Detroit Lions: Quandre Diggs should have a starting role next year
By Kellen Voss
Safety Quandre Diggs has been a key contributor to the Detroit Lions defense in the past 3 weeks, and may have earned himself a starting job for next season.
There has been a lot of hype surrounding the Detroit Lions secondary this season. The improvement of the unit has been a big reason why Motor City is still in the playoff hunt.
Darius Slay had two interceptions in the win against the Chicago Bears on Saturday, and currently leads the league with seven interceptions on the year. Slay, along with veteran safety Glover Quin, are shoe-ins for the pro bowl this season.
But Slay and Quin have not been the only quality secondary players for the Lions in the past couple weeks, as Safety Quandre Diggs has played well since stepping into the starting safety role. He took the place of Tavon Wilson, who suffered a season-ending shoulder injury against the Minnesota Vikings on Thanksgiving Day.
Injuries are always a bad thing in the NFL, but it sometimes allows for players lower on the depth chart to take a bigger role on the team and prove their worth. That might be the case here with Diggs, as his play these past couple weeks has been good enough for him to earn a starting role in the secondary next season.
Since taking the starting job in Week 13 against the Baltimore Ravens, Diggs has made a splash for the Lions. He’s had 15 tackles in the past 3 games, including a sack against the Chicago Bears, proving to be a very well-rounded safety.
Diggs has also proven to be a turnover machine for Detroit, as he’s forced a fumble and grabbed two interceptions in the past two weeks, against the Bears and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He’s had more interceptions in his 3 games starting than Wilson did in the 10 games he started (1).
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Before his move to Safety, Diggs had a role as the Lions’ primary nickelback. Diggs has made the transition smoothly, as both positions require a well-rounded player who can step up to the run and make plays in the passing game.
Quandre Diggs has shown that he can do both things beautifully, making Lions fans like myself question why Diggs wasn’t starting in the first place. According to Pro Football Focus, Tavon Wilson was playing at a below-average rate all season long, and Diggs has already shown to be an improvement after only 3 games at starting safety.
The Lions will be looking to make a lot of changes this offseason, as General Manager Bob Quinn needs to tinker with the coaching staff and the roster in order to upgrade this team from a fringe playoff team to a legitimate contender in the NFC.
One change that should be made by Quinn is making Diggs the long-term started at Safety for this Lions Squad, as continued quality play from him can keep this secondary playing at a decent level.
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Tavon Wilson is an unrestricted free agent in 2018, and Bob Quinn really needs to consider letting Wilson walk and signing Diggs for a long-term deal. If Diggs can continue to keep up the good work by doing his job and stepping up when the Lions need him to, then he has a spot on this Lions defense for a long time.