The Detroit Lions should be a Super Bowl favorite going into this season. They were 15-2 in 2024. If not for a myriad of injuries on defense, there is a strong probability they would’ve at least made the NFC Championship game. Their roster remains stacked with talent. It should be a year of excitement. Yet underneath the optimism is a sense of dread. Much of this comes from the significant brain drain suffered by their coaching staff, headlined by the loss of coordinators Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn.
Most fear the former could hurt the team. Johnson’s offensive aptitude drove the Lions’ success for three years. He resurrected quarterback Jared Goff’s career while turning Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Jameson Williams into stars. Detroit brought in veteran coach John Morton to replace Johnson after he left for Chicago. Players have worked to put a positive spin on this development, but their comments have instead begun raising serious red flags about where things are trending.
The loss of Ben Johnson is already being felt.
Morton has plenty of experience in the NFL, but little as a coordinator. He only did it for one year at this level, in 2017 with the New York Jets, where his unit finished 28th in the league overall. He also spent two years at USC, where they finished 65th and 37th in the country. These comments about his system are spun as a great way to showcase the team’s talents. Others see it as evidence of somebody who lacks creativity. What Williams said in that video sounds dangerously similar to what Shane Waldron had planned for the Bears last year. Though Detroit has more talent, it’s still hard to ignore. The best offenses in the NFL are often the ones that utilize lots of scheming through motion.
See Miami, San Francisco, Minnesota, and Los Angeles for prominent examples. Ben Johnson was in that same group. Not only has he left the Lions, but he’s bringing that style to one of their biggest rivals. Maybe it’ll all work out, but there is a creeping dread in the minds of many up there.
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