A couple of teams will be meeting with Houston Texans quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson this week; KPRC 2 Houston’s Aaron Wilson reports that the New Orleans Saints will interview Johnson remotely on Monday before he travels to speak with Cleveland Browns brass in person on Tuesday.
Some fans might worry about Johnson’s first meeting with the Saints being virtual instead of face-to-face, but this is common practice around the league. Saints linebackers coach Michael Hodges joined a Zoom interview with the New England Patriots last week. If these initial conversations go well they can lead to second, more-thorough interviews in person, as was the case for Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Thomas Brown, per NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe.
Still, it goes to show that Johnson is a coveted candidate. He’s done a great job preparing C.J. Stroud for life in the NFL and coaching up the Offensive Rookie of the Year favorite. He’s known as a sharp football mind with a passion for teaching his players the intricacies of the game.
“I see myself as a teacher. My biggest thing is I want to teach,” Johnson told Wilson earlier this year. “Whatever is needed of the players in the room, from Case Keenum, to Davis Mills, to C.J., whatever I can do to teach and give them whatever they need, I try to be transparent and open and honest with them. It’s a joy to coach them.”
That’s exactly what the Saints need to get their offense right and maximize Derek Carr’s skills. A stronger attention to detail and eye for coaching up young players like Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, and Kendre Miller is going to be important for whoever earns the offensive coordinator job. Being able to connect with Carr and help him excel (and, critically, avoiding the mistake-prone start we saw from him last season) is critically important. We’ll see how things develop after Johnson goes through this round of meetings with the Saints and other teams.
