Familiar Lions Issue Named Biggest Remaining Question in 2020

Getty D'Andre Swift runs down the line with Georgia.

The Detroit Lions have plenty of questions left to answer once the 2020 season gets going, and the more things change the more they stay the same.

Seemingly not since the days of Barry Sanders have the Lions had a solid rushing attack, but over the past few years, they’ve taken steps to fix that. Just how successful can they be, and will their newest draft pick D’Andre Swift play a leading role? That’s the question.

Recently, NFL.com writer Marc Sessler asked a burning question of every team in the NFC. This time around, the question for Detroit revolved around whether or not the Lions have effectively changed the fortunes of their running game as of yet to change their identity.

Here’s his take:

“The Lions under Matt Patricia have talked about morphing into a white-knuckle, beat-you-up offense centered around a punishing ground game. Is that how you think about Detroit’s football squad? Me neither. Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn hope to change that with the addition of the second-round back out of Georgia. Comparing Swift to Frank Gore, draft analyst Lance Zierlein labeled Swift as “a cerebral runner who understands block timing and uses quick-cut agility and rare spatial awareness to read and react to defenses.” Detroit also houses Kerryon Johnson, a talented back who struggles to stay healthy. Throw Bo Scarbrough into the mix and the Lions have a capable stable. If Detroit is determined to become a ground-and-pound force, though, its fortunes boil down to Swift hitting the scene as a major headache for enemy defenders. If he thrives, the Lions might be on to something.”

Not only can the running backs help this out, the fact that the Lions managed to draft a few offensive linemen as well. Jonah Jackson and Logan Stenberg each figure to be important components of changing the team’s identity up front.

Safe to say adding a player like Swift can be huge, and if he can pack a punch and change the team’s fortunes, it seems safe to say their identity will change as well on offense in due time. That’s just what Matt Patricia and company want to see happen.

Lions Credited For Running Game Fixes

Following the draft finishing up, Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com took a look at some of the biggest themes from every team’s performance. When it came to the Lions, it was obvious there was a serious theme and it had everything to do with getting tougher in the trenches and improving what has been a severely weak running game.

Rosenthal wrote:

“From the selection of running back D’Andre Swift this year and Kerryon Johnson in 2018 to the interior line picks that GM Bob Quinn has made in the last few years, the Lions have invested a lot of capital in improving their running game — but they have yet to see great results. Quinn needs that vision to come together this season. Swift is the type of talent who can put the team’s running game over the top.”

With Kerryon Johnson, Bo Scarbrough and now D’Andre Swift, the Lions have a loaded backfield of former SEC standouts. More than that, the team was able to add guards to their stable in Jonah Jackson as well as Logan Stenberg, affectionately known as “Mr. Nasty.” Those players will try and change the narrative that the team simply can’t run the ball. If a ground game is like a mindset, the Lions have changed their mind more than a bit.

Following the draft, general manager Bob Quinn admitted that his team wants to change how they are viewed and get more physical up front. That will now be the goal heading into 2020.

D’Andre Swift Stats

Arguably the best runner on the board and a player who many figured would go off the board in the first round, Swift is a hard charging back out of Georgia who was tough in his career playing in the SEC. With 2,885 yards and 20 touchdowns in his career, there is little doubting how well Swift would do at toting the rock and fitting in well within Detroit’s backfield situation.

Swift coming from the SEC will be huge for him in terms of being able to fit in seamlessly to the team. Georgia has put a lot of great runners into the league lately, and the hope for Swift is that he can join the squad and become the next runner that follows in the footsteps of players like Todd Gurley, Sony Michel and Nick Chubb. All of them have become great, and Swift could be next. He could help Detroit’s ground game over the top in the process.

Lions Needed Running Backs

Detroit has a solid player on their team currently in Kerryon Johnson that they are developing. Johnson, however, has run into a few issues with injuries the last few years, so the team was looking for someone else that can be a solid running mate for Johnson moving forward. On the roster, Bo Scarbrough showed late last season that he could be a potential answer for the team, but still, the Lions were looking for someone else to build around. That’s why they felt as if they may want to target the draft, which is where Swift came in. The team could also look to free agency for another veteran running back, but now it seems as if the team is happy with what they have done to upgrade the backfield with the right amount of youth.

Now that the Lions have managed to add another running back and some pounding offensive linemen, the team is seemingly on the right track toward fixing one of their biggest problems of the last few years.

Until they do, many will still wonder if they can get it done.

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