Getty Kellen Mond during a bowl game with Texas A&M.
The Detroit Lions changed plenty about their team for the 2021 season and have gotten mostly positive reviews for the moves they have made, but not everyone agrees about how they chose to fill out their roster for next season.
A spot many saw as a considerable need was the quarterback position, but it was long clear the Lions disagreed in a big way given the trade they made as well as some of the other moves they made during the rest of the offseason.
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Recently, Bleacher Report took a look at breaking down the single biggest regret for every team this offseason. When it came to the Lions, writer Kristopher Knox said he thinks it has everything to do with not drafting a quarterback, even a pair of players from the second-tier.
He said:
“The Lions got Jared Goff as part of the Matthew Stafford trade, and the Cal product does have five years of starting experience. However, Goff hasn’t been consistently great, or even consistently above average, despite having offensive wunderkind Sean McVay calling the shots. Goff has posted a passer rating of 90.0 or below in three of his five pro campaigns.
There’s no guarantee he can be a successful starter away from McVay and a loaded Los Angeles Rams offense. Unfortunately, the Lions don’t have a solid Plan B, and as we’ve also previously mentioned, the 2022 draft class isn’t expected to offer a ton of top-tier quarterback talent.
The Lions could have taken a chance on a prospect like Kyle Trask or Kellen Mond in Round 2 to hedge their bet.”
Detroit also passed on Justin Fields in the draft, and didn’t seriously entertain the thought of trying to move up for a quarterback. This speaks volumes about what the team thinks of Goff, and it’s clear they have already begun to believe that Goff is the right player for the team in the short-term.
Obviously, the Lions liked Goff more than a rookie, and they preferred what they had on the roster in Tim Boyle and David Blough to any of the players who ended up getting picked later, like a Trask or a Mond.”
The Lions will move forward with this tandem now, and it will be interesting to see if they manage to get the play they so desire out of Goff and their other options. Obviously, if they don’t, folks believe it will be a major disappointment they may look back on to avoid selecting a young player.
Lions Changed Look of Quarterback Room
From the start of the offseason, it was long clear the Lions were going to have many changes to their quarterback room. Matthew Stafford was traded away, and Jared Goff came into the mix. After that, the team cut bait with veteran Chase Daniel, in spite of the fact that he was under contract for a few more seasons. Detroit made a fast move to sign Tim Boyle out of Green Bay, and also have David Blough on the roster who has starting experience from a few years ago.
A pair of new pieces are coming into the mix, and while Blough is established with the team, there’s plenty he hasn’t done so far in his career. These represent some huge changes to the Detroit locker room at one of the most important positions on the team.
Detroit Avoided Selecting a Quarterback
The Lions loaded up at other spots in the draft, choosing to make upgrades to the offensive line, defensive backfield, defensive line and wide receiver. The team also targeted a running back, a spot where it seemed they had a fair bit of depth on the roster. Detroit didn’t add a quarterback in the draft, nor did they sign an undrafted free agent. Not only did they pass on the top names, but they avoided anyone else as well.
It’s a major gamble by the Lions, but one that the team obviously thinks will pay off in a resurgent season from Goff.
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