Getty Bob Quinn at a press conference.
The Detroit Lions have had their ups and downs with roster building through the years, and lately, the team has been seen to be more than a bit thin in several spots in terms of depth.
That might only be seen to be more of the case when the roster is looked at in terms of who is expendable in a potential expansion draft scenario. Recently, that situation was brought up by ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, who looked at a players that could be left unprotected and then picked up for a hypothetical 33rd team. As he explained, the Lions don’t have much worth
Barnwell surmised that the group of offensive linemen Beau Benzschawel and Dan Skipper, running back Wes Hills, cornerback Mike Jackson and linebacker Anthony Pittman could be left exposed by the team. Who out of that group is worth keeping? Nobody as Barnwell explained.
Here’s what he wrote:
“The back of the Lions’ roster isn’t up to NFL standards. Not a single one of these players topped 35 snaps combined on offense, defense and special teams for Detroit in 2019, which is impressive for a team that wasn’t exactly dominating with their starters. I’m not going to be adding any of the Lions’ options to our roster.”
Detroit would protect most of their important players, and it’s true that their roster isn’t the deepest at this time. Still, it would be interesting to see who would be protected and who wouldn’t in such a scenario.
Many don’t seem to think the Lions would have anything worth picking up at this point in time.
Bob Quinn Rated Low as NFL General Manager
Perhaps the biggest reason the Lions would be in this predicament is the up and down recent work of their front office. Recently, The Score ranked all the general managers in the league 1-32, and when it came to Quinn, he was near the bottom of the league at 25th overall.
Here’s a look at the explanation as to why Quinn placed where he did on the list:
“Matthew Stafford’s contract, which was the highest in league history when it was signed in 2017, now offers good value for a top-tier quarterback. However, despite possessing a franchise signal-caller, Quinn hasn’t been able to build a strong roster around him. Granted, the offensive line has improved, and landing wideout Kenny Golladay in the third round in 2017 was a steal. But some of Detroit’s questionable decisions include using the eighth overall pick on tight end T.J. Hockenson and signing Trey Flowers to a $90-million deal. The Lions are 9-22-1 under coach Matt Patricia.”
The jury is still out on plenty of Quinn’s moves but it cannot be argued that he is sticking to a plan which he feels will make the team winners in the end. For that reason, Quinn deserves a little bit of credit. Perhaps that’s credit he will receive if the team is able to turn things around and become winners on the field.
Bob Quinn’s 2020 Offseason
Thus far, it’s been a strong offseason for Quinn as he attempts to restructure the team. The Lions added Jamie Collins and Desmond Trufant to the defense in free agency while beefing the group up with Jeff Okudah in the draft. Offensively, the team restructured their offensive line with Halapoulivaati Vaitai, Jonah Jackson and Logan Stenberg. The team also added D’Andre Swift and Quintez Cephus to the offense with the idea of giving the group a bit more punch and depth.
Overall, the Lions will have to hope on these moves paying big dividends and leading to winning if Quinn is to make a compelling case to keep his job.
That might make him help to have the Lions roster moving in the right direction in the future.
READ NEXT: Lions Projected 2020 Win Total Amongst League’s Lowest