Detroit Lions: Sacking the quarterback in 2018 and beyond

The Detroit Lions were said to have issues getting to the quarterback in 2018, and after the season they showed those concerns were correct.

Sack the quarterback. It seems like a simple task, but the Detroit Lions were lagging in that area in 2018. Pass rusher has been on the list of team needs for what seems like much too long. And still, this past year, it was an issue.

With the expiring contract of defensive end Ziggy Ansah, it will remain an issue into the 2019 season.

Detroit Lions beat writer for ESPN, Michael Rothstein, mentioned this in a column about the team’s biggest needs:

"Acquire a star pass-rusher. The Lions need better pressure against opposing quarterbacks … They’ll have multiple options to fix it, either through free agency or the draft, where pass-rushers are plentiful in this class. If Detroit wants to build a stellar defense, that’s the biggest hold to fill."

Okay, we’ve heard this before. Find someone in free agency and then draft someone. The problem is the draft board versus other teams selections. It’s easy to say to draft a future star. It’s harder for that to be a reality based on who’s still available when you’re on the clock.

For that reason, many different players were brought in during free agency last year. And if we look at the sack numbers, those players did the most damage in 2018, not the players drafted or currently on the roster.

Detroit Lions defensive end Romeo Okwara was brought in off waivers prior to the 2018 season kicking off and he turned out to be a stellar catch for the defense. He posted 7.5 sacks last year, tied for 34th in the league. Yes, that’s correct. No Lions player was even in the top 32, let alone the top 10 or 20 for sacks.

Next up was Detroit Lions linebacker Devon Kennard, a free agent pickup. He totaled seven sacks and was tied for 38th overall. Two Lions in the top 50 for sacks, barely making the 6.5-sack statistical cut line.

Funny thing, both players were both on the New York Giants roster in 2017. In 2018, both were the top sack specialist for Detroit. The Lions are usually watching their former players excel in new uniforms such as linebacker Kyle Van Noy with the New England Patriots or Cliff Avril with the Seattle Seahawks, just to name a couple of pass-rushers.

Turn out, it was the Lions turn to grab another team’s former players and put them in situations to succeed. Maybe that’s head coach Matt Patricia’s influence starting to show in his first season. Now, he and the team need to look to this year’s crop of free agents to pull more impact players that can rush the passer in 2019 as they continue to mold this team into a perennial winner.