Johnson has been the Lions offensive coordinator for the past two seasons. He’s been with the Lions organization since 2019, and before that was with the Miami Dolphins between 2012 and 2018.
In 2023, the Lions ranked third in the NFL in total offense under Johnson’s watch. In 2022, they were fourth. In 2021, before Johnson’s promotion, they were 22nd.
It should be especially promising for Commanders fans that the play of Lions quarterback Jared Goff was able to return to form under Johnson, after being considered a lost cause when the Los Angeles Rams had traded him away for Matthew Stafford. Johnson could be crucial for the development of either Sam Howell or a to-be-determined rookie.
The fact that Johnson has spent much of his coaching career working with Dan Campbell — both in Miami and Detroit — should also be encouraging. Campbell may currently be under scrutiny for his overaggressive decisions in the NFC Championship, but those who aren’t blinded by kneejerk hot takes will point out that those exact decisions throughout the year were a major part of the Lions’ success to even reach that point.
One would have to assume that as a head coach, Johnson would carry a similar analytically-driven philosophy as Campbell, coaching to win the game rather than to not lose it. As seen with Campbell and the Lions, that approach instills confidence in players’ mindsets which in turn helps build a winning culture, and that’s exactly what Washington needs.
Johnson may not be quite as passionate or as charismatic of a leader as Campbell — that’s a pretty high bar to clear — but his fingerprints are all over the Lions’ rise from a perpetual basement dweller to an NFC powerhouse. He’d be tasked with the same opportunity in Washington, and that’s why he’s considered the leading candidate for the job.
Now, we just wait to see if it’s his.