Near the end of the 2019 regular season, news broke that the Detroit Lions‘ powers that be had made the decision to retain GM Bob Quinn and head coach Matt Patricia, despite a disastrous season that ended with the Lions finishing with the third-worst record in the league. The decision included the caveat that the Lions had to contend for the playoffs in 2020 and it is up to Quinn to build a roster that is capable of doing that.
So far this offseason, Quinn has made a plethora of roster moves and though time will tell if they were the correct moves, some NFL executives are ripping him for what he has done, including trading Darius Slay.
From The Athletic:
“There are not enough good players to go around to get rid of them,” an exec said. “Who has time? Who has five years to wait? Detroit has gotten rid of several guys. There was the receiver midseason which killed their (2018) season, Golden Tate. There have been a few guys over the years, like (Quandre) Diggs.”
The Lions signed former Falcons corner Desmond Trufant as immediate insurance for Slay and could go with Okudah in the first round of the draft.
“Trufant is a downgrade from Slay, but he can play if he is healthy, and I think they can win with a player of the caliber of Trufant,” an exec said. “He still has some ability. They have more flexibility with picks and money. It is probably the best of a bad situation. Patricia has to put his stamp on that defense. He can’t put Belichick’s stamp on it. They had (defensive coordinator) Paul Pasqualoni last year. He stepped down. It is going to be on Patricia. The Fords do a nice job of giving whoever they have given the keys to the opportunity to grow and develop, but at some point you gotta show what this investment is all about.”
Nation, what grade would you give Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia for the job they have done so far with the Detroit Lions?
