Super Bowl or Bust. There’s no way around it. The gloves are off and this is now the goal. Whether they make it there or not remains to be seen but this is the new standard…and my god is that wonderful.
We’re going to keep this preview tight this year because this is not a team with many holes and there are not many question marks to discuss.
OFFENSE
The quarterback for the foreseeable future is Jared Goff and that’s going to be great with every Lions fan. Is he the best quarterback in the league? No. But he has done everything the Lions have asked of him and he managed to get this team to the NFC Championship. That’s the kind of production that will let you drink for free in Michigan for life. If he goes down, Hendon Hooker is waiting in the wings. I’m still not a fan of the pick simply because of his age and how much learning he has to do to adjust to an NFL system but he has the tools. Hopefully there are a few blowouts that the Lions can get him some more meaningful game reps. He looked better in the preseason but I’m afraid the season could be toast if Goff goes down.
At running back, the Lions have the best duo in the league. I expect Gibbs to catch a bunch of passes with the lack of a true WR3 on the roster, and Monty will continue to be the battering ram. Craig Reynolds may be in jeopardy of losing his RB3 spot after Sione Vaki looked like a monster in the preseason. He crushed USC last year in limited time at RB so I cannot wait to see what his development does as he takes more reps at running back. Expect Vaki to have an impact on special teams too.
Once we hit the wide receiver group, you reach our first question marks. Amon-Ra St. Brown obviously is not one of them and there is not much left to say about this guy. The WR2 and WR3 spots are where the questions arise. Jameson Williams should be the WR2 and has shown a ridiculous skillset but has also shown a tendency for some drops. This is the first year that something has not popped up with him so I’m expecting his development to finally take off…but will it actually? If it doesn’t, the Lions offense could be in a great deal of trouble. Jameson is going to be counted on to be more than just a decoy…now he will absolutely still run wind sprints to clear out the underneath portion for LaPorta, ARSB and Gibbs…that is not going to change. But when he gets called on, he’s going to have to produce. As for the WR3 spot? It’s pretty telling that they only kept four wide receivers on the initial roster and then brought in Tim Patrick, Allen Robinson and brought back Donovan Peoples-Jones. Kalif Raymond’s role is pretty well spoken for and Isaiah Williams had a phenomenal preseason and earned a roster spot. But neither of them bring size to the table. All of the players they brought in are big WRs as they continue to seek out a WR3 that has size. Who will end up winning the job? I’m not sure…they all have flaws, but my guess is they each will get elevated on game day and given a shot at the job. For now though, expect a lot of Gibbs and LaPorta supplementing the passing game.
The tight end group is pretty well set. It looked like they were going to lose Brock Wright this summer but decided to match on the contract with the 49ers. Sam LaPorta might be the best young tight end in the game and I cannot wait to see him continue to take off this year. I was slightly surprised they moved on from James Mitchell (and brought him back on the practice squad) but Parker Hesse has some FB/H-Back versatility so they clearly decided that was more valuable than another pass catcher like Mitchell. Shane Zylstra is on the practice squad too so they have plenty of depth here.
The offensive line is the next spot where I get a little worried on offense. You may be thinking I’m crazy but it’s not the starters that worry me. It’s the backups. Looking at the depth chart and it is a lot of inexperience backing up the starters. I have zero concern about swapping Jonah Jackson for Kevin Zeitler. You may have gotten older but you swapped out for a better player and saved money…win-win. The Lions worked to address the offensive line on day 3 of the Draft the last couple years but they’re all developmental prospects to some extent. Colby Sorsdal got thrust into action last year and did okay, but he was a work in progress. They drafted Giovanni Manu this year and he is a full-on project. I personally did not love the pick but if that’s a guy that you think you can develop into a future starter, then by all means give it a shot. The intriguing pick is Christian Mahogany…but unfortunately he contracted mono and missed all of camp. He would be the most ready plug and play guard of the group, but now he has to get back up to speed. Truly unfortunate timing. As for Niese, Awosika and Skipper? Well I just hope that we do not see them other than reporting eligible now and then. Fine players, but again, the depth gets real thin in a hurry.
