Did the Detroit Lions do enough to fix their offense?
Edge blockers
The outside, edge blocking was the more concerning area of the line to me. Both starting tackles missed multiple games.
Wagner, in his first year after coming over from Baltimore, started thirteen games. His left side counterpart, Taylor Decker, played in eight games after missing the first half of the season.
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Decker was out due to a labrum (shoulder) injury and was probably forced back too soon. The run game and pass protection were both poor, especially the play of the left tackle, even after he returned. Props for playing with the injury, but the left tackle spot hurt the team all season.
Given the disarray of the line last year, it is easy to say, “That won’t happen again.” Many fans and experts were fine with bringing back the same players, even prior to the draft. It’s a sort of lightning can’t strike the same spot twice idea.
The problem is that once players become injured, the likelihood of re-injuring themselves goes way up. Decker played all sixteen games as a rookie.
In his second year, he missed half of the season, so it is worth watching to see if he can return to starting entire seasons.