They look frighteningly like the Lions of a few years ago, led by a dangerous 1-2 punch at running back, a field-stretching tight end and an offensive game plan that’s hard to predict. That’s the brilliance of head coach Ben Johnson, the former Lions offensive coordinator. “His mind is on par with McVay’s,” one scout told me. “He knows what his players can do better than any coach in the league.”
That’s great for QB Caleb Williams, who is protected by a top-three offensive line and has a thunder-and-lightning backfield with Kyle Monangai and D’Andre Swift. “You can game plan to stop one,” one scout told me, “but not both.” What Williams really needs is for a wide receiver to emerge so that tight end Colston Loveland doesn’t have to be his top target. Either Rome Odunze or Luther Burden could fill that void, though the former must first show that there aren’t any lingering issues in his foot after suffering a stress fracture late last year.