Ben Johnson has already coached and worked with Sam Howell.
At that time, the NFL rotated teams to coach the annual Senior Bowl, an all-star game of sorts for college seniors hoping to have an NFL career.
The Lions coaching staff was chosen for the 2022 Senior Bowl. In the brief video posted above, Johnson is seen doing some work with former Liberty University quarterback Malik Willis as well as current Commanders quarterback Sam Howell.
In one instance, Johnson is seen joking around with Howell, asking Howell about being the second-greatest quarterback in North Carolina history. Howell then responds, asking who was first? Johnson was a quarterback at North Carolina during the 2004 through 2007 seasons. It is not revealed in the video if Howell was aware of the Carolina football history involving Johnson as a quarterback.
Johnson, though a Tar Heel quarterback for four seasons, was lower on the depth chart and never played quarterback during an actual UNC game.
Being a UNC alumnus, there is no doubt Johnson is well aware of the most recent UNC quarterback Drake Maye. Maye is expected to be drafted in the top five in April’s 2024 NFL draft, and it could be that Johnson will be coaching Maye next season for the Commanders.
At the time of the 2022 Senior Bowl, Johnson was still the Lions tight ends coach. However, he served as an offensive coordinator during the Senior Bowl week.
In that offseason, Johnson was promoted to the Lions’ offensive coordinator position, which he has served well in for the past two seasons. Incidentally, Panthers owner David Tepper wanted Johnson to be the Panthers’ head coach during the 2023 offseason. However, Johnson was determined to remain with the Lions for another season.
After a much better 2023 season with the Lions, Johnson is now one of the more desired head coach candidates in this 2024 hiring cycle. The Commanders interviewed Johnson (virtually) last week. In addition, the Commanders have scheduled an in-person interview with Johnson next week.
