Getty Tyrod Taylor warming up before a Chargers game.
The Detroit Lions are descending into an offseason of major change, and that will start at the quarterback position where Matthew Stafford is not expected to remain with the team.
When Stafford gets moved is still anybody’s guess, but at this point in time, it’s a near lock to happen given the sides have reportedly split from each other. With that drama comes the question of who’s next up in Detroit at quarterback. Most expect a young player to be picked up in the draft, but a veteran could also be expected to be added as a stopgap.
Who could be the player when all is said and done? A familiar name for Anthony Lynn as well as new Lions front office man John Dorsey in Tyrod Taylor. According to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, Taylor is a name he could see coming into the fold in Detroit to help bridge the gap at quarterback for the team.
Going to go out on a limb and say Tyrod Taylor ends up in Detroit at the bridge QB as they start a rebuild and draft a QB. Has been with Anthony Lynn in BUF and LAC
Lynn and Taylor worked together in both Buffalo as well as Los Angeles, so the connection would be natural. The only question is if Taylor would accept the offer and if the Lions would want him when all was said and done. There figures to be plenty of options for the team this offseason, and Taylor might be a bit farther down the list than some would think no matter the connections with the Detroit staff.
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Tyrod Taylor Stats
Taylor entered the league in 2011 as a sixth-round pick out of Virginia Tech. He spent the first four seasons of his career with the Baltimore Ravens where he helped claim Super Bowl XLVII, then moving on to the Buffalo Bills where he worked with Lynn for a short time from 2015-2017. Taylor was then traded to the Cleveland Browns where he played the 2018 season, and then signed with the Los Angeles Chargers and re-joined Lynn in 2019 for the last two seasons.
In terms of stats, Taylor hasn’t had a huge impact throwing 54 touchdowns to 20 interceptions and 9,770 yards. He’s also rushed for 1,850 yards and 16 touchdowns. He’s a serviceable player and the kind of option that has before served as a bridge to rookie quarterbacks and could very well do so again. Taylor has also been happy doing that before.
2021 Free Agent Quarterback Class Packed for Lions
If Taylor doesn’t sound like an enticing veteran option, the good news is he is far from the only one for Detroit. Not only is Taylor slated to be a free agent, but plenty of other names such as Ryan Fitzpatrick, Jacoby Brissett, Jameis Winston, Andy Dalton and Cam Newton will be on the market. That’s in addition to others such as Aaron Rodgers and Deshaun Watson who could be available via trade. There is no limit to the shakeups that figure to occur at the position across the league, so the possibility exists for plenty of names to be suiting up for the Lions next season at quarterback other than simply a rookie.
Whether Taylor is the choice or not will remain to be seen, but he could be a good bet to be in the mix as folks like La Canfora suggest given his ties to the team’s new staff and front office.
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