For the first time in six seasons, the Detroit Lions finished rock bottom of the NFC North, marking the fifth time in seven seasons that they would miss out on the playoffs.
While it has been a long time since the Lions enjoyed any true measure of postseason success, there is an ever-present optimism at Ford Field that the surprises that come with each season may just turn in their favor and result in an underdog, or rather ‘undercat,’ tale for the ages.
Last season was rather brutal for Lions fans and saw quarterback hero Matt Stafford endure one of his worst full seasons to date. However, with Matt Patricia effectively being given a free pass last season, Detroit has gone about patching holes and building a team that he can coach to victories.
While not the most explosive or headline-grabbing moves were made by the Lions, it’d be fair to say that Detroit enjoyed the best 2019/20 offseason of all of the NFC North teams. However, limping in with a 6-10 record shows that there was plenty of work to be done.
So, did the Lions do enough in this offseason to claw their way back up from the bottom of the division?
Improvements made where necessary
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The Detroit Lions certainly have plenty of talented players in the right positions, and in the offseason, they managed to add a few more to the roster. The Detroit Lions preparing for the 2019/2020 season featured a couple of major free agency adds as well as filling needs via the draft.
The team’s biggest needs were at tight end, defensive back, and the Lions needed a pass rusher. So, they went out and signed defensive end Trey Flowers, who Patricia had worked with before, cornerback Justin Coleman, and Jesse James at tight end.
Probably the most exciting move, however, was for T.J. Hockenson, who many expect Patricia to mold into Detroit’s version of Rob Gronkowski. The eighth overall pick in the draft will give the offense extra potency and a way of foiling defensive strategies.
From the backfield, hopefully, Kerryon Johnson will be able to avoid injury and enjoy a full season as the starting running back, with Theo Riddick and C.J. Anderson in complementary roles.
Then in the passing game, Stafford will have Marvin Jones Jr., Kenny Golladay, and Danny Amendola as his new slot weapon. Add the immensely talented Hockenson to the mix and you’ve got a very strong offensive line-up bolstered by a decent offensive line.
Will it be enough?
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By no means does Detroit have a bad roster, but the NFC North is a very competitive division, perhaps the most competitive in the NFL right now. Looking at the Detroit Lions’ 2019/2020 schedule, there are a good eight winnable games if the team stays healthy, with a couple more games which the Lions may have a shot to win if they play great football throughout.
That said, even though the Chicago Bears’ dominant defense weakened, they’re still a very strong team. The Green Bay Packers bolstered their ranks and have moved on from the archaic ways of Mike McCarthy, which should allow Aaron Rogers to play some modern football.
The Minnesota Vikings are now suffering from the blowback of giving Kirk Cousins a monster contract last season. Even though he is a great quarterback with many offensive weapons and is bolstered by a sturdy defense, he has little-to-no protection from the rather lackluster offensive line.
A flourish to the playoffs may be out of reach for now, but with a lot of luck, Detroit’s offseason moves could prove to be enough to edge them out of the basement if the Packers struggle under a new system or the Vikings’ offense can’t validate the work put in by their defense.
