Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson interviews for Colts head coaching job

INDIANAPOLIS — For half a decade now, ever since Sean McVay’s early success with the Los Angeles Rams, NFL teams have bet their head coaching positions on young, talented offensive coordinators, preferably from McVay’s coaching tree, more than any other archetype.

Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who interviewed with the Colts on Friday, fits the bill as a 36-year-old rising star in the world of coaching.

But Johnson’s a little bit different because he doesn’t come from one of the established coaching trees teams have been picking for the past couple of seasons.

Johnson’s something of a self-made man who spent seven years in Miami working his way up under Joe Philbin and Adam Gase, then moved to Detroit and reconnected with Lions head coach Dan Campbell, who handed the young coordinator the keys to the offense this season.

The results were impressive.

Working with Jared Goff at quarterback, Detroit’s offense finished in the top five in yards (4th) and points (5th), a feat that becomes all the more impressive when taking into consideration that the Lions offense was so bad last season that Campbell took play-calling away from then-offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn and increased Johnson’s duties as the season progressed.

The NFL has noticed.

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Johnson interviewed with the Texans on Thursday, the Colts on Friday and is expected to interview with Carolina next week, according to the NFL Network.

“He would be worthy of that,” Campbell told the Detroit Free-Press this week. “I’ve said it before, I just think he’s extremely bright, he’s creative, he’s organized, he’s a great communicator. … He’s got it.”

An offensive coach like Johnson would also immediately address the Colts’ biggest area of weakness. Indianapolis finished 27th in the NFL in yards, 30th in points and dead last in giveaways, with 34 on the season. Johnson’s offense in Detroit, meanwhile, turned it over just 15 times, the best mark in the NFL.

Johnson’s work with Goff is also a selling point.

Indianapolis holds the No. 4 pick in April’s NFL Draft, and the Colts are expected to draft a rookie quarterback to develop. NFL teams have often tabbed offensive-minded head coaches to help develop young quarterbacks, although Indianapolis general manager Chris Ballard said in his season-ending press conference that he wasn’t going to focus on either side of the ball, and the Colts’ coaching candidates so far have reflected that.

But getting Goff to turn in the best season of his career is important. Two years ago, the Lions picked up Goff in a trade because the Rams didn’t believe he could truly be a franchise quarterback; Campbell and Detroit general manager Brad Holmes now say they consider Goff their starter for a while.

“He’s been as instrumental as any coach I’ve ever had,” Goff said. “Our communication is as good as I’ve ever been a part of.”

With relatively few stops on the coaching circuit so far, and in part because of his youth, there are questions about the staff Johnson would put together, but it’s important to remember that coaches often network and build relationships with coaches on the staffs of other teams.

And teams are clearly interested in what Johnson brings to the table.

The Lions offensive coordinator is the fifth interview the Colts have conducted, joining Indianapolis special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone, Broncos defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy and Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris. Philadelphia offensive coordinator Shane Steichen is reportedly scheduled to interview on Saturday, and the Colts have also requested to interview Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn.

Indianapolis interim coach Jeff Saturday is also a candidate.

But there will likely be many more beyond the initial surge. Ballard promised to hold a wide-ranging, thorough search, and Indianapolis has only interviewed coaches who didn’t have a wild card game this week, making it likely that the field of candidates will expand as the playoffs progress.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts: Lions OC Ben Johnson interviews for head coaching job