DETROIT – Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is leaving to become the head coach of the Chicago Bears, according to reports.
Johnson, 38, has been with the Lions since 2019 and spent the last three years as the offensive coordinator. His innovative play calling earned him head coaching interest each of the past two off-seasons, but this time, he decided to pull the trigger.
Now he’ll go head-to-head against Detroit twice every year with the Bears, according to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The Lions fielded one of the best offenses in the NFL each of the past three years under Johnson. They ranked fourth, third, and second in yards per game and fifth, fifth, and first in points per game.
Johnson made headlines with creative trick plays, but his real strength was establishing the run and putting Jared Goff in positions to take advantage of play action.
Over the past two seasons, Johnson was a major reason the Lions won back-to-back NFC North titles for the first time and went a combined 27-7 in the regular season.
Dan Campbell said Monday that he expected to lose both of his coordinators to head coaching jobs. Now the search begins for Johnson’s replacement.
Whoever it is, they’ll inherit an embarrassment of riches on the offensive side of the ball. David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs form one of the best running back duos in the league behind an elite offensive line.
Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, and Sam LaPorta are an excellent trio of weapons in the receiving game, too.
