a lot of the stuff that Ben’s been able to provide in that regard and just making sure that everyone is where they’re supposed to be," he said. "The strides they’ve made over the last month have been tremendous, and we’ll only build from it. It’s been great."
We'll see how long Goff lasts in Detroit. Johnson, if he wants to stick around, is likely just getting started.