2019 Detroit Lions: Are great expectations reasonable?

The fan feedback has been mixed so far. Some can’t bring themselves to believe that this franchise can finally break free of the last 60 years of what could only be described as fan abuse. Which is understandable. Meanwhile, many other fans are excited. They see what has been accomplished this offseason and believe the time has finally come. They have great expectations.

So what is the answer? What will happen? It’s hard to say for sure because whether it’ll be good or bad, but that’s why they play the games. That’s where we find all the answers.

But that doesn’t mean we can’t look at all the evidence and make an educated guess. A guess rooted in more than just saying, ‘it’s just the same old Lions’.

So let’s take a deeper look at these 2019 Lions.

We’ve already started with some of the positives, so let’s continue along that path. Yes, the Lions have built an enviable defensive line and tight end room, but what else? The running back arsenal is deeper than last year, more versatile and still includes a budding star in the form of Kerryon Johnson.

Marvin Jones, Kenny Golladay, and Danny Amendola are a very respectable starting receiving corps, but with help from T.J. Hockenson and Jesse James, part of that revived tight end group, the Lions certainly have the ability to pass the ball.

Meanwhile, the secondary has become deeper on the corner with the addition of Justin Coleman and Rashaan Melvin. Rookie Amani Oruwariye has nice upside, but will he develop fast enough to be a positive contributor this season? The safety group is even deeper with plenty of possibilities to become one of the teams impact positions.

Not to be overlooked is the experience Matt Patricia gained last season and his revised approach to how he has handled this team so far. From OTA’s through training camp, it seems like it has been a more positive experience for the players, who still have hard work as the foundation of how they train, but with perhaps a more personable touch.

There are plenty of improvements to give us optimism if we just open our eyes and look for it. But there are also some definite concerns we need to be realistic about as well.