Whether you like it or not, Jared Goff will be the starting quarterback of the Detroit Lions in 2022, and depending on how he performs, he could be their starter again in 2023.
That being said, my belief is that the Lions will eventually move on from Goff and they will replace him with a long-term starter either via free agency or the NFL Draft.
On Friday, Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports put out an article in which he projects 13 QB moves for 2022 and on his list is the Detroit Lions.
Benjamin projects that the Lions will select QB Desmond Ridder in the 2022 NFL Draft and that he will eventually take over when Goff is gone.
From CBS Sports:
Desmond Ridder to the Lions
Unless the Lions plan to eat $20 million to save a few million by designating Jared Goff as a post-June 1 cut, the ex-Rams starter will probably stick around for one more year as a placeholder. But they could afford to get somebody into the QB room as a longer-term option, and Ridder makes sense as a late Day One or Day Two target.
Personally, I would be disappointed if the Lions selected Ridder for a couple of reasons.
First and foremost, I don’t feel like Ridder, who played his college ball at Cincinnati, is going to be a good NFL quarterback. Could be an average starter at some point? Sure. But I just don’t see him becoming a good/great NFL QB.
Here is what Joe Marino of The Draft Network has to say about Ridder.
Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder is an accomplished quarterback that has been a big reason why the Bearcats have been such a prominent program in the college football scene despite not playing in a Power 5 conference. He enters the NFL after four seasons of starting experience and there’s no question he’s battle-tested and tough. Throughout his career, Ridder has demonstrated steady growth and improved in every season. When forecasting him to the next level, Ridder checks the boxes in terms of size, arm talent, mobility, and experience. His arm talent gives him access to the entire field and he is an exceptional runner where he showcases outstanding vision, athleticism, and the ability to break tackles. Because of his dual-threat ability, the entire playbook is available for Ridder’s offense because he doesn’t have any physical limitations. When it comes to areas in need of continued growth as Ridder enters the next level, his ball placement and decision making stand out. At this point, Ridder only has general accuracy. Despite some impressive flashes of accuracy, overall he is inconsistent. While Ridder is far from a turnover machine, his decisions with the ball can be overly aggressive and sometimes fail to account for leveraged defenders. In addition, Ridder has room to improve his mechanics so that his ball placement isn’t as impacted when he cannot achieve his desired sequencing. For a team in need of a franchise savior at the top of the draft, Ridder might not be the right target. For a team with a sound infrastructure and running game that can be relied upon, Ridder has the makings of a reliable starting quarterback with appealing physical traits, experience, and leadership qualities.Â
Nation, how would you feel about the Lions taking Ridder in the 2022 NFL Draft?
