5 dark horse candidates to replace Ben Johnson as Lions offensive coordinator

Dan Campbell knew it was coming at some point, and it's here now. Ben Johnson is gone to be the head coach of the Chicago Bears, and the Detroit Lions need a new offensive coordinator.

Before the news came that Johnson was gone, Campbell was clear about what he'd be seeking in a new offensive coordinator. Quarterback Jared Goff will have input, the general philosophy will stay in place and Campbell wants the terminology to mostly remain as well. A new coordinator will also have to be ok with Campbell being involved, with a lesson learned from being too hands-off with his first offensive coordinator (Anthony Lynn).

All of that naturally pushes the conversation about who will replace Johnson toward internal candidates. Running backs coach Scottie Montgomery and passing game coordinator Tanner Engstrand are at the top of that list, though Engstrand could follow Johnson to Chicago. Another internal candidate, offensive line coach Hank Fraley, seems like a serious candidate for an offensive coordinator post elsewhere (and he could follow Johnson to the Bears).

Campbell made it clear he would not be in a rush to replace Johnson (or Aaron Glenn), and outside candidates would be considered. So let's look deeper there.

5 dark horse candidates to replace Ben Johnson as Detroit Lions offensive coordinator

5. Tony Franklin

Current job: Louisiana Tech offensive coordinator

If Goff's involvement or preference will be a tipping point in the offensive coordinator hire, and it may very well be with how well he and Johnson worked together, Franklin fits that mold.

Franklin has been an offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach in multiple spots at the collegiate level going back to 1999. That includes three seasons at Cal from 2013-2015, also know all three years of Goff's career there as he became the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 draft. Over his final two seasons at Cal, under Franklin's guidance, Goff had 78 touchdown passes and 20 interceptions.

Franklin just got hired back at Louisiana Tech, where was the offensive coordinator for three years before going to Cal, in December, and he's never coached in the NFL. But if there's an opportunity to reunite with Goff, maybe he'd jump.

4. Davis Webb

Current job: Denver Broncos quarterbacks coach

Webb just completed his second season as the Broncos' quarterbacks coach, with a key role in how well rookie signal caller Bo Nix performed. He is not far removed from his playing career, at 29 years old, which gives him familiarity with the direction of NFL offenses.

Campbell has been clear about Sean Payton's influence on him as a coach, and Webb has of course been on Payton's staff in Denver the last two years. So it's worth wondering if Payton will make (or already has made) a call encouraging Campbell to interview Webb for the Lions' offensive coordinator role.

Sometimes all someone needs is a chance. Webb may get a chance to interview as the search to replace Johnson gets going, and the trust Payton placed in him could be influential for Campbell.

3. Shane Waldron

Most recent job: Chicago Bears offensive coordinator

Credit to Mike Payton of AtoZ Sports, who has been all over the idea of Waldron replacing Johnson as Lions' offensive coordinator

Waldron got a raw deal when former Bears head coach Matt Eberflus made him a scapegoat by firing him as offensive coordinator in the middle of this season. But it was also pretty clear his offensive philosophy didn't align well with the skill set of quarterback Caleb Williams, which when it comes down to it had to have pushed the Bears toward hiring Johnson as their new head coach.

Within the idea of Goff having a lot of involvement in the search for a new offensive coordinator, Waldron has history with the Lions' signal caller. Waldron was on the Los Angeles Rams' offensive staff from 2017-2020, going from tight ends coach (2017) to passing game coordinator (2018) to passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach (2019) and back to passing game coordinator (2020).

Waldron seems easy to line up for an interview to replace Johnson in Detroit.

2. Jeff Nixon

Current job: Syracuse offensive coordinator and running backs coach

Nixon just completed his first season in his current role at Syracuse. Most of his coaching experience over the last decade-plus is in the NFL, and mostly as a running backs coach, with a stint as offensive coordinator/running backs coach at Baylor (2017-2019) and serving as interim offensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers in 2021 when then-head coach Matt Rhule fired Joe Brady.

Nixon was the Miami Dolphins' running backs coach from 2011-2015, where he overlapped with Campbell (who was the tight ends coach, then the interim head coach to finish that last season). So there would theoretically be the philosophical alignment the Lions' head coach wants, and the familarity that would be fairly inherent with anyone who will be hired to replace Johnson.

1. Dan Orlovsky

Current job: ESPN NFL analyst

Orlovsky is a long-time lingering punchline for Lions' fans, due to running out of the back of the end zone for a safety when he played quarterback in Detroit during the winless 2008 campaign. His takes on ESPN surely rub some people the wrong way too.

But when it comes down to it, Orlovsky knows football and can break down film with the best analysts out there. During regular appearances on "The Pat McAfee Show", he has openly talked about getting into coaching and most recently he said two coaches have reached out to him: one who is looking to get a head coaching job and building a staff, and one who is currently a head coach and losing a coordinator.

That latter sentiment narrows the field of coaches who have talked to Orlovsky. He and Campbell were Lions' teammates for two seasons, so there is a tie there.

Orlovsky, for whatever it's worth, responded on social media to the idea of him as a bold pick to be the Lions' new offensive coordinator.