The Detroit Lions got their biggest January win in years Tuesday when Ben Johnson informed the team he would be returning for a second season as offensive coordinator.
Johnson felt like there was unfinished business with a team on the cusp of the playoffs, and his return gives the Lions important continuity with one of the best offenses in the NFL. Jared Goff will have the benefit of running the same system for the second straight season, the entire offensive line could be back in 2023, most of the receiving corps is under contract and the Lions could bring back the bulk of their running game, too.
I know some people in Carolina see Johnson pulling out of the running for the Panthers job as a sign that Sean Payton is owner David Tepper’s top target. I don’t know if that’s the case; I imagine we’ll find out when Payton interviews there later this week.
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But my friend Joe Person, who covers the Panthers for The Athletic, tweeted Tuesday night Johnson’s reversal — he was expected to get an in-person interview this week — “was a jolt” to the organization.
Whatever the reasons, both Johnson and the Lions are set up for success next season, and that’s where we’ll start the first mailbag of the offseason.
Outside of Goff, who benefits most from Ben Johnson coming back? Thanks for doing these! — @Liamsdad425
Goff thrived under Johnson’s guidance this season and said last week Johnson was “as instrumental as any coach I’ve ever had” in his success. It goes without saying he benefits most from Johnson’s return, though there’s probably a (very) small part of the organization that would like to see how Goff plays without Johnson before committing to him contractually.
Jamaal Williams, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Kalif Raymond and all of the Lions’ young tight ends had career years under Johnson. Williams is a free agent and I suspect the Lions add a tight end this offseason, so I’d put either St. Brown or Raymond second on the list.
St. Brown is a good enough player that he would thrive in any type of offense, but Johnson has said he finds slot receivers nearly impossible to scheme against in the NFL; it’s no coincidence that St. Brown’s output ticked up late in his rookie season after Johnson took over as pass game coordinator.
I’ll give St. Brown a slight nod over Raymond for the second spot, only because St. Brown should be ticketed for another huge season and he’ll be eligible for a contract extension next January. With Johnson scheming up pass concepts, St. Brown should cash in handsomely.
Who’s not going to be resigned that’ll be a surprise? Alternatively knowing that BH said stay the course on FAs does Johnson staying tweak that at all? — @kev2a
Let’s handle the second part of this question first. Brad Holmes said last week his philosophy on team building won’t change after the Lions jumped from three to nine wins. The Lions have built their team the past two seasons by drafting and developing young players, and have prioritized signing their own free agents, and Johnson’s return shouldn’t alter that line of thinking at all.
To be clear, that does not mean the Lions won’t be in the market for free agent upgrades this spring. They need help on all three levels on defense and maybe at receiver and/or running back (depending on what happens to Williams and DJ Chark), but Holmes has said this team isn’t one player away. The Lions could make another Chark-like move at defensive tackle or cornerback, but Johnson’s return won’t cause them to go all in like the L.A. Rams.
As for the Lions’ own free agents, the Chark and Williams moves will be front and center this offseason, but I’ll give you one starter who I’d lean toward signing elsewhere this offseason — safety DeShon Elliott. Elliott started 13 games and set a career-high in tackles this season. He’s a starting-caliber player, but I’m not sure a starting role will be available to him next year in Detroit.
As committed as they are to youth, the Lions won’t be moving away from rookie Kerby Joseph as a starting safety anytime some, and with Tracy Walker trying to make a Jeff Okudah-like return from a torn Achilles, Elliott might have to go elsewhere to get the snaps he deserves.
Will the team pick up 5th yr on Jeff Okudah? — @EsshakiPaul
Speaking of Okudah … if I were the Lions, I would not pick up Okudah’s option right now.
Okudah had a roller coaster of a season, playing well at times in his return from Achilles surgery before getting benched for Mike Hughes late in the year. Okudah struggled in coverage late in the season, and he’s dealt with injuries throughout his career. (He missed the end of his rookie season with hernia surgery.) If the Lions pick up the option, they’re on the hook for approximately a guaranteed $11.265 million for 2024.
On one hand, Okudah’s cap number next season is $10.7 million, so that’s not too different from where things stand now. But taking a bigger-picture roster approach, the Lions have contracts for Jonah Jackson and perhaps Goff coming due before the 2024 season; St. Brown and Penei Sewell will be eligible for contract extensions by then; Jerry Jacobs will be a restricted free agent that spring; and I see the Lions as being likely to invest important resources (a first-round pick?) in a cornerback this offseason. All told, I’d rather not have that $11.265 million tied up in a player who has made a minimal impact his first three seasons.
