Eight coordinators who could enhance their head-coaching odds with playoff success

It's time for that annual conundrum for NFL franchises seeking a new head coach: The best candidates are often coordinators on teams making deep playoff runs, so are hiring teams willing to wait that extra few weeks to fill their openings?

That's likely the case again this year, with six head coaching openings — the Bears, Saints, Raiders, Jaguars, Jets and Patriots — and potentially one or two more before it all shakes out. So with the playoffs starting, we offer up eight coordinators whose postseason runs, good or bad, will impact their ability to take the next step and be offered a head coaching position.

BEN JOHNSON, Lions OC, age 38

He's arguably the brass ring of the group, having been coveted for NFL jobs the past two offseasons and exercising rare patience in waiting for the right opening to accept. Could that mean staying in the NFC North with the Bears? With an established quarterback like Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville or a promising young one like Drake Maye in New England? The Lions were the top-scoring offense in the NFL this year, and to some extent, Detroit could get shut out after the bye week and he'd still have multiple offers to choose from. But with each win and each explosive offensive showing on a huge platform, Johnson makes the case for NFL teams to wait for him — or wink-wink, work out a deal on the side and keep it quiet — and take the most anticipated step up of this hiring cycle.

BEST FIT: Bears

AARON GLENN, Lions DC, 52

Sunday's impressive win over the Vikings to clinch the NFC's No. 1 seed earned Detroit and Glenn a week off in the playoffs, and it solidified his position as perhaps the most coveted of the defensive assistants. Several teams have already requested permission to