Not many people had hope for the Lions heading into 2019. Their first game ended in a tie due to an unneeded timeout. Detroit won the next two games against the Chargers and Eagles behind the offense firing on all cylinders under Darrell Bevell‘s new offense. Detroit lost the next three contests against playoff teams by a combined 19 points including a 34-30 loss against the eventual Super Bowl champion Chiefs. Things were looking great until Matthew Stafford was done for the year due to an injury. Stafford was having the best year of his career until the injury and was excelling in the new offense. Unfortunately, it seems as though Detroit might’ve lost their best chance to get Stafford back to the playoffs.
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Offseason Recap
Both Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia were brought back despite the fact most fans wanted them gone. The team seemingly got worse during free agency. Ricky Wagner was cut to save some cap space and was signed by Green Bay. The Lions brought in Halapoulivaati Vaitai on a massive overpay to take his spot and is a lesser player than Wagner. Graham Glasgow was signed by Denver in free agency as well, hurting an already middling offensive line. Patricia brought back plenty of old friends from his time in New England by acquiring Duron Harmon and signing Jamie Collins and Danny Shelton. The team also lost A’Shawn Robinson, Mike Daniels, Darryl Roberts, and Rashaan Melvin. Desmond Trufant was signed just days before the Lions shipped off Darius Slay to Philadelphia. Slay had grown frustrated with the organization (where have we heard that before in Detroit) and wanted out any way possible.
The Lions had plenty of needs across the roster and had the third overall choice in the draft. They chose to continue to remake their secondary by taking Ohio State cornerback, Jeff Okudah. He was one of the best defensive prospects in the draft despite what one “analyst” may think. In the second round, instead of continuing to remake their defense, they chose D’Andre Swift. Kerryon Johnson has continued to be on the coaching staff’s bad side and has continued to be injured. Swift was chosen while A.J. Epenesa, Ross Blacklock, and Yetur Gross-Matos were still on the board. Romeo Okwara may have had a slight influence on the team’s third-round pick when they selected his brother, Julian. Both guard spots are up for grabs this year and the Lions waited until the third and fourth rounds to take two potential starting options in Jonah Jackson and Logan Stenberg. Quintez Cephus and Jason Huntley are currently buried on the depth chart but could get valuable snaps early in the season and carve a role.
Offense
Ultimately, the Lions revolve around Stafford. Whenever he is playing well, the team wins. When Stafford wasn’t playing last year, the team sucked. The offensive line has gotten worse and the running back room is more crowded with Johnson and Swift, who are both injury-prone. Bevell’s offense was working great early in the year last year and needs to do so again for the team to sniff the playoffs. Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones are one of the league’s most underrated receiver duos in the league. Detroit needs more consistency out of T.J. Hockenson this year instead of just one big game in week one.
Defense
Along with the offense, the defense has gotten worse as well. The Lions desperately needed a pass-rusher and opted to get a running back in the second round instead. The linebacking core takes a step forward with Collins being added into the fold but one of Jarrad Davis or Jahlani Tavai needs to take a big leap this year. Detroit surprisingly has depth in the secondary, but it won’t matter if they can’t get after the passer or stop the run.
Predicting the 53 Man Roster
QB (3) – Matthew Stafford, Chase Daniel, David Blough
Stafford is the best player on the Lions by a country mile. He was on pace for over 5,000 yards last year before his injury derailed Detroit’s season. He already has a grasp on Bevell’s system and has a great receiving core. Unfortunately, the offensive line has taken a major step back. Daniel was added to be the veteran backup insurance after seeing how Blough performed last year. Blough could still develop into a potential backup option.
RB (4) – Kerryon Johnson, D’Andre Swift, Bo Scarbrough, Jason Huntley
Johnson could be one of the best running backs in the league if only the coaching staff believed in him. Swift is already injured and might not be ready for week one giving Johnson another chance to take control of the starting job. Scarbrough showed some flashes late last year and is the third-down and goal-line back for this year. Huntley is the speedy option the Lions needed and is a great pass-catcher as well. He could also be the return man.
