Detroit Lions offensive line woes and future fixes

Detroit Lions – Draft Options

Moments where the line, or any unit, struggles remind us that there are really only so many opportunities to improve our roster.

The Lions spent zero draft picks on offensive linemen even though quarterback Matthew Stafford continues to be one of the most pressured and sacked players at his position. They were tied for 14th in 2018 giving up 41.0 sacks and tied for seventh with 47.0 the previous campaign.

Two things are important to note about these figures, one is that at times Stafford holds onto the ball too long and the other is that even given fact one, 88.0 total sacks is too big of a number.

After signing coveted free agents in Wagner and retired guard T.J. Lang, drafting Decker, guards Graham Glasgow and Joe Dahl in 2016, drafting center Frank Ragnow and Crosby in 2018, the line is still a thin area of the roster.

Despite other roster holes to fill, we were sure that Quinn would spend at least one draft pick on the offensive line with Lang mulling retirement.

The big conundrum facing Quinn and the Lions is that his class of linemen from 2016 are all getting to the end of their rookie deals, as is Ricky Wagner. Dahl signed an extension for two years just prior to this season.

Glasgow has no imminent deal, and Decker has a fifth-year option that the team could use to keep him for an additional year at an escalated cost but that would be lower than trying to sign a big free agent. Essentially he has to replace, re-sign, or add three to five players to have depth and quality starters.