Getty Jamal Agnew and the Lions special teams celebrate a score.
The Detroit Lions have a solid roster in many ways heading into the 2020 season, but one of their biggest advantages is probably one most folks don’t even think of.
Quietly, the Lions are a very solid outfit on special teams, and figure to be one of the better groups in the league this coming season. Nothing proves that more than a new stat that Pro Football Focus showed off. The Lions were one of just a pair of teams to have 2 touchdowns off of returns last season. Obviously, elite return man Jamal Agnew was a big reason why this was the case.
The only teams with multiple kick/punt return TDs in 2019:
◽ Colts – 2
◽ Lions – 2
Agnew and the team changing the game like this on special teams with touchdowns and big plays can lead to some major winning on the field.
It goes beyond just the elite returns with Agnew, though. The Lions also have a rock solid kicker in Matt Prater. They’ve got one of the longest tenured long snappers in the league in Don Muhlbach. If there’s one weakness, it’s the punting game given the departure of Sam Martin. Newcomers Jake Fox and tough Arryn Siposs could help mitigate that after they battle for the job, though. Rookie running back Jason Huntley could also add a jolt, as he has speed and was a prolific return man while in college with New Mexico State with 5 scores to his credit.
Should the Lions clean up some of their issues in the return game in terms of tackling, they will be a tough group to stop and have a special teams group that might actually lead in winning. In plenty of ways, they could make the case at being one of the best outfits in the league and that can help change the game in significant ways.
With Agnew becoming a star and other positions looking solid, the Lions are on their way toward having one of the best groups in 2020. It will be exciting to see how well the team trends this season.
Jamal Agnew Made NFL History in 2019
Agnew returned a punt for a score against the Denver Broncos last December and made a little history in the process. With the touchdown, Agnew put himself amongst royalty in league history in terms of special teams players. Agnew’s 4 career special teams touchdowns, with one coming via a punt return and the others via kickoff, helped him join an exclusive club.
Since 1995, only 5 @NFL players have logged 3 punt return TDs & 1 kickoff return TDs within their first 3 career seasons:
– Jamal Agnew (@jamalagnew)
– Tyreek Hill (@cheetah)
– Devin Hester (@D_Hest23)
– Eddie Drummond
– Steve Smith Sr.
As the franchise pointed out, since 1995, nobody has been better early in their career at making electric plays than Agnew. He joins the likes of Tyreek Hill, Devin Hester, Eddie Drummond and Steve Smith as the only ones to accomplish this unique feat on a football field. Those players are known as some of the greats of the game in terms of making big plays in the return game.
Special teams is the way Agnew is making his mark in the league, and he’s doing quite a good job of it early in his career. The Lions are lucky he’s on their side.
Jamal Agnew’s Stats With Lions
The Lions uncovered a potential hidden gem when they found Agnew in the fifth round of the draft in 2017. He quickly burst on the scene as an electric returner and in his career has managed to rack up plenty of return yards and touchdowns. Two of his four scores came in his rookie season, when he was named an All-Pro special teams player. In 2019, the Lions managed to get a 100 yard kickoff return for a score from Agnew to help in defeating the Philadelphia Eagles on the road.
Agnew’s stats as a cornerback are much more limited given he hasn’t played much there through the years. In his career in the NFL, he has only defended a pass and has 17 tackles to his credit. Obviously, the Lions prefer to save Agnew for the special teams given his electrifying moves. It’s obvious that is what fans know about him thus far in his career most of all.
With plenty of dramatic big plays Agnew has cemented himself as a true danger on special teams in the league, and given the Lions plenty of reasons to be faithful their team is on the right track with regards to specialists.
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Stat Shows Why Lions May Have NFL’s Most Dangerous Special Teams