After the fantastic season, the Detroit Lions have had, many are concerned with the news that offensive coordinator Ben Johnson could leave for a head coaching position. With the Lions’ offense’s emergence and Jared Goff reestablishing himself as a top-ten NFL quarterback, many teams have seen Johnson’s value and are avidly pursuing him. Interviewing with three teams, Lions fans may get the news on Johnson sooner rather than later. With the Houston Texans today, the Indianapolis Colts tomorrow, and the Carolina Panthers sometime next week, Johnson has many organizations and fan bases trying to lure him away.
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Whilst I don’t think he will be gone, here are three perfect candidates that can fill Ben Johnson’s role as Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinator if he leaves for a head coaching job:
No. 3: Following in Ben Johnson’s footsteps from tight-end coach to offensive coordinator, Tanner Engstrand:
Just like Johnson before him, Tanner Engstrand would be promoted to offensive coordinator from the tight-end coach and passing game coordinator. Not everyone is going to be like Johnson and rise to glory as he did, but what many fans don’t realize, is that this situation has arisen many times throughout the league. If the Lions want another young, offensive guru, who was quickly revolutionizing the game along with Johnson this season, Engstrand is a perfect fit.
The 40-year-old coach served as the offensive coordinator and assistant head coach in 2011 at San Diego, leading the team to a 9-2 season in which they won the Pioneer Football League (One of the top FCS conferences). Putting up seven, 30+ point games, the San Diego offense dominated, through the ground and air, every team they faced. Engstrand then moved on to serve as the DC Defenders’ offensive coordinator in 2019, before the league shut down. Though the talent was weak, Engstrand managed to pull three wins out of the team in five games, each of which was done with creative offensive scheming in the passing game.
Now serving as the Detroit Lions passing game coordinator, Engstrand has been a hidden gem, receiving praise from the entire coaching staff. Many of the flashy passing plays the Lions showed during the latter half of the season, were drawn up by Engstrand himself. The internal promotion has been a staple of the short Brad Holmes era, and Engstrand would be another easy internal promotion that would bode well for the Lions’ offense.
No. 2: Another internal promotion, Lions’ quarterback coach Mark Brunell:
The second internal promotion on this list, quarterback coach Mark Brunell is a heavy favorite to land the offensive coordinator job if Johnson leaves. With his direct connection to Jared Goff, this would be a solid step above Engstrand in terms of an easy transition. Goff is a quarterback who needs a solid relationship with his coaches to function, and Brunell has done a great job building one in the two years he has been with the team.
Brunell served as a high school head coach from 2013-2020, before joining the Lions’ staff. Sure, he doesn’t have the most experience at the NFL level in terms of coaching, but he makes up for it with plenty of experience as an NFL quarterback. In 19 seasons in the league, Brunell started 151 games, mainly with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He wasn’t just some forgettable starter either, leading the team to ten playoff games and and two AFC Championship Game appearances.
Nobody knows an NFL defense like a former quarterback, and his connection to the current offense can’t go unnoticed. Brunell may have a learning curve to the job, but with Campbell and Engstrand working with him, Detroit should be able to continue their offensive success in 2023 if Ben Johnson does leave.
No. 1: Zac Robinson, a chip off of Sean McVay’s block:
Currently serving as the Los Angeles Rams quarterback coach and passing game coordinator, Robinson has the potential to be another great coach off of Sean McVay’s coaching tree. In his fourth season with the team, Robinson found success in the league despite the Rams’ shortcomings. Having to start four different quarterbacks in a season is no easy task for any passing game coordinator, but try doing it without your top receiver too! Losing Matt Stafford and Cooper Kupp would flat-out ruin most coach’s stat lines, but Robinson was resilient. Leading his offense to a league-average season.
Now that doesn’t sound impressive, but again that’s without his starting quarterback, top receiver, weak offensive line, and one of the worst rushing attacks in the NFL. Robinson was doing a lot with a little, this was coming off of two seasons as one of the best passing attacks in the league too. There is no doubt that Robinson could utilize the talent in Detroit to maintain the offensive strength that was seen under Ben Johnson.
Sean McVay’s staff gets poached each year by top NFL teams looking for great coordinators, and they do it for good reason. Proven success is what comes from the McVay coaching tree and Robinson can be that next piece. The only issue the Lions may face in getting the young coach is an internal promotion to the offensive coordinator of the Rams. Right now, with McVay questioning a return and telling his staff they can look around the league for opportunities, that issue doesn’t seem too prevalent at the moment.
Hopefully, this is an irrelevant conversation in just a few weeks, but the possibility of losing Ben Johnson is real. It would be irresponsible to not consider one’s options in this case. The Lions are doing just that. Despite Johnson being a hot commodity around the league right now, Detroit truly needs not to fear as there are three perfect coaches waiting in the wings for their opportunity to shine.
