Although Ben Johnson completed his first year as a head coach last season, he displayed unique leadership qualities in his early days in Detroit.
Before Ben Johnson became the Chicago Bears head coach, there were plenty of signs that he would rise in the coaching hierarchy to land the position he currently holds.
Johnson's started his NFL coaching career with the Miami Dolphins as a offensive assistant and throughout his eight years with the organization spent time working with the quarterbacks and tight ends before ending as the wide receivers coach in 2018.
The former North Carolina backup quarterback then landed with the Detroit Lions as an offensive quality control coach in 2019. Detroit traded with the Cleveland Browns for former Purdue quarterback David Blough the same year. Long-time coach John Shoop was Johnson's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at North Carolina for a season and served in the same position while Blough attended Purdue.
The two made an instant connection and were both learning Lions offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell's offense for the first time.
Although it wasn't Johnson's role, the Lions' offensive quality control coach made it a part of his schedule to go over the offensive game plan every Saturday night until Blough got an opportunity to start for the first time in his NFL career against the Chicago Bears in Week 13.
"He helped me learn what an NFL offense truly was while he was also putting in 100, 110 hour weeks to make sure we had everything that we needed ," Blough said, via NFL Spotlight with Ari Meirov. "I tell people all the time that he was behind the scenes of that 2019 season, but he was one of the main reasons I was able to go out and execute as a quarterback, so it showed me, right Ari? That you can't hide from the work that it takes to go into it. ..."
Like Johnson did in Miami, he worked his way up within the Lions' organization. He coached tight ends for two seasons before taking over as the passing game coordinator in 2021. For his final three seasons in Detroit, Johnson called plays as the offensive coordinator, helping the Lions become one of the most dangerous offenses in the NFL.
Blough earned his first coaching job in 2024 for the Washington Commanders as an assistant quarterbacks coach and will now call plays for quarterback Jayden Daniels as the team's offensive coordinator this season.
"If I were to highlight and say Dan Quinn is the most intentional coach I've ever been around, Ben Johnson's the most detailed," Blough said. "There's a reason that his offenses, you know, look the way they do whenever you turn the tape on, and that's what I'm trying to impart on our guys and hold them, you know, to a standard that, you know, as uncomfortable sometimes, but just challenge them to grow in that area.
So, I am incredibly thankful that our paths crossed and not surprised at all in the success that he's having and just proud of him as well."
