Have the Detroit Lions solved their defensive issues?
The Detroit Lions offseason has had a defense focus but did Bob Quinn address all of the issues needed on defense? We’ll take a look this week at 2019.
The Detroit Lions defense was pretty good in 2018, ranking sixteenth in scoring and tenth in yards allowed. The 6-10 record was a step back from the nine-win season the year before. Are the Lions demonstrably better in 2019, that is the subject of this week’s Kick In the Crotch Weekly?
General manager, Bob Quinn, said that missing the playoffs was not acceptable and went out and hired new head coach, Matt Patricia, prior to last year. In addition, Quinn’s entire roster is 100% Quinn-approved players; no one has survived from a previous regime going into 2019.
On offense, which we covered two weeks ago, Darrell Bevell has been brought in to ground-and-pound teams into oblivion. Here on defense, the system has migrated from Foxboro, Massachusetts, following Patricia and his coordinator, Paul Pasqualoni. The biggest challenges are starters in a couple of key areas, improving the pass rush, and finding consistency.
Detroit Lions roster deficiencies
An ongoing problem for what seems like an eternity, finding a running mate for All-Pro cornerback Darius Slay is still a big question that hangs over the team. The linebackers have been a very thin unit since Quinn arrived and the switch to the Patriots system further exacerbated the problem. The Detroit Lions defensive line has endured a big overhaul since 2018 started with almost every former starter gone and new, Patricia-friendly options brought in.
View the entire roster, here.
The Detroit Lions defensive line
Starters: Da’Shawn Hand (end), Damon Harrison (tackle/ nose), Trey Flowers (end), A’Shawn Robinson (tackle)
OUT: Ezekiel Ansah, Ricky Jean-Francois, Kerry Hyder
Depth: Romeo Okwara, Austin Bryant (R), Eric Lee, Mitchell Loewen, Jonathon Wynn, John Atkins, P.J. Johnson (R), Darius Kilgo
UDFA/ other: Ray Smith (R), Kevin Strong (R)
The skinny: What we have here are an up-and-coming line with a pretty high floor and a decent ceiling. The emergence of Da’Shawn Hand, the signing of free agent Trey Flowers, and the acquisition of Damon Harrison last year have suddenly made this a formidable unit. What you can see plainly is that Bob Quinn is bringing in the versatile pieces that are needed to run the base formations and the sub packages that Patricia is used to running.
Add to the mix two rookies, Austin Bryant in particular, and you could have an elite group of players who can do numerous things to opposing offenses, none of which would be favorable to the offense. The Detroit Lions D-line is probably the most improved area of the entire roster over the last year. If they stay healthy and can generate some additional pass rush the Detroit defense could make big improvements.