By Mark Halpern
So the Detroit Lions finished the preseason 0-3 the way many sportscasters and other analysts figure their entire season could be 0-17. The Lions made big waves trading their superstar quarterback Matt Stafford to the Rams for Superstar quarterback Jared Goff. In my opinion, the Rams got the better deal with that all-star offense. Goff came to a team that has some talent but is a rebuilding team now. The Lions broke camp last Friday, and their official depth chart was finalized on Tuesday, the 31st. It is not an impressive team, but let’s see what this team is working with.
The Lion’s offense over the past few seasons has been pitiful. They showed some flash at times. Jared Goff will lead the way at quarterback, and David Blough, who had a decent preseason, will back him up. Since the number one running back, Deandre Swift, is still battling injury, and the running back position will be pretty much by committee until Swift Is 100%. Jamaal Williams and Jamar Jefferson will be a change of pace running backs. The wide receiver core, which was once a highly rated core with Marvin Jones Jr {Now on Jacksonville} and Kenny Golladay {Now on the NY Giants} left the position pretty meek. The number one receiver is Tyrell Williams with Amon-Ra St. Brown at the number two, and either Kalif Raymond or Quintez Cephus, who had an excellent preseason and earned a spot on the roster, could be the slot receiver. Returning as the number one Tight End is T.J. Hockenson, who worked well with Stafford but had a subpar year due to injury, and his talents weren’t appropriately used should have an improved season. Jared Goff had good connections with his Tight Ends in LA. So I see Hockenson having a much better year as long as he can stay healthy. His backup is Darren Fells, who has experience in the NFL and is a good blocker.
The offensive line is pretty much the same as last season. The line didn’t perform horribly but was very inconsistent with their blocking. Taylor Decker, Frank Ragnow, and Penei Swell are the ones on the line I think will work well, and with the new offense, we could see some surprises. However, Goff will be on his back a lot if the line performs the way it did in the preseason.
On the other side of the ball, The Lion’s defense has always had stars and plays some good defense at times, and then they look like a high school football team defense. Trey Flowers is a stud defensive end and is in line for another pro bowl season. Austin Bryant should be the other edge starter and can cause some trouble to quarterbacks with his speed. On the line, Kevin Strong and Michael Brockers will look to close holes and try not to give up over a hundred yards to opposing running backs a game. The Line backing unit with Derrick Barnes and Jamie Collins Sr complement each other well. The Lion’s secondary has always had a star cornerback, and this year Jeff Okudah and Amani Oruwariye are a good pair of outside defenders. A.J. Parker will be covering the slot receiver. Yes, I understand Goff is the star here, but this secondary could turn some heads or get their heads turned. Backing up the backs is Tracy Walker in the free safety spot, and Will Harris at solid safety will be actively busy as teams will try and test this defense.
As for the Special Teams, the placekicker is new. No longer the star Matt Prater who could hit from almost anywhere on the gridiron is gone, and taking over is Zane Gonzales, who has experience but not quite the leg or accuracy that Prater has. So this position could be a problem.
I look at this Lions team, and I see two things. 1. The team that they are, and 2. The team that they could be. When the two of them meet, the Lions will be dangerous.
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