How the Detroit Lions can be successful on defense in 2018
By Robert Jones
This leads us to the Lions top need: Defensive tackle.
Last year, after Haloti Ngata suffered a season ending injury in Week Five, the Lions defense was unable to stop anyone on the ground. And let’s not even mention their inability to pressure opposing passers.
If Bob Quinn and the Lions want to be better than this past season and become perennial contenders as Quinn has eluded to as their level of expectation without directly saying so, then they will need to be much better on defense and this all starts up front.
Addressing the linebacker situation early in free agency was good. It helped to improve the team up front, but it still starts in the trenches.
The Lions are thin at defensive tackle, but they are also pretty thin at defensive end as well despite franchising Ziggy Ansah. This means that both positions need to be addressed. Without more talent on the line and quality depth, this unit is destined to fail again.
So here is a simple game plan that can give Matt Patricia the horses he needs to be successful on defense.
It starts with free agency. The fact the Lions haven’t signed one of the ‘big name’ free agent defensive tackle doesn’t bother me. I didn’t have all my hopes set on them since money is an issues and it needs to be spread around to fill many holes.
Yet now is the time to make a move to help out this defense. They need to sign either former Indianapolis Colt, Johnathan Hankins, or Sylvester Williams most recently of the Tennessee Titans.
Hankins would have to be the preferred option since he is younger, more talented and has the ability to dominate opposing rushing attacks from the nose-tackle position. Williams is also a very good run-stuffer, but he has never pushed the pocket as well as Hankins.