The biggest story in the NFL this week was not a hiring, firing, or Super Bowl news.
Rather, it was Detroit Lions Offensive Coordinator, Ben Johnson, announcing he will not seek a head coaching job this off-season.
This took the Washington Commanders top candidate out of the picture, and some would say the best coaching candidate of this cycle off the board.
He turned down head coaching interest last year because he did not feel he had the experience; this time around, he wants to run it back with Detroit for a chance at a ring.
You have to respect the loyalty and confidence of Johnson wanting to win a championship with the Lions, but there is little to no chance he will make this same decision next year.
Especially if the new-found success in Detroit continues, the money and interest should be at an all-time high for the 37-year-old coordinator.
This surprise move might have also opened a door for the Dallas Cowboys in the 2025 off-season.
Could Johnson, as coveted as he is, succeed Mike McCarthy, who has just one season left on his contract? Let's talk about it.
Would Dallas Consider Johnson?
We can not get too far ahead of ourselves in this question.
This would be an unorthodox move from the Cowboys organization, so we have to consider if they would make the move at all.
Jerry Jones likes familiarity, connections, and experience.
When you look at the full list of Cowboys head coaches, you see a lot of in-house promotions and people connected to Jones before being hired.
Essentially, hiring a young, generally inexperienced coach like Johnson would be straying from a lot of the Jones family hiring traditions. So, why would they do it?
The answer is hidden in plain sight. The Cowboys, especially recently, like offensive-minded head coaches.
In 2010, Dallas fired head coach and defensive guru, Wade Phillips. Since then, Dallas's two head coaches have both been offensive-minded play-callers.
It does not make sense for the Cowboys to change this trend if they do let McCarthy walk in 2025.
The offense is still this team's better side and that will not change with Dak Prescott at the helm and young weapons like CeeDee Lamb and Jake Ferguson being in-house for the foreseeable future.
This fact means they have to consider Johnson and his incredible offensive ability. He will be the best and most coveted offensive-minded coach this time next year.
Johnson gives Dallas a chance to elevate their offense tremendously. That will intrigue the Cowboys front office, even if it means stepping outside of their comfort zone.
Is Johnson a Good Fit?
The most important thing to consider here is if Johnson would be a good fit in Dallas. Neither the organization nor the coach is going to be interested if things just don't match up.
To figure this out, we have to look at Johnson's track record as a coach in Detroit.
The Lions are coming off one of the best seasons in franchise history, and Johnson's offense is the main reason why.
Johnson was able to elevate a quarterback in Jared Goff, who is not in the highest elite tier of the league, to a career year.
He did this by using pre-snap motion, making reads easy on his quarterback, utilizing the running game, and getting the most out of a star WR1 in Amon-Ra St. Brown.
Boy, would that sound good in Dallas.
Prescott and Lamb are above Goff and St. Brown's level, and so if Johnson got his hands on an upgraded version of the duo that he got so much success out of, just how incredible could the Cowboys' offense get?
Bengals coach Zac Taylor on Lions OC Ben Johnson
“HE'S BRILLIANT” pic.twitter.com/vqMwpiKZO7
— Mark Tyler(Hogs Haven) (@Tiller56) January 24, 2024
The sky would be the limit, and right now in Dallas, the limit is the NFC Divisional Round.
Can It Happen?
At first glance, Johnson to Dallas seems like a pipe dream.
When you consider that McCarthy could very well be out of a job next off-season, and Johnson will likely pursue a head coaching job after this “last dance” with Detroit, it starts to come together.
That said, it takes more than an opening and a candidate to conclude that this could legitimately happen.
The reason why this could be a perfect match goes deeper; it is about Johnson's philosophy and scheme and the unique opportunity Dallas can offer in comparison to other teams.
If the Cowboys are on the hunt for a new head coach next year it means they had another failure of a season.
Just this week Jones talked about going all in for this year, if they do that and still fail something drastic should change.
Johnson would bring with him a modern style, one that finished 5th in pre-snap motion this season, while McCarthy's offense finished 23rd.
Final motion report for the 2023 season!
In 2017 NFL teams put a man in motion at the snap 4% of the time, on average. In 2023 the average was 22%!
Data via @ESPNStatsInfo video tracking team. pic.twitter.com/Ar67rJ9yWE
— Seth Walder (@SethWalder) January 16, 2024
It would be a new, and arguably better system.
This is not a guy who will head out on the first offer; clearly, winning means more to him than taking a head coaching job just to be a head coach.
The opportunity to come to Dallas, with all that comes with it, and work with such good offensive personnel is a great opportunity for Johnson.
There is a lot of time between now and 2025, but right now the Cowboys look like a prime destination for Johnson next off-season.
