Lions OC Ben Johnson reportedly has 3 scheduled head coach interviews

The Lions offensive coordinator will interview with two teams this week and one next week.

Prior to Thursday, we knew that at least three teams had put in requests to interview Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson for their head coach vacancies. Now those requests have taken the next step. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Johnson now has three scheduled interviews.

Johnson will interview with the Houston Texans on Thursday (Jan. 12). Then he will talk with the Indianapolis Colts on Friday (Jan. 13). He will then interview with the Carolina Panthers sometime next week, according to Pelissero’s report.

Johnson has only served as the Lions offensive coordinator for a single season, but he helped turn Detroit into one of the most potent offenses in the league. The Lions finished fifth in scoring, fifth in offensive DVOA, and sixth in expected points added per play. The Lions’ offensive coordinator was also instrumental to Detroit’s strong finish in 2021, having received a midseason promotion to passing game coordinator after the Lions stripped then-offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn of play-calling duties.

“I think a ton of Ben,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said this week. “I’ve said it before, I just think he’s extremely bright. He’s creative, he’s organized, he’s a great communicator. I mean he’s got it, and I would do anything I can to help him. That’s the bottom line. Of course, I don’t want to lose him, but I’m not going to hold him back either. I would help him any way I can help him.”

In addition to Johnson, the Colts have reportedly requested to interview Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. You can track all of the latest head coaching news with our 2023 NFL coaching carousel tracker.