INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (670 The Score) – During their days together in Detroit, then-Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and then-defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn developed a strong mutual respect.
They admired each other’s mind on the other side of the football, and they helped spearhead the Lions’ turnaround to becoming the top seed in the NFC this past season. They both recently landed head coaching jobs as well, with Johnson joining the Bears and Glenn being hired by the Jets.
As he reflected Tuesday at the NFL Combine, Glenn certainly wasn’t surprised by Johnson’s success in coaching.
"He’s a very, very smart man,” Glenn said. “He knows offense inside and out. Now, the other good thing about Ben is he knows defense also. So, for him to get a chance to attack teams, that’s one thing he looks at quite a bit, is a defense and how they maneuver with receiver motions and things that. Listen, that’s going to continue to be a tough division that he’s in. All four of those teams are good teams in that division. I look forward to seeing how he operates there.”
Under Johnson’s guidance, the Lions led the NFL in scoring offense and ranked second in total offense in 2024. Under Glenn’s direction, Detroit had the seventh-ranked scoring defense in the league despite a rash of injuries on that side of the football.
The Lions were upset by the Commanders in the divisional round on Jan. 18, and Johnson and Glenn then immediately became available for hire. Johnson reached a deal to become the Bears’ new head coach just two days later. Two days after that, Glenn struck his agreement with the Jets.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.