It appears Ben Johnson will be on his way to the Washington Commanders , whenever this epic Detroit Lions season ends.
Johnson has been talked about for the past week as the favorite to land the Commanders job, but ESPN's Jeff Darlington had stronger reporting on the matter Friday afternoon.
"It is a pretty foregone conclusion in Washington, albeit one that we'll have to wait on to see with certainty, that Ben Johnson will wind up being the coach of the Commanders after the Lions' season ends," Darlington said on ESPN's SportsCenter.
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Washington and Seattle are the only two remaining franchises with head coach vacancies.
The oddsmakers seem to agree on Johnson to Washington. He was only listed as a slight favorite to land the job Thursday (+175 or 36.4% implied probability on bookies.com ), but those odds dropped to -1000 (1-to-10) on Friday afternoon at SportsBetting.ag. This means you would have to bet $10 to profit $1 on Johnson going to the Commanders.
Johnson had five virtual interviews last week for head coach jobs, but cannot meet a second time with a team until after Sunday's NFC championship game . Washington is expected to travel to Detroit to meet with Johnson next week .
The Lions' offense this season finished in the NFL's top five in total yards, rushing yards and passing yards per game, and ranked fifth in offensive DVOA ( Defense-adjusted Value Over Average ). They have scored at least 30 points in 10 of 19 games.
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Johnson is 37 years old and was born in Charleston, South Carolina. He went to high school in Asheville, North Carolina.
He made the North Carolina football team as a walk-on reserve quarterback , and graduated in 2008 with a degree in mathematics and computer science.
He began his coaching career at Boston College in 2009 as a graduate assistant, and was the tight ends coach in 2011.
Johnson joined head coach Joe Philbin with the Miami Dolphins in 2012 as an offensive assistant, two years after Dan Campbell joined the Dolphins. (Johnson and Campbell were together in Miami for four seasons, before Campbell went to New Orleans.)
Johnson worked his way up to wide receivers coach in 2018 with the Dolphins, before being hired by head coach Matt Patricia in 2019 to become a Lions offensive quality control coach.
Johnson was the tight ends coach in 2020-21, staying on when Campbell was hired in 2021 as head coach. He added passing game coordinator to his title during the 2021 season, when Campbell stripped Anthony Lynn of play-calling duties. The Lions won three of their final six games after starting the season 0-10-1, sparking Johnson's rise .
Johnson was promoted to offensive coordinator for the 2022 season, and his play-calling has helped quarterback Jared Goff and the offense become one of the most powerful and consistent units in the NFL for two seasons running.
Johnson was considered a top coaching candidate after the 2022 season , but after interviewing with several teams, he opted to return to the Lions.
"He's been as instrumental as any coach I've ever had," Goff said last January. "Our communication is as good as I've ever been a part of and he does a great job with not just me but everybody, getting everyone ready to play."
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Johnson will be on the sideline Sunday evening when the Lions play in the NFC championship game vs. the San Francisco 49ers in search of their first Super Bowl appearance in team history .
He cannot take the job until the Lions finish their season, which could be as late as Feb. 12, a day after Super Bowl 58 in Las Vegas .
Dan Quinn, the Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator and former Atlanta Falcons head coach, remains in the running for the Commanders job, with an in-person interview coming next week, NFL.com reported Friday. Quinn is the favorite to become Seattle's next coach according to SportsBetting.ag .
The Commanders, now under new ownership , went 4-13 this season and hold the No. 2 overall pick in April's draft. They fired coach Ron Rivera on Jan. 8, a day after the season ended.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Ben Johnson to Washington Commanders a 'pretty foregone conclusion'
