Getty Kenny Golladay celebrates a touchdown against the Chargers.
If the Detroit Lions might have one reservation about doing a long-term deal with wideout Kenny Golladay, it could have everything to do with his health.
Last season, Golladay was banged up by a hip injury which slowed his progress, and following a loss to the Indianapolis Colts, the wideout didn’t return to action on the field. Updates about his progress were scant the rest of the way, and fans slid into the offseason without knowing much about where Golladay stood.
Now, there’s been a bit of an update on that matter courtesy of Nate Burleson. On Good Morning Football, Burleson was asked to pick out a player at wideout who could make a team better instantly. He took Golladay, and dropped an interesting fact about him that could open the eyes of teams on the market.
Looking ahead to free agency… 👀
Which free agent WR could make the BIGGEST impact on a new team? 💪
📺: @gmfb
Burleson said:
“I know he was a little banged up this past season, he only played five games, he had a hip injury. But he’s healthy. I know him personally. He’s ready to rock and roll this coming season. I feel like he can go anywhere and be a true number one. This dude is 6-2, 6-3 shoes off. He’s a big, strong receiver. His ability to make that big catch, that freak-like catch, he can do that. He also has that speed and strength behind it. So I feel like Kenny Golladay could go anywhere and make something happen.”
The Lions still have to decide if they want to commit to Golladay long-term or not, so this update could be a good one in terms of their thinking. Keeping Golladay, the Lions would have to hope that he was healthy and able to give them a major boost to their needy wideout group and Jared Goff.
Obviously, it would benefit the Lions if Golladay was to stay and be completely healthy. It sounds as if this will be the case after this latest update.
The Argument for Keeping Kenny Golladay
Detroit is going to have a significant talent drain at wideout this offseason, likely led by Marvin Jones, who seems to want out. Danny Amendola will likely follow him out the door. Knowing this, Detroit has to make wideout a priority, and the best way to help their new quarterback Jared Goff would be to keep one of his top weapons around for 2021. Detroit can draft a wideout as well, but Golladay is just 27 and theoretically coming into his prime. Allowing him to grow more with the team and perhaps mentor some young players of his own would be a big win for the organization.
That’s especially true if the talk of him being completely healed from last season is truth at this point in time.
Kenny Golladay’s Injury History
Golladay has had a solid history in terms of injuries and isn’t exactly a player who hasn’t been durable for the most part during his career. In 2017, Golladay missed seven weeks with a strained hamstring, but rebounded to be a major contributor for the 2018 and 2019 years. Similarly, a bounce back could be expected for Golladay regardless of where he plays during the 2021 season.
For this reason alone, the Lions should be looking to target Golladay for a return. It should be comforting for them to think that the player they may invest in is feeling good.
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