Getty Jared Goff gets sacked in 2021 against the Eagles.
The Detroit Lions are essentially playing out the string on the 2021 season, and for most folks, the focus will turn to what happens off the field in the 2022 offseason.
When that time comes, it will be interesting to watch and see what happens to the Lions in Brad Holmes’ first full offseason on the job. Holmes was thrown into the fire last year, but has had time to assess the situation after a year on the job and could be looking to make some more moves to get things on the right track.
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What kind of moves could be expected? Holmes shook up the Lions on his first year on the job, and if ESPN’s Kevin Seifert is right, another major shakeup could be coming this offseason. Recently, ESPN writers made their bold predictions for the second half of the season in a piece, and when it came to the Detroit quarterback situation, Seifert had quite a doozy.
Seifert is predicting Detroit quarterback Jared Goff will make his final start as a true starter in the second half of the season for the Lions. Seifert didn’t hesitate to slam Goff in his analysis as well, saying that his play has been a snooze this year and the Lions have little justification to bring him back for 2022 even in spite of his contract.
Goff has struggled, but the Lions haven’t given him much help at wideout this offseason and the team has also been dealing with injuries all over the roster in a clear rebuild year. Holmes also seems to be in Goff’s camp having drafted him in Los Angeles, so predicting the Lions to move on this fast might not be a good bet. Still, Seifert is calling his shot for next year, and it will be music to ears of some Lions fans who have wanted the team to move on.
Colin Cowherd Predicts Lions Will Draft Quarterback
Thinking the team will be quarterback hunting is common for members of the national media right now, espeially after Goff’s Week 8 performance. The quarterback struggled again amid Detroit’s ugly blowout 44-6 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, and folks were rightly wondering about his performance in the game. Goff threw for just 222 yards in the game, and didn’t throw a touchdown for the second time in two weeks.
The numbers combined with the eye test has combined to help some folks to thinking the Lions need a new quarterback in 2022. One such person is Fox Sports analyst Colin Cowherd. After watching the misery play out in real-time, Cowherd made a prediction for the offseason: the Lions are going to be picking a quarterback in the draft.
The Detroit Lions will be drafting a QB.
Goff hasn’t been great this season, but he has also been devoid of playmakers at wide receiver and is dealing with a patchwork quilt offensive line. How the Lions judge him for what happened this season will be interesting indeed, but to the outside, it’s quite clear the Lions need big time help at quarterback.
Obviously, Cowherd thinks the biggest move the team could make for a potential upgrade revolves around addressing their biggest need on the field.
Lions Quarterback Breakdown for 2022
Detroit was rumored to perhaps be in the market for a quarterback after dealing Matthew Stafford, but they added Jared Goff to the mix and also signed Tim Boyle this offseason in free agency. The team also released Chase Daniel, but still has David Blough entrenched as the third quarterback on the roster. As a result, they rolled into the year with this group and did not add anyone else to the mix. It’s a show of just how committed the Lions are to Goff that they didn’t make an addition and bypassed this past year’s class.
The Lions are essentially giving Goff an audition for the future in the 2021 season, and thus far, the results have been rocky with just 8 touchdowns to 6 interceptions for the quarterback. In spite of this, general manager Brad Holmes knows Goff and wants to see what he can do with the Lions, and might look to add more weapons for him as well. With this in mind, it’s more than possible that Goff sticks around for more than a few seasons. He is 26, and has been one of the more successful young quarterbacks in the league recently with a 6-5 playoff record, a Super Bowl appearance and multiple big wins on the resume. Still, his presence alone isn’t going to guarantee the team ignores quarterback in the draft
While Goff is expensive, his future may be a key variable to watch for the Lions in 2022. Seeing what happens at quarterback first may well define the team’s offseason for a second straight year.