LOOKING AHEAD:Detroit Lions have decision to make on CB Jeff Okudah’s fifth-year option this spring
A few years ago you wrote a column saying you thought Sheila Ford Hamp had the potential to be the right person to lead the Lions as owner (after many years of weak-middling leadership). Have these last two seasons confirmed that opinion? To what extent does ownership matter? — @jimwoehrle
I had not had much interaction with Hamp, the Lions owner, before she and her mother sat down with beat reporters at the end of the 2019 season to explain why Matt Patricia was returning as coach in 2020. That move turned out to be a mistake, but I wrote at the time I was impressed by Hamp, her passion and desire to field a winner, and the smart and decisive traits she showed as a leader.
Hamp slid into the ownership chair a few months later, made the decision to part ways with Patricia and Bob Quinn midway through the next season, then knew enough to know what she did not know when she embarked upon the search that led the Lions to hire Campbell and Holmes.
For years, the Lions’ biggest issue was putting their trust in the wrong poeple for too long. They’ve been loath to fix errors, and their mistakes compounded on themselves. Hamp has been a very visible owner while continuing to stay in the background, and she does what good leaders do — surround themselves with smart people and trust their input when making important decisions.
Ownership matters a ton in sports, business and just about every other walk of life. Owners can set the culture of an organization, both by their presence — the way they carry themselves — and the people they put in place. The Lions are still climbing that hill of respectability, but Hamp deserves to share in the credit for some of the strides they’ve already made.
What’s more likely, trading up to secure either Andersson or Carter or trading back to a team who wants a qb (Stroud/Levis)? — @MatTTruscotT
Holmes proved last year he’s not afraid to go big-game hunting in the draft, trading up to take Jameson Williams with the 12th overall pick. This year, there are two non-quarterbacks who will be near the top of just about every team’s board, Alabama pass rusher Will Anderson and Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter, and the Lions likely will have to trade up from No. 6 if they want either to fortify their defense.
Carter, in particular, seems like he’d solve a lot of issues on the Lions defense, and if the cost is right I’d jump at that move. If I had to guess, though, I’d say Holmes is more likely to move back from No. 6 this spring. There are two quarterback-needy teams in the top-five in the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts — they probably aren’t trade-down candidates — and a third team, the Chicago Bears, that could get the extra draft capital it covets by trading out of No. 1 and staying in the top five.
The Las Vegas Raiders at No. 7, Atlanta Falcons at No. 8 and Carolina Panthers at No. 9 could be in the market for a quarterback, so if the Seattle Seahawks pass on the position at No. 5, the Lions could be at a pivot point in the draft for the last of the big three signal-callers — Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud and Will Levis — left on the board.
How are we going to address the depth at guard? I love Big V, but we weren’t sporting NFL caliber talent at the position for much of the season after he went down. — @real_shawny
Guard is a sneaky position of need for the Lions, one I think they’re most likely to address in April’s draft. Holmes told me before his first draft as Lions GM in 2021 that he wanted to build a “monster” of an offensive line. He has succeeded with that, and I don’t think he’ll neglect it by going two straight drafts without taking a lineman.
Jackson is entering the final year of his contract, though he’s a candidate for an extension, and the Lions have a decision to make on Halapoulivaati Vaitai for 2023 after Vaitai missed this season following back surgery. Vaitai has a $12.4 million cap hit, but could return at a discounted salary. Either way, the Lions have to start preparing for the future at that position
When do you think the uniform changes will be announced? — @Evan94837493
Lions president Rod Wood said last spring the Lions would consider a uniform change for 2023, once their window to do so opened. I’m not privy to the discussions on what changes to expect, but it feels like it’s time for a new “color rush” uniform and perhaps some other minor changes to the uniform.
If the Lions will indeed have new duds for 2023, you can expect an announcement this spring.
Will the QLine be open during the parade? — @TeamCargoShorts
Love the optimism of Lions fans after this season, as I got a half-dozen questions similar to this. For the record, I won’t be surprised in the least if I’m covering a playoff game at Ford Field next January, but I won’t be making early hotel reservations for the Super Bowl next February in Las Vegas.
What away press box has the best and worst food spread? — @BSzachta
I don’t have any complaints about the food we’re served in the press corps. I sort of see it as if I’m a visitor at someone’s house. It’s common courtesy for them to offer me food, but I won’t be the one asking for cookies if they put out a plate of chips.
That said, I’d put the Dallas Cowboys’ spread above almost everyone else in the NFL. Jerry Jones didn’t spare any expense building that stadium, and he’s not cheap with the press box food, either. It’s been a minute since the Lions have played a road game in Tampa, Florida, but I seem to remember the Buccaneers having a carving station in their press box. And I admit, I do like stadiums that offer pizza or some other snack post-game, since I’m usually in the press box four-plus hours after the game.
The Lions, to their credit, have post-game food for the press corps, but they served breakfast before most games. Breakfast spreads don’t tend to move the needle for most reporters, though omelet stations are generally well received.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.