Ben Johnson picking up steam as favorite to be Panthers new head coach

Ben Johnson will have his third of three head coaching interviews this week, and that job is reportedly the one the Lions offensive coordinator is the favorite to get.

As head coaching searches started around the league, the interview schedule for Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson filled up quickly. He interviewed with the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts late last week, and he’s slated to talk to the Carolina Panthers on Wednesday this week.

On Sunday, CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones reported Johnson “has the lead” for the Panthers job. Jones once covered the Panthers as a beat writer, so he may still be pretty plugged in there.

Joe Person of The Athletic (subscription required), in a mailbag piece (h/t to Lions Wire for the passage) had a note about Johnson’s candidacy for the job in Carolina.

"The buzz in league circles is that Tepper is enamored with Johnson, whose innovative schemes helped the Lions finish fifth in the NFL in scoring offense and total offense in his first season as offensive coordinator. Johnson’s a sharp guy — with degrees from UNC in math and computer science — so you’d have to think he’s going to nail his interview this week."

Lions rumors: How bad do the Carolina Panthers want Ben Johnson?

It’s really only a matter of time before Johnson is an NFL head coach, and he would hardly be the first one with one season as a coordinator/play-caller to get a head coaching job if he gets one now. His work with Jared Goff this season elevated his status as a bright head coaching candidate very quickly.

Head coaching searches around the league will not necessarily be complete until candidates on teams who are in the playoffs or make deep playoff runs can be interviewed and hired. But the Panthers may move quickly after owner David Tepper and general manager Scott Fitterer talk to Johnson this week, if he’s the guy they want most and he holds that status in the interview.