Matthew Stafford put up MVP-worthy numbers last season until a finger injury caused the Lions to slide at the end of the season losing in the wildcard round. If Stafford plays like he did the last year, the Lions will be in playoff contention down the stretch even with a below-average defence. With teams like the Panthers, Buccaneers and Vikings looking to make the playoffs again, it will be hard for Detroit.
Arrivals/Departures
Arrivals: Ricky Wagner, TJ Lang, Paul Worrilow, DJ Hayden, Darren Fells, Cornelius Washington
Departures: Riley Reiff, Larry Warford, DeAndre Levy, Rafael Bush, Andre Roberts
Offence:
Matthew Stafford played at an elite level last season taking the Lions to the playoffs and it will be interesting to see if he can do it again. He will likely take a step down as he does not have an elite receiver or running game to support him. Ameer Abdullah will be the starting back and he played good in that role until he got injured a season ago. Pass catching specialist Theo Riddick plays behind him as well as Zach Zenner and Dwayne Washington. Matt Asiata will play fullback coming over from the division rival Vikings.
Golden Tate is a quick shifty receiver but he lacks the size and strength to make himself a true number one wide out. Marvin Jones dominated the first weeks of last year's season but after that slowed down a lot making us wonder what Jones will show in the upcoming season. After that the slot receiver will be Jared Abbrederis with TJ Jones, Kenny Golladay, Jace Billingsley and Keshawn Martin fighting for time. Tight end Eric Ebron has not lived up to his potential but still serves as a solid tight end and they brought in blocking specialist Darren Fells to protect Stafford and catch passes. The offensive line had a makeover with the addition of two of the best free agents in their positions - TJ Lang and Ricky Wagner - coming to play the right side of the line. Greg Robinson will take over at left tackle after a disappointing year with the Rams. Graham Glasgow at fill in at right guard and Travis Swanson at center.
Defence:
The star of the defensive line is Ghanaian Ezekiel Ansah who broke out with 14.5 sacks two years ago before falling to 2.0 last year. Expect Ansah to get back to his game wrecking way in September as he teams up with former Bear Cornelius Washington. Haloti Ngata is up there in age but he still stuffs the run like nobody else and he will clog the middle with A'Shawn Robinson. First-round pick Jarrad Davis will look to improve the linebacker core replacing DeAndre Levy. Paul Worrilow comes from Atlanta to play with veteran Tahir Whitehead who has spent his whole career with the Lions. Darius Slay is the defence's best player and he is emerging into a shutdown cornerback the Lions have been looking for. DJ Hayden comes from Oakland to play the nickel cornerback and Nevin Lawson will be the other main cornerback, Quandre Diggs may get some time too. Glover Quin was the only defensive player in the NFL to play every snap as he will continue to ball hawk passes like the best. Tavon Wilson will be the other starting safety of the defensive unit.
Special Teams:
The tandem of Matt Prater and Sam Martin forms one of the best special team duos in the NFL as Prater's booming leg allows him to kick field goals from any range (he holds the record for the longest) and Martin is among the elite punters. The returners will be Golden Tate receiving punts and Dwayne Washington returning kickoffs.
Starters:
Offence
|
Defence
|
Golden Tate
|
Cornelius Washington
|
Marvin Jones
|
A'Shawn Robinson
|
Jared Abbrederis
|
Haloti Ngata
|
Greg Robinson
|
Ezekiel Ansah
|
Graham Glasgow
|
Paul Worrilow
|
Travis Swanson
|
Jarrad Davis
|
TJ Lang
|
Tahir Whitehead
|
Ricky Wagner
|
Darius Slay
|
Eric Ebron
|
Tavon Wilson
|
Matthew Stafford
|
Glover Quin
|
Ameer Abdullah
|
Nevin Lawson
|
2017 Draft:
21. Jarrad Davis
53. Teez Tabor
96. Kenny Golladay
124. Jalen Reeves-Maybin
127. Michael Roberts
165. Jamal Agnew
205. Jeremiah Ledbetter
215. Brad Kaaya
250. Pat O'Connor
Top 10 Players:
10. Tahir Whitehead
9. Marvin Jones
8. Haloti Ngata
7. Glover Quin
6. Golden Tate
5. Ricky Wagner
4. TJ Lang
3. Ezekiel Ansah
2. Darius Slay
1. Matthew Stafford
Season Prediction: 7-9 (3rd in NFC North)
Last Year: 9-7
Photo credit for TJ Lang goes to https://www.si.com/. Matthew Stafford goes to http://www.foxsports.com/. Darius Slay goes to http://www.cbssports.com/. Ezekiel Ansah goes to http://www.espn.com/.
