Getty Penei Sewell before a Lions game against Seattle in 2022.
The Detroit Lions have spent the last few years beefing up their offensive line, and it seems as if that work is set to pay off in a big way for the team.
Once a major weakness, the line is now seen as a major strength for the team, and may have even taken enough of a turn in the last few years to be considered amongst the best in the NFL as well as truthfully elite.
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Heading into the 2022 season, the Lions line may have taken on the look of one of the best in the league according to analysts. Pro Football Focus analyst Mike Renner is the latest, and he has Detroit’s group as a top-five line in the league placing in the three spot for 2022.
The best offensive lines in the league per @PFF_Mike 💪
The only teams Renner has above Detroit? The Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns. Just behind the Lions are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Green Bay Packers, meaning the Lions are in contention with some of the best of the best in football in terms of talent up front.
With an elite line such as this, the Lions could certainly challenge for a much better season if not try and make a run. How the team does will likely depend on what happens with the defense and skill positions, but having an elite line that compares with some other contenders is a great start for Detroit. This factor should also help quarterback Jared Goff to feel comfortable in the pocket, which could help the Lions have a better than expected year.
In the past, the Lions would not have come close to this elite grouping, so this is a tribute to the team building that’s gone on lately.
Lions Players Also Believe Line Trending Toward Elite
It’s clear some of the key figures on Detroit’s front would agree with the takes such as this, and believe the team is setting up to do some damage this season in the trenches.
Lineman Jonah Jackson was very direct about the damage he thinks the team can do. As he told the media a month ago, he thinks Detroit’s group will be coming for the number one spot this season. That is to say, he thinks the team can be the best in the league up front on offense.
G Jonah Jackson on potential of Detroit’s O-line: “I know we can be the best in the league.”
“G Jonah Jackson on potential of Detroit’s O-line: “I know we can be the best in the league,” Jackson said as Twentyman’s tweet showed.
Pushing toward 2022, the team has good depth and health back on their side. Their young players like Penei Sewell have gotten valuable years of experience under their belts. All of this clearly adds up to the fact that the arrow is firmly pointing upward for the group. That’s something which Frank Ragnow also admitted to seeing when speaking with the media on Thursday, April 21.
Ragnow talking about the Lions O-line if they can stay healthy and all play together this year: “We can be pretty dang good.”
“Ragnow talking about the Lions O-line if they can stay healthy and all play together this year: “We can be pretty dang good,” the lineman said according to Twentyman’s tweet.
Add it up and it seems the players already think they can be dominating as well. This could shape up to make Detroit one of the best young lines in the entire league if mindset matches play. That would prove the rankings right in the end.
Lions’ Offensive Line Could Dominate During 2022
it might be a bold statement by some to call this group one of the best in the entire league, 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. If that is the case, advantage Lions next season in a big way.
Perhaps even enough of an advantage to make them one of the best in the entire NFL.
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