Lions OC Ben Johnson informed interested teams that he will continue as Detroit’s offensive coordinator. Earlier this season, HC Dan Campbell said Johnson is worthy of a head coaching job.
“He would be worthy of that,” Campbell said, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “I think a ton of him. I think he’s — I’ve said it before, I just think he’s extremely bright, he’s creative. He’s organized. He’s a great communicator. I mean, he just, he’s got it.”
Lions QB Jared Goff said Johnson was “instrumental” to his success this season.
“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 and he does a great job with not just me but everybody, getting everyone ready to play. I joked in the middle of the year that I’m going to stop saying nice things about him because I know where that heads and if he does end up doing that, I’ll be thrilled for him. He’s a hell of a coach and that’s why you get into this profession is to do that but selfishly I’d love to continue to play for him.”
Packers GM Brian Gutekunst said “I would hope so” when asked if veteran David Bakhtiari would return as the team’s left tackle. There was some question about that given Bakhtiari’s age, injury history and sizable 2023 cap hit. But Gutekunst is optimistic about Bakhtiari’s long-term outlook and availability.
“I think we’re hopeful that he’s kind of cleared some of those injury hurdles that he had the last few years,” Gutekunst said via Packers Wire. “He got into a really good rhythm of learning what he needed to practice to get to the games, and I’m hopeful as we get beyond this season that rhythm will serve him well as we go forward.”
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!