Detroit Lions offensive line investment must start paying off

The Detroit Lions have sunk major resources into improving their offensive line. But will this unit ever play up to their costly investment?

After taking over the reins of the Detroit Lions as general manager in 2016, Bob Quinn has made a concerted effort to improve the offensive line play in Detroit. Now heading into his fourth season in the Motor City, Quinn is banking on seeing a return on his investment.

So far, the results have been mixed. The moves to obtain quality talent in the trenches have been costly. Detroit used their first-round selections in both 2016 (tackle Taylor Decker) and 2018 (center Frank Ragnow) on offensive lineman. They signed pricey veterans in right guard T.J. Lang and right tackle Ricky Wagner back in 2017. It can be argued that this year’s first-round pick, Iowa tight end T.J. Hockenson, was also an investment in the offensive line as his ability as a blocker is a big reason Detroit selected him eighth overall.

Despite the high investment, injuries and inconsistent play have plagued this positional group. Decker missed eight games in 2017 due to a shoulder injury. Lang was released in March with a year left on his deal after missing 10 games last year due to a neck issue. He’d end up retiring this offseason.

Last year’s top selection, Ragnow, underwhelmed in his first season in Motown. Now it appears the Lions are moving him to center after he started most of his rookie season at left guard. The versatile Ragnow played both guard and center in college.

Pro Football Focus (PFF) ranked the Lions the 16th best offensive line in the NFL last season, noting Lang’s absence and the fact Ragnow allowed the 10th most pressures of any guard in the league last year.

Here’s what Mark Chichester wrote recently for PFF after ranking the Lions’ offensive line 20th in the NFL in pass-blocking efficiency when removing the quick passing game (2.5 seconds from snap to pass) from the equation.

"“The Detroit Lions entered the season with a promising offensive line, but injuries and a steep rookie learning curve for first-year guard Frank Ragnow quickly dashed their hopes. On 104 long-developing passing plays, the Lions’ offensive line allowed four sacks, six hits and 37 hurries, and on average, they allowed a hurry once every 2.8 snaps — the league’s sixth-highest rate.”"

Although the Detroit Lions’ rushing attack received a boost last season with the emergence of running back Kerryon Johnson, the offensive line still struggled to keep quarterback Matthew Stafford upright. The 10-year passer was sacked 40 times in 2018, tied for 10th most in the NFL. If the Lions are going to win their first playoff game since 1992, they’ll need their investment in the trenches to finally start paying some dividends.

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