Getty Jared Goff gestures during the Super Bowl.
The Detroit Lions made the move to deal Matthew Stafford for Jared Goff this offseason, and most feel pretty safe in saying the team had a downgrade at quarterback as a result.
How big of a downgrade, though? Pretty significant if some in the media are to be believed. If Stafford is a top 10 quarterback, where does Goff rate? Certainly not as highly, and that isn’t an opinion limited to those in the media.
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Recently, former NFL quarterback Bruce Gradkowski, working along with Pro Football Focus, took a look at ranking every quarterback in the league. Goff was far from the worst, but he was far down the list at 26. Even such, Gradkowski can see how Goff might be on track for a much better rebound in time with the Lions given the fresh start he has been handed.
He wrote:
“A fresh start does players wonders, especially at the quarterback position. It also doesn’t hurt when you get a vote of confidence and your team takes Penei Sewell to protect you over some highly sought-after first-round quarterbacks. The Rams were third in the league in play-action pass attempts and tied for fifth in screen pass attempts. It will be imperative that the Lions help their QB and design an offense around what he’s comfortable with. Goff has a top-five passing grade when he has a clean pocket, is in rhythm and targets intermediate throws 10-19 yards downfield. He struggled when targeting 20-plus yard throws in the same scenario, earning the 29th-ranked passing grade out of 36 qualifying quarterbacks.
Getting the ball downfield in 2020 was a struggle, whether it was missed throws or negatively graded throws. This is probably why Goff led the league in passing yards on completions of 5 yards or less a season ago. The Lions seem to be building around Goff, and this is exactly what he needs to get his confidence back up so he can play at a high level again.”
Getting Goff some more confidence will be key, and the quarterback has the chance to close ranks now and try to prove all the haters wrong while elevating his own stock.
Goff Will Try to Put Struggles Behind Him
It’s been no secret that Goff hasn’t played elite football lately. Just how bad has it been? Goff has been a turnover machine the last few seasons on the field, and Pro Football Focus has taken notice this offseason. Since 2018, Goff has had a total of 70 turnover-worthy plays on offense, which is the highest total in the league.
Jared Goff: 70 turnover-worthy plays since 2018
Most in the NFL
There’s been plenty of rumors about where it all went wrong for Goff in Los Angeles as well as why the team was so quick to give up on him, but it’s clear this could have been a big reason why this was the case. Goff might not be valuing the football enough for the Rams, who may have been frustrated with his inability to do the little things to help them win games.
Obviously, the Lions will have to reverse this trend with Goff in order to get him more consistent. It’s clear the turnovers and mistakes he made were a big part of why the Rams were so quick to give up on him. If the team wants to find their solution at quarterback, Goff will have to limit the mistakes he makes to get on lists such as this. Building up the offensive line could play a big role in Goff’s resurgence.
Goff’s Career Stats Could Lead to Hope
If there’s a reason to think Goff might be a bit better than many expect, it’s his production during his career to this point. Clearly, Detroit isn’t just getting a pair of first-round draft picks and a third-round pick, they are getting a quarterback who was in the Super Bowl just two years ago. Goff, a former top pick himself in 2016 out of Cal, has been a dependable player who has won plenty of big games in his career in the rough and tumble NFC West. So far, he’s thrown 107 touchdowns, 55 interceptions, 18,171 yards and has been a two-time Pro Bowler in 2017 and 2018.
Many don’t see Goff being able to deliver and make himself one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, and have ranked him appropriately as a result. Now, it’s on Goff to step up and make them eat their words.
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