Commanders news: Ben Johnson, Ron Rivera, Jayden Daniels and busy times

Commanders free to launch on Ben Johnson

It looked for a long time as if the Washington Commanders might have to wait a little longer before making Ben Johnson their next head coach. The Detroit Lions were in complete control of their NFC Championship game at the San Francisco 49ers, taking a 24-7 lead into the half-time interval. Unfortunately, they were unable to keep up this momentum en route to a heartbreaking loss.

There is no time for Johnson to wallow in any self-pity. The Commanders will be speaking to the Lions' offensive coordinator on Tuesday. If everything goes well, he'll likely be the guy chosen to take this storied franchise forward.

Many believe this is already a foregone conclusion. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, nothing could be said with any great certainty given Washington's desire to find out more about the four other finalists.

"There are some who have viewed [Ben] Johnson as the "presumptive favorite" for the Washington job, but multiple sources insist that is not true. While Johnson could land the Commanders head-coaching job, sources insist that there are other strong candidates -- most notably [Mike] Macdonald, [Anthony] Weaver, [Aaron] Glenn and Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn -- who remain "very much in play.""

- Adam Schefter, ESPN

While nothing has been confirmed as yet, it's not hard to read between the lines. Several suitors pulled out in quick succession last week. That's probably a sign that Johnson's representatives had been in touch to inform them of his intent to either join the Commanders or Seattle Seahawks.

Time will tell. But thankfully, there isn't much longer to wait.