Detroit Lions: Is Bob Quinn’s poker face showing or are there possibilities?

Remember that Murray was only a one-year starter at Oklahoma. While he is an incredibly talented athlete, we would have to expect that it would take him time to learn the ropes. We’ve all seen rookie quarterbacks that have done well, like Baker Mayfield this past season. But for every Baker Mayfield there is a Josh Rosen and Sam Darnold that flashed potential but struggled overall.

Not to mention the bust factor.

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Yet when all is said and done it would bring one big positive to the Lions; possibilities. This would be a move that would create options for Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia as they mold this team into the image they envision.

The ideal scenario would be to have Murray learn behind Stafford next season and them decide how to play their cards.

If Stafford plays well, then that would only maximize his value if the Lions decided that Murray is their future. If Stafford plays well and Murray is a disappointment, then in a league that is quarterback driven, there would still be a market for Murray and the opportunity would be there to acquire a draft pick or some other asset in exchange for his talents.

The other side of matters would be that in a world where Joe Flacco can be dealt for a mid-round pick, even if Stafford had another poor season and the Lions decided to move on from him, he would still be far more valuable on the open market that Flacco.

The idea that the Lions will use their top pick on a quarterback is still far-fetched. The urgency that Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia seem to have to win would indicate they are not interested in a complete re-build, even though this is still a sizable overhaul they are in the process of.

Despite the bottom line that Matthew Stafford has ‘never won anything’, he has had several productive years and a lot of talent. I would venture to say that the ringing endorsement that Quinn and Patricia have given him is the real deal. Even if they put him on a short leash.

They have provided Matthew with the almost perfect offensive coordinator in Darrell Bevell, who has established solid top-flight running games everywhere he’s been and knows how to get the most out of his personnel.

If I were to wager what will happen, I would say that we can expect the Lions first pick to be a defensive play-maker and for Stafford to be given full reign of Bevell’s offense.

However, if Murray lights the league up and Stafford continues to flounder, then there will be a lot of second guessing down at Allen Park.