WR (6) – Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones, Danny Amendola, Quintez Cephus, Marvin Hall, Tom Kennedy
Golladay is set up to earn a massive contract extension this year. Both Jones and Amendola’s contracts expire after this year as well. Cephus was selected in the fifth round and has impressed early and often in practices. He could potentially take over for Amendola in the slot next year. Hall is a deep-threat and Kennedy makes the team as the sixth receiver.
TE (4) – T.J. Hockenson, Jesse James, Isaac Nauta, Hunter Bryant
Hockenson was selected in the top ten of last year’s draft but didn’t make much of an impact outside of week one. He needs to show why the Lions spent that choice on him and be another option for Stafford to throw to. James was given a fairly large contract last year and wasn’t worth it as far as last year was concerned. Bryant makes the team as an undrafted free agent.
OL (9) – Taylor Decker, Joe Dahl, Frank Ragnow, Oday Aboushi, Halapoulivaati Vaitai, Tyrell Crosby, Jonah Jackson, Dan Skipper, Logan Stenberg
Decker was signed yesterday to a massive extension which you can read about here. Both guard spots are up for grabs and any of Dahl, Aboushi, Crosby, Jackson, or Stenberg could win either of those jobs. Ragnow is the only other great starter at the center spot besides Decker. Vaitai is a solid replacement-level tackle but the Lions gave him an extremely high-priced contract to be their right tackle.
DL (5) – Da’Shawn Hand, Danny Shelton, Nick Williams, Albert Huggins, John Penisini
Hand is the only one out of these five who was on the roster last year. Shelton was added from New England and Williams was added from Chicago. Hand is one of the most underappreciated players in the league and doesn’t get enough credit. Huggins was added off of waivers earlier this week.
EDGE (3) – Trey Flowers, Romeo Okwara, Julian Okwara
Flowers was brought in from New England on a big contract and didn’t provide the impact many thought he would. One of the two Okwara brothers needs to provide a spark as the second edge rusher. Half the scouting community loved Julian while the other half didn’t like him at all. All that is known is that Detroit desperately needs to get after the passer more often.
LB (5) – Jamie Collins, Jarrad Davis, Jahlani Tavai, Christian Jones, Jalen Reeves-Maybin
The addition of Collins gives the young linebacker room a veteran to learn from. While Collins was in Cleveland he wasn’t close to the same player he has been in New England and Detroit needs him to be the New England version. Tavai showed he has some potential but not consistently enough. Davis was a first-round pick that has been a bust ever since.
CB (6) – Jeff Okudah, Desmond Trufant, Justin Coleman, Amani Oruwariye, Jamal Agnew, Mike Ford
The trio of Okudah, Trufant, and Coleman is solid. Oruwariye was once thought of as a potential first-round prospect last year but was instead selected on day three. Agnew is said to have potentially transitioned to become a receiver but the depth chart says he’s still a cornerback. He and Huntley will battle for return duties.
SAF (5) – Tracy Walker, Duron Harmon, Will Harris, Jayron Kearse, Miles Killebrew
Walker finally showed why the front office made him a high draft choice. He, like Hand, is one of the most underappreciated players in the league. Harris was selected as a high choice last year as well and showed flashes but will now be relegated to a rotational role as the team traded for Harris. Kearse will factor in here and there and Killebrew is a great special team player.
ST (3) – Matt Prater, Jack Fox, Don Muhlbach
Prater is one of the best kickers in the league. Fox takes over for Sam Martin.
COVID (3) – John Atkins, Geronimo Allison, Russell Bodine
2020 Outlook
This Lions team didn’t improve. They lost two starters on the offensive line and didn’t do much to replace them. The pass-rush unit doesn’t seem to have gotten better either unless one or both of the Okwara brothers surprise. Being in the same division as the Packers and Vikings put this team at a disadvantage from the start but Detroit doesn’t have any chance to make the playoffs in a loaded NFC. Detroit has a couple of easy contests against Jacksonville, Washington, Carolina, and two games against Chicago. The offensive line and front seven need to take massive steps forward for this season to be a success. Stafford is right to start looking for a new home and sell his house.
Season Prediction: 5-11 and start a complete rebuild.
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