Getty Jared Goff on the field during the Lions vs. Broncos game in 2021.
When the Detroit Lions brought Jared Goff into the mix, it was with the confidence that he could be a player the team trusted to win them games at quarterback for both 2021 and the future.
Thanks to a gutted roster that has been in the process of rebuilding, the Lions didn’t do much winning last year, but everyone hopes that changes in 2022. Whether it does or not could have a lot to do with Goff himself, and if one analyst is to be believed, that might not be the best news for the Lions and their fans.
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NFL.com analyst Gregg Rosenthal recently took a look at ranking every quarterback in the league 1-62, and while Goff was far from last place on the list, he did place in the 23 spot. It wasn’t the ranking, however, which should generate the most attention. Rosenthal admitted that Goff essentially did his best given some obvious roster limitations last year, but also went on to proclaim that “he’s settling into a career as a starter just below the Dalton Line. If Goff is your guy, the search continues for The Guy.”
The implication with that quote? Goff is good enough to be a placeholder for Detroit, but not the team’s unquestioned quarterback of the future. That’s in spite of a Super Bowl appearance and a 6-5 career playoff record on his resume. Since his time in the league, quarterback Andy Dalton has struggled with the similar label of a placeholder, hence Rosenthal’s comparison of the two.
Such insults are expected of Goff given he has left Los Angeles and headed to Detroit, but it will be another thing he has to try and disprove when he comes on the field next year. Clearly, not everyone is sold on Goff’s long-term future in the Motor City.
Lions Could Look for Quarterback Changes This Offseason
Even though Goff feels likely to stay with the Lions, the team could be motivated to make some additions at quarterback in order to provide themselves a developmental player for the future as well as a potential ace backup. The team managed to get a look at quarterbacks like Liberty’s Malik Willis, North Carolina’s Sam Howell, Pitt’s Kenny Pickett and Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder during the Senior Bowl. Those players all have skills yet inconsistencies, but the Lions could conceivably add one of them to develop. Detroit could also elect to bring back Tim Boyle, but he was inconsistent with 526 yards, 3 touchdowns and 6 interceptions as this highlight shows:
Either way, barring a wild scenario, it feels as if Goff’s place as the starter is going to be set for this coming season. While he might be hearing a small offseason challenge from management, it seems obvious to say that he will be able to meet their expectations head-on enough to remain the unquestioned starter for the team regardless of what happens behind him in the near-future.
Goff Finished 2021 Season Strong
Whether or not Goff is thought of highly by analysts when compared to his peers around the league, it’s clear that Detroit has a stable quarterback they can seemingly count on for the future in Goff under center. In spite of all the early struggles and injury trouble late in the year, Goff found a way to finish the 2021 season strong on the field. After Thanksgiving, Goff was on relative fire as statistics go at quarterback. He threw 11 touchdowns to just 2 interceptions while going off for 1,136 passing yards over the final five games he played. Goff has also claimed elusive awards for a Lions quarterback such as NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors as well as FedEx Air Player of the Week award for his work in that span of time, which helps prove that he does have talent even as many question his ability.
Perhaps the game that showed Lions fans the most was his impressive 3 touchdown performance against the Arizona Cardinals:
With games like this in mind, Goff is likely safe in the short-term, and the Lions might even be excited to see what he can do with a better, healthier roster next year, especially at wideout.
Goff will have to step up and prove that the taunts from writers like Rosenthal equating him to Dalton are overstated, and not befitting of his overall talent level.
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