Ben Johnson (American football coach)

Ben Johnson
Detroit Lions
Position:Offensive coordinator
Personal information
Born: (1986-05-11) May 11, 1986 (age 38)
Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school:A. C. Reynolds (Asheville, North Carolina)
College:North Carolina (2004–2007)
Career history
As a coach:
  • Boston College (2009–2010)
    Graduate assistant
  • Boston College (2011)
    Tight ends coach
  • Miami Dolphins (2012)
    Offensive assistant
  • Miami Dolphins (2013–2015)
    Assistant quarterbacks coach
  • Miami Dolphins (2015)
    Tight ends coach
  • Miami Dolphins (2016–2017)
    Assistant wide receivers coach
  • Miami Dolphins (2018)
    Wide receivers coach
  • Detroit Lions (2019)
    Offensive quality control coach
  • Detroit Lions (2020–2021)
    Tight ends coach
  • Detroit Lions (2021)
    Passing game coordinator
  • Detroit Lions (2022–present)
    Offensive coordinator
Record at Pro Football Reference

Benjamin David Johnson (born May 11, 1986) is an American football coach who is the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). His NFL coaching career began as an assistant with the Miami Dolphins in 2012, coaching quarterbacks, tight ends, and wide receivers. Johnson later joined the Lions in 2019, rising to offensive coordinator in 2022 and leading the team to two top-five offenses. He was previously a walk-on quarterback at North Carolina in the mid-2000s.

Early life and college

Johnson was born on May 11, 1986, in Charleston, South Carolina.[1] He attended and played quarterback at A. C. Reynolds High School in Asheville, North Carolina, where he was named conference player of the year as a senior and graduated in the top five of his class.[1] Johnson was a walk-on for the Tar Heels at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2004, where he competed as a reserve quarterback behind T. J. Yates before graduating in 2008 with degrees in mathematics and computer science.[1][2]

Coaching

Boston College

Inspired to get into coaching by his offensive coordinator at UNC, John Shoop, Johnson was hired as a graduate assistant for the Boston College Eagles in 2009.[3] He was promoted to tight ends coach in 2011.

Miami Dolphins

Johnson was hired as an offensive assistant for the Miami Dolphins in February 2012.[4] He was promoted to assistant quarterbacks coach in 2013 and served as tight ends coach in 2015 after head coach Joe Philbin was fired following a 1–3 start.[5] Johnson was named assistant wide receivers coach in 2017 and was promoted to wide receivers coach the following season.[6]

Detroit Lions

Johnson was hired as an offensive quality control coach for the Detroit Lions in 2019.[7] He was promoted to tight ends coach in 2020 and was retained after Dan Campbell was named head coach in 2021.[8][9] The same season, he would be promoted to pass game coordinator after Anthony Lynn was stripped of play-calling duties following an 0-8 start.[3] Johnson was promoted again to offensive coordinator in February 2022,[10] receiving head coaching interest by the end of the season after leading the Lions to a top five offense with eight games over 30 points, a single-season franchise record.[2]

He remained in Detroit for the 2023 season, despite being heavily pursued by the Carolina Panthers,[11] in which the team finished third in total offense, won the division for the first time since 1993, and won a playoff game for the first time since 1991.[12] The Lions would later defeat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and would advance to the 2023 NFC Championship Game, but ultimately lost to the San Francisco 49ers. In both the NFC Divisional Round against the Bucs and the NFC Championship against the 49ers, Johnson's offense put up over thirty points and over 100 rushing yards.

On January 30, 2024, Johnson announced he would be returning to the Lions despite being considered a prime head coaching candidate for both the Washington Commanders and Seattle Seahawks.[13]

Coaching philosophy

Johnson cited his offensive scheme as being influenced by Kevin Rogers, Darrell Bevell, Adam Gase, Clyde Christensen, and Mike Martz.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Ben Johnson - Football". goheels.com. North Carolina Tar Heels. 2006. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Woodyard, Eric (September 28, 2023). "The rise of Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson". ESPN. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Rogers, Justin (September 4, 2023). "Unraveling the many influences on Ben Johnson and the Detroit Lions' offensive scheme". The Detroit News. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  4. ^ Cuadros, Mario. "Miami Dolphins Offseason: Dolphins Complete Coaching Staff". Bleacher Report. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  5. ^ Miami Dolphins [@MiamiDolphins] (October 7, 2015). "We have made the following coaching staff changes: Ben Johnson will serve as tight ends coach" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  6. ^ "Dolphins hire Dowell Loggains as offensive coordinator". Associated Press. January 19, 2018. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  7. ^ Schlitt, Erik (September 10, 2019). "Report: Lions hire Ben Johnson as offensive quality control coach". Lions Wire. USA Today. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  8. ^ Reisman, Jeremy (February 25, 2020). "Detroit Lions finalizing coaching staff, shifting Ben Johnson to TE coach". PrideofDetroit. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  9. ^ Schlitt, Erik (January 28, 2021). "Report: Detroit Lions to retain TE coach Ben Johnson". Lions Wire. USA Today. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  10. ^ Birkett, Dave (February 7, 2022). "Detroit Lions hire TEs coach Ben Johnson as new offensive coordinator". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  11. ^ Risdon, Jeff (February 15, 2023). "Ben Johnson explains why he turned down head coaching interviews to stay in Detroit". Lions Wire. USA Today. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  12. ^ Jhabvala, Nicki (January 15, 2024). "The Lions trusted Jared Goff. He repaid them with a historic win". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  13. ^ Woodyard, Eric. "Sources: Ben Johnson nixes head-coach jobs to stay with Lions". ESPN. Walt Disney Company. Retrieved January 30, 2024.