Getty Jared Goff waives as he comes out from tunnel vs. Packers in 2022.
The Detroit Lions are building a foundation for their future in 2022, and that much looked true with the work they did during this past season.
Many folks have taken notice of this work and have begun to consider the Lions as a team to be reckoned with in the near future. This has led to folks talking about the state of the team’s rebuild, and the early returns are pretty good for Detroit as it relates to the future.
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Recently, another rave review was provided about where the Lions could be headed courtesy of Ben Solak of The Ringer. In a piece, Solak wrote about how Detroit’s rebuild could be one of the best in the league, and the Lions are far from the most embarrassing NFL team. Solak identified several other candidates like Carolina, the New York Giants and the Jacksonville Jaguars. As he also said, the Lions have some major weapons for their rebuild such as Amon-Ra St. Brown, and have been prioritizing development of their younger players, which is a big win for Dan Campbell and his staff.
As a result, Solak believes the Lions are “walking the talk” as a rebuilding team and are putting themselves on track to be a postseason team eventually.
It’s been a while since the Lions have not been considered the biggest embarrassment in the NFL, but the script may have been flipped for 2022.
State of Lions Rebuild Ahead of 2022 Offseason
If the Lions manage to secure the top selection in the draft as it’s looking like they might, there’s a multitude of ways they could elect to go with the pick given the unique needs of the roster. The team’s defense needs playmakers up front to rush the passer along the defensive line, and could also need depth on the back end at cornerback. Offensively, the Lions have a major need for a big time pass catching wideout to help their down field attack on offense. As always, quarterback is going to be a position to watch near the top of the draft, especially considering the early struggles of Jared Goff with the Lions in 2021.
The good news for Detroit? They also have the first-round pick of the Los Angeles Rams by virtue of the Matthew Stafford trade for this year and next year, and figure to gain multiple compensatory selections for 2022 so some serious building can occur for the roster if the team manages to secure the top overall pick. Obviously, there is no shortage of needs for the team to ponder with all of their selections next year.
In terms of free agency, the Lions will have a decent amount of money to spend. Spotrac.com estimates the Lions will have just over $40.2 million to spend before any other cuts come down. With this in mind, the team should also have some money to patch holes in an effective way.
All things considered, the Lions could be in better shape than many might give them credit for, which most people who pay attention seem to understand.
Lions’ Ceiling for 2022 Season
Detroit could be a team that makes a push to be one of the most improved teams in the league next year, and perhaps even go worst to first according to some. The Lions figure to play a last-place schedule this coming year, but as other seasons have shown, that doesn’t mean a whole lot in the grand scheme of things. The Lions will have to show they have improved in the trenches on defense as well as with finding some more playmakers on offense for the future. If the Lions can take strides under their new coaching staff, it would be a huge win for the team and a major way the Lions could take steps toward contending in the near future.
Already, they might be digging out of their hole as one of the league’s worst squads.