Getty Tim Boyle and Jared Goff on the field in 2021 with the Lions.
The Detroit Lions haven’t even started their offseason yet and already, the predictions are beginning to roll in about what the team’s starting lineup will look like in 2022.
Obviously, the position every team is thinking about right now is quarterback. Most teams have an answer for their starter, but for some, the spot is up in the air. Seemingly, things figure to be at least partially settled for the Lions given the fact that Jared Goff feels like a lock to return for 2022, but how close is that to being the case?
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ESPN’s Field Yates recently took a look at projecting each starting quarterback for the 2022 season across the league. When it came to the Lions, he had a familiar face locking down the position in Goff.
As Yates explained, “there’s value in what he brings to the franchise right now as it builds off the momentum of a solid stretch of more competitive play in late 2021.” The meaning? Goff is probably the best the Lions can do at this point in time in terms of a competent starter while the look to the future of the position.
Specifically, as Yates wrote, “Goff should be in line to run it back as the starter again.”
It would not be stunning to see that as the outcome for the Lions again, and that move likely makes the most sense for the team overall as opposed to anything else the Lions could do. To that end, this isn’t one of the more surprising projections that Yates makes in his piece.
Despite Rumors, Goff Likely to Remain Lions Starter
To this point during the offseason, it’s been mum on Goff’s future with the team, lending to the notion that the Lions were going to quietly bring Goff back. A few trade rumors recently were sparked up, with rumors holding that the Lions could be looking for a first-round pick for Goff on the market if he indeed gets dealt. In spite of this, it seems as if that is a simple starting point for teams and the Lions would have to be blown away by a deal to cough up Goff. The team has nobody behind him at the moment, and Tim Boyle as well as David Blough do not inspire confidence to be the main starter at this point. The Lions aren’t going to start a rookie, nor is their team in position to make a big play for any of the big names that could figure to hit the market in 2022.
With that in mind, Goff is probably going to be the guy that locks things down when all is said and done for the Lions this coming season, especially after his good finish to last year.
Lions Offseason Quarterback Plan With Draft, Free Agency
Who could the Lions look at in the draft for quarterback? There are plenty of options for the team, and that’s especially true after the Lions watched the Senior Bowl last week. While at the game, the Lions saw the likes of Kenny Pickett,Sam Howell, Malik Willis, Matt Corral and Desmond Ridder excel. Any of those players could be early picks for the team, and while some make more sense than others, the Lions could conceivably roll the dice on one of these names if they are happy with how they can develop. The team could also decide to re-sign Boyle and roll with him as their main backup for 2022 and do exactly what they did last season.
Goff’s presence ends up helping the Lions in a big way. The team can select a quarterback if they find one they like and believe in, but they don’t have to make a sudden move whatsoever and take a player they aren’t sure about for the future.
For that reason, Yates is likely right to project that Goff will be sticking around in Detroit when all is said and done.
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ESPN Insider Makes Prediction for Lions’ 2022 Starting Quarterback