The Detroit Lions have major reconstruction to do on their roster, and most of that will start on the defensive side of the ball.
Detroit needs a major resurgence this season in order to help out one of the weakest spots on their roster, but a major problem could be cash flow. The Lions are cash strapped without the prospect of a few more cuts and restructures, so finding ways to add major difference makers could be a challenge.
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Fortunately, there are poised to be plenty of options on the market that the Lions could sign in order to chip in properly, and Bleacher Report has brought another strong option into the mix. Recently, writer Gary Davenport took to the site to project the single player each team should sign. For the Lions, Smoot Dawuane Smoot was the pick.
Davenport wrote:
“The Lions have plenty of holes on both sides of the ball. But there isn’t going to be much retail shopping to fill them, especially if they have any hope of keeping in-house free agents like wide receiver Kenny Golladay or edge-rusher Romeo Okwara from bolting.
After Okwara’s breakout 10-sack season, he’s likely to command a hefty contract. Losing him means the Lions will have to replace their top pass-rusher in 2020 without many resources with which to do it.
It went largely unnoticed last year, but in his fourth NFL season Dawuane Smoot of the Jacksonville Jaguars paced the team with 5.5 sacks. The 26-year-old had six the year before.
Smoot is young. Ascending. And could be available on a reasonable contract.”
Reasonable is going to have to be the name of the game for the Lions, so finding a player like Smoot for the roster could be just what the doctor ordered for the team moving forward. This season’s draft class is not particularly deep, so finding a way to nab an underrated difference maker could be a major bonus for the Lions.
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Dawaune Smoot Stats
A third-round pick out of Illinois in 2017, Smoot has spent the last few seasons in the league coming into his own. 2020 seems to have been his breakout, with 24 total tackles and 5.5 sacks. That backed up an impressive 6 sack season in 2019. In terms of a player who could be poised to make a major impact soon. Smoot could be just set to scratch the surface much like Romeo Okwara did for the Lions in the last few seasons.
At Illinois, Smoot was a third-team All-Big Ten player on defense.
Lions Need Defensive Line Help
Regardless of who is the one filling the void, the defensive line is going to have to be a major focus for the Lions this offseason. The last few seasons, the team has not managed to get off the field nor have they created much havoc in the pocket in terms of sacks and fumbles. This has to change moving forward to help not only the front, but the back end of the team’s defense. Last season, the Lions only put up 24 sacks as a team. 10 of those may leave if Romeo Okwara departs in free agency.
No matter who is the pick, it’s clear the Lions are going to have to do something to restock their depth up front. Grabbing a player like Smoot could be a good way for them to get that done cheaply in 2021 while also garnering some results.
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Underrated Big Ten Defensive Lineman Named Lions’ ‘Must Sign’ Target