Arthur Smith, Falcons Head Coach Candidate Share 20-Year-Old Connection

The Atlanta Falcons have interviewed several coaches in their attempt to replace head coach Arthur Smith. One candidate has deeper ties to Smith than initially anticipated.

Former Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith was not the most popular man in town when his tenure ended after the 2023 season.

Three straight 7-10 seasons bluntly told the story of Smith’s stagnation in Atlanta. The lack of development under center, controversial personnel usage, and frequent riffs with the media certainly didn’t help his case.

Owner Arthur Blank’s head coaching search has cast a wide net as the Falcons look to find a candidate more conducive to success. Few offer a more enticing résumé than Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.

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Johnson is the fan favorite for virtually every head coach opening, and while it seems more likely he will land with the Washington Commanders than anywhere else, Atlanta did give him an interview.

Perhaps the hot-shot coordinator is too close of a profile to Smith for some to be comfortable with, but his offense – diverse on the ground and married exceptionally well to its passing game – has earned him heaps of praise. 

The Lions feature two quality running backs, Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, and find creative ways to play to their strengths. Receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and tight end Sam LaPorta have been hugely productive, and there’s a case to be made that Johnson saved quarterback Jared Goff’s career.

The offense is a Ph.D.-level course in using the same formations with different plays and throwing counter-punches first, making defenses wrong. Johnson is seen as the premier new-school coaching candidate, compared to an old-school brand of football Atlanta played under Smith, heavily relying on the ground game to mask its quarterbacking woes.

However, Johnson and Smith share a connection dating back 20 years. As pointed out by Miles Garrett, the two were teammates for the University of North Carolina Tar Heels. Johnson became a walk-on quarterback in 2004, while Smith – 41 years old and four years his senior, was a guard from 2001 to 2005.

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That doesn’t mean it will play into Johnson’s coaching expedition. If anything, former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel is the candidate fans may find worrisome, given the possibility that Smith returns to Atlanta as his offensive coordinator.

Despite sharing the same roots as Smith, Johnson’s reputation and track record of success should usher in an exciting new era of football, should he be named the next head coach of the Falcons.