Jaguars 2025 head coach candidate profile: Lions OC Ben Johnson

What makes Ben Johnson an attractive candidate?

For the third time in five years, the Jacksonville Jaguars are searching for a new head coach.

Big Cat Country’s Jaguars head coach hiring process tracker is constantly being updated — but to provide more information on the top candidates being interviewed, we’ll be releasing in-depth profiles throughout the search.

First up: Ben Johnson, who has a virtual interview with Jacksonville scheduled for Saturday.

Experience

Johnson was a walk-on quarterback at North Carolina, where he graduated with degrees in mathematics and computer science in 2008. He was hired as a graduate assistant at Boston College the following year and was promoted to tight ends coach the year after.

The former Tar Heel made it to the NFL in 2012 when he was hired as an offensive assistant with the Dolphins. Johnson served in various assistant coach roles in Miami until 2019 when he was hired in Detroit.

After beginning as an offensive quality control coach, Johnson was promoted to tight ends coach in 2020, then passing game coordinator in 2021, then offensive coordinator in 2022.

Since then, no offense has scored more points or gained more yards than Johnson’s Lions.

Performance

2024 Lions offense

• Points per game: 33.2 (1st)
• First downs per game: 24.1 (1st)
• Yards per game: 409.5 (2nd)
• Yards per play: 6.2 (2nd)
• EPA per play: 0.155 (3rd)
• Success rate: 49.6% (1st)

Passing offense

• Total touchdowns: 39 (4th)
• First downs per game: 14.2 (2nd)
• Yards per game: 263.2 (2nd)
• Yards per attempt: 8.6 (2nd)
• EPA per play: 0.267 (3rd)
• Success rate: 53.6% (1st)

Rushing offense

• Total touchdowns: 29 (2nd)
• First downs per game: 8.5 (4th)
• Yards per game: 146.4 (6th)
• Yards per attempt: 4.7 (6th)
• EPA per play: 0.021 (5th)
• Success rate: 44.8% (4th)

Situational offense

• Early down EPA per play: 0.101 (3rd)
• Early down success rate: 49.1% (1st)
• Late down EPA per play: 0.351 (3rd)
• Late down success rate: 51.4% (5th)
• Touchdown rate in the red zone: 69.4% (3rd)

Quotes

How Ben Johnson Fixed Jared Goff and Became the Next Big Thing in NFL Coaching

From Ben Solak for The Ringer (August 2023)

Johnson knows that details make or break offenses in this league, not because of the ones he’s seen made, but because of the ones he’s seen broken—from the seven disappointing years in Miami with different systems to Goff’s first year in Detroit. “I’ve seen it fail a lot,” Johnson says. “I’ve tried to avoid any of the pitfalls I’ve seen in my coaching career. From the communication standpoint, the rest of the coaches understand exactly what we’re trying to do. And they’re able to get that to the players.”

Unraveling the many influences on Ben Johnson and the Detroit Lions’ offensive scheme

From Justin Rogers for The Detroit News (Sept. 2023)

With the Dolphins, Johnson crossed paths with the...