NFL Rumors: Lions OC Ben Johnson Expected to be Among Top Candidates for HC Vacancies

For the second-consecutive year, there may be no hotter head coaching candidate than Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, according to Fox Sports' Jay Glazer.

Johnson, 37, is the latest in a trend of offensive gurus to be highly coveted to lead organizations around the NFL. And since he's taken over play calling duties, he's had the Lions ranked top five in offense each of the past two seasons.

Detroit currently has the second-best unit in the NFL trailing only the electric Miami Dolphins—who are a bit skewed thanks to a 70-point game earlier in the year.

Johnson first got to the Lions in 2019 and joined as an offensive quality control coach under Matt Patricia. He slowly worked his way up to tight ends coach, passing game coordinator and ultimately offensive coordinator the past two years.

One of most coveted candidates of the last coaching cycle, Johnson decided to withdraw his name from consideration after interviewing with Carolina, Houston and Indianapolis for their open coaching gigs.

Instead, he opted to stay put.

"It's really simple for me," Johnson told detroitlions.com's Tim Twentyman back in February. "It starts with this place and these people. Been here four years now and I believe in (principal owner) Sheila (Hamp) and what she's doing. (Team president) Rod Wood. Dan (Campbell), Brad (Holmes). It starts at the top and trickles down.

"This is as encouraged [as I've been] in my four years with the direction of the Lions and where we're headed."

While it's been great having Johnson back on the sidelines in Detroit, the organization likely won't be able to keep him around much longer.