5 head coaching jobs Ben Johnson could leave the Detroit Lions for after the season

He will take an opportunity at some point, but here are five head coaching jobs offensive coordinator Ben Johnson could leave the Detroit Lions for after this season.

Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK
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4. Chicago Bears

To put it plainly, Matt Eberflus is an overmatched head coach who is not ideal for cultivating a rebuild. If the Bears "progress" to four or five wins this season, it will be hard to justify keeping him for a third season. It might happen-it will just be hard to justify it happening.

Chicago is also in line to have two top-5 (at worst top-10?) picks in next April's draft (thank you, Carolina Panthers), and taking a quarterback with one of them will practically be an order unless Justin Fields looks like a stud from here on out this season. Finding a head coach who can develop a quarterback and foster a good offense will be a priority with having a young quarterback in mind. And that young quarterback could still end up being Fields.

We frankly don't know what Johnson would do with a young quarterback as a coordinator and play caller. He and Goff have cultivated a great relationship though, as for his part Johnson has had the clear (though hardly revolutionary) intention of leaning into what his quarterback does best. As a head coach, regardless of what side of the ball your background is on, you'd better cultivate a good relationship with the quarterback. Johnson will easily transfer that to being a head coach, whenever he becomes one.

It would be hard to see Johnson leave the Lions to take a head coaching job with a division rival. But the opportunity may be there with the Bears, and in a certain light it could be an appealing opening if available.

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