Why Jaguars need to do whatever they can to land Ben Johnson

Since taking over as the Lions OC in 2022, Johnson has been praised as one of the smartest offensive minds in the NFL. The Jaguars, on the other hand, just finished up a season in which they ranked 25th in total yards and 24th in points scored. 

The Lions' offensive personnel is much better than the Jaguars, of course, but Johnson has put together productive offenses in worse situations. For example, when he first got his job with the Lions in 2022, the team was coming off a three-win season in which they ranked 25th in points scored. In his first season, they jumped up to scoring the fifth most points in the NFL and won nine games.

Jacksonville has plenty of talent on offense, but injuries derailed any chance of success in 2024. Imagining an offense of Trevor Lawrence, Brian Thomas Jr., Evan Engram and Travis Etienne coached by Johnson should have the rest of the league terrified. 

One of the biggest things holding the Jaguars back in recent years has been subpar play from Lawrence. In his last two seasons, he has thrown 32 touchdowns and 21 interceptions. When you look at how Johnson helped revolutionize Jared Goff, a quarterback with arguably much less natural talent, it's exciting to think about what he could do with Lawrence. 

The Jaguars are in desperate need of a change both culturally and in terms of offensive creativity. Johnson would bring both. There is far too much talent on this team to win four games and Johnson knows how to get the most out of his players. 

With the fifth overall pick, $43 million in cap space, a quarterback with elite upside in Lawrence and plenty of talent on offense, Jacksonville seems like an ideal spot for Johnson to land. The Jaguars just have to hope they can do a better job at selling the job than the Bears and Raiders, two teams Johnson has been rumored to be interested in.