The rise of Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson - ESPN

DETROIT — It didn't take long for Amon-Ra St. Brown to realize Ben Johnson was different.

Ahead of the 2021 season opener, the then-tight ends coach was tasked with presenting red-zone installs in front of the entire Detroit Lions team.

St. Brown — then a Lions rookie receiver — had heard other coaches present strategies for first, second and third down situations, but Johnson's delivery stood out immediately.

«The way he's explaining the plays, the way he's detailed with how we've got to run these routes in the red zone, I just knew the way he was talking to us, it just felt different,» St. Brown recalled. «I told one of my teammates, I forgot who it was, I was like, 'Bro, when Ben gets up there, he knows exactly what he's talking about, he's telling us what he sees in this play, what he wants us to do. There's no gray area. It's super detailed.'»

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After an 0-8 start to the season, Johnson was given playcalling responsibilities along with coach Dan Campbell, who assumed the role after the team demoted offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn. Johnson was officially named offensive coordinator the following offseason.

With Johnson fully at the helm, the Lions offense has become one of the NFL's best. Detroit had eight games with 30 or more points last season, which set a single-season franchise record. And since the start of the 2022 campaign, Detroit ranks fifth in offensive expected points added (EPA) while averaging 5.9 yards per play, which ranks fifth in the NFL, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Detroit's 50 plays of 25-plus