DEFENSE
The Lions did a great job revamping the defense in key spots this offseason. The defensive line had two key additions with Marcus Davenport and DJ Reader. Now they key for them will be to get healthy/stay healthy. Davenport has always been pretty productive but he’s also always banged up to some degree. Reader is still working his way back from surgery but I’m expecting him to have an impact right away. Paschal and Houston will back up Hutchinson and Davenport and Paschal’s versatility will get him in on plenty of snaps. Houston was productive in the preseason again but the Lions are going to need him to produce when he’s called upon. It cannot all be Hutch like it was last year. He’s going to have another big year, but he needs help…period. As for the rest of the interior, Alim McNeill is a star and there is not much left to be said about him. The hype around Onwuzurike is off the charts and I cannot wait to see what he has in store now that he is finally healthy. Losing Martin to IR was a bit of a bummer, but the fact they stole Mekhi Wingo in the 6th round is fantastic. Wingo was great in the preseason and has a very versatile game. I expect him to get plenty of run this year.
At linebacker the Lions did not do much of anything except bring in Ben Niemann and claim Trevor Nowaske back. Both of which will add depth to the room. I think the big change this year will be Jack Campbell starting at MIKE and Derrick Barnes taking on more of the SAM role. We’ll have to see how the rotation shakes out, but it seems clear that Campbell is ready for a bigger role and Barnes does a great job playing down hill and attacking the backfield. Anzalone is a leader and does what he does, but he does not have the potential to make plays like Campbell and Barnes.
Now we get to where the big time changes are. Obviously the Lions knew they could not go through the season again with a revolving door of random guys at cornerback. So they went out and traded a 3rd for Carlton Davis. They signed Amik Robertson. Then they traded a third during the draft to go up and get the best corner in the draft in Terrion Arnold. And then they let Ennis Rakestraw fall into their lap and double dipped at corner to start the draft. Another total scheme fit and a guy that will go up and hit guys and make plays. The cornerback room is starkly different with these four in the fold. I could not be more excited to see this group in action. There will definitely be growing pains with Arnold and Rakestraw as they learn and develop but man is this exciting. Let Davis work on one side as an island and go from there. Dorsey and Vildor earned spots to stay on the team and can work on special teams, but I really hope the secondary stays healthy enough that they do not have to play meaningful roles.
Safety is still a bit of a question mark and I was hoping all through camp that they might bring in a veteran to compete or add some depth. They moved Brian Branch from nickel back to safety and he will start there with Kerby Joseph. I expect Ifeatu Melifonwu to rotate through and play some nickel in some situations as well. He made plays down the stretch last year but can he do it for a full year? Brandon Joseph and Loren Strickland both played well enough in the preseason to earn roster spots. They’re both UDFAs (Joseph 2023 and Strickland this year) and while they earned roles and roster spots, I’m a little concerned about not having more depth back there. Especially if an injury happens at corner, they’re more likely to use Branch or Melifonwu in the nickel spot. Safety and the WR3 spots are the two main spots that remain major concerns for me.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The Lions did the thing and brought in Jake Bates as their kicker and I’m intrigued to see how it goes. It seems like camp was up and down and he missed an extra point in games but also hit a game winner and nailed some deep kicks. Is it possible he’s just a gamer? Will his leg make Dan Campbell kick long field goals rather than always going for it? A lot of questions remain here and I am concerned about his consistency.
Conversely, zero concerns about Jack Fox. We’ll see how everything goes with the new long snapper in the mix. Hatten played linebacker in college so he will be better suited to tackle and cover than the converted tight ends are…I think this is going to be a new trend in the NFL.
Practice Squad/IR
QB Jake Fromm
RB Jermar Jefferson
WR Donovan Peoples-Jones
WR Tim Patrick
WR Allen Robinson
WR Tom Kennedy
TE Shane Zylstra
TE James Mitchell
IOL Kingsley Eguakun
OT Jamarco Jones
NT Kyle Peko
DT Chris Smith
EDGE Isaac Ukwu
EDGE Mitchell Agude
DL Pat O’Connor
DB Erick Hallett
Brodric Martin – IR
Emmanuel Moseley – IR
John Cominsky – IR
SEASON PREDICTION
14-3 is my official prediction. Lions beat the 49ers in the NFC Championship and then beat the Houston Texans in the Super Bowl. Maybe I’ve had a little too much kool aid, but I think this could be the year. And if not, Brad Holmes has done a phenomenal job managing future contracts to keep the Lions Super Bowl window open longer than most.
Image via: AP News
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