Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn have already emerged as candidates for the Washington Commanders job.
The Washington Commanders are wasting no time in their head coaching search after relieving Ron Rivera of his duties on Black Monday. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Commanders have already requested to interview both of the Detroit Lions ’ coordinators: Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn.
Teams are permitted to do virtual interviews of playoff teams starting three days after the Wild Card round, but a new NFL rule prevents teams from doing in-person interviews of other team’s coaches until after the divisional round of the playoffs. It’s an effort to slow down the interview process and give opportunities to coaches currently focused on a playoff run.
It’s no surprise that both Johnson and Glenn are at the top of some teams’ lists. Johnson has been a hot candidate for a couple years after orchestrating one of the best offenses in the league. In each of the past two seasons, the Lions have finished the regular season fifth in scoring offense under Johnson.
As for Glenn, while the Lions defense has not been their strongest of units under Glenn, they have seen significant improvement this season. After ranking 28th in scoring defense last year, the Lions are up to 23rd this season and still rank in the top half of the league in overall defensive DVOA, thanks to one of the best run defenses in football. Additionally, there is literally no coordinator in football more respected by his players. Earlier this week, an NFLPA survey revealed that Glenn had the highest grade of all NFL coordinators as voted on by his players .
In the upcoming days, we will have a 2024 coaching carousel tracker to keep tabs on all the job vacancies and interview requests for Lions ownership.
As of now, there are five head coach vacancies: Raiders, Chargers , Panthers, Commanders, and Falcons.