Getty Penei Sewell runs on the field before his debut with the Lions.
Normally a classic weakness for the Detroit Lions, the offensive line has done a major about-face in recent years and has been boosted by a commitment to re-investment to now take on a more fearsome look.
Perhaps the best thing about Detroit’s previous regime was the emphasis they put on fortifying this group for the team’s future. That work is paying serious dividends now, as the Lions’ front is looking like one of the meanest in the NFL for next season.
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Already ranked in the top three once by PFF, another rating came out from the site and writer Michael Renner that had them in an identical spot. More notable than the number, though, may have been one bit of praise which truthfully shows how far the team has come from the old days.
As Renner and others have begun to realize, suddenly, the team is much better thanks to the fact that they may not have any problems to note given their work at drafting as well as making smart investments.
“With three first-rounders, a third-rounder and a highly paid free agent along their offensive line, the Lions look primed to recoup big time on their investments in 2022. They not only have high-end talent in Frank Ragnow and Penei Sewell, who both can be top-five players at their respective positions, but they also don’t have any glaring holes,” Renner wrote in the piece.
It’s perhaps shocking for some to see the Lions rated this high as well as getting love for lacking a weakness up front, but it’s a new world in 2022.
Lions Lines Have Struggled Through Years
In the past, the Lions have employed the likes of Stockar McDougle, Jeff Backus, David Loverne, Kyle Kosier, Damien Woody, Stephen Peterman and Gosder Cherilus to their offensive line. While none of those players were bad, most weren’t elite options that elevated the team to the likes of major contenders. As a result, it was always possible to proclaim the Lions’ offensive line had a weakness of some kind. Usually, it was depth as well as not having enough elite players accoross the front. During his career with the Lions, Dominic Raiola was one of the more consistent linemen the team had. The problem was he had nobody to join him in terms of making a major difference up front. As a result, Detroit’s offensive line routinely underperformed.
Detroit had to rely on band-aids through the years due to inconsistent drafting at best. Now, the team has build the kind of line that can be consistent in the trenches and perhaps lead to the team becoming elite. It’s not something that Lions fans are used to, but it’s something that they may have to start to embrace and understand as the years go by.
Lions’ Offensive Line Can Star This Season
it might be a bold statement by Ragnow and Jackson for some as well as Baldwin’s proclamation, but it shows the confidence the Lions and others have to start the year, and with good reason. Detroit has a pair of solid tackles in Decker and Sewell, an elite center in Ragnow, a Pro Bowl guard in Jackson and a player who had a very strong bounce-back 2021 season in Halapoulivaati Vaitai. Along with the depth the team has found in the likes of Evan Brown, Ryan McCollum, Matt Nelson and Tommy Kraemer, there is no reason this can’t be the case almost immediately.
Detroit is taking on the look of a line that is hard to play against and has depth. Not only can they push people around in the run game, but they might be able to give their quarterback an elite pocket in 2022. They have solid starters as well as quality backups. It’s the recipe for a solid group, indeed.
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