Detroit Lions must stash Matthew Stafford and chase Chase Young

The Detroit Lions have nothing without quarterback Matthew Stafford. The best course is to put Stafford on injured reserve and draft as high as possible.

The Detroit Lions loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday was a game-changer for this season. The end of quarterback Matthew Stafford’s 136-game start streak is just the beginning of the end for the 2019 season.

With Stafford at the helm, it was acceptable to work towards some more wins this season. At their very best (and only with Stafford under center), the Detroit Lions might have been able to eke out five wins in the second half of the season.

If the Lions had done things right in the past draft, that start against the Bears would have gone to rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins, who Detroit passed on for tight end T.J. Hockenson. Haskins has shown little with the Washington Redskins, but he also wasn’t the first choice of now unemployed head coach Jay Gruden. So, time will tell.

Hockenson is a fine player, and hopefully, he will blossom into a special player over the next few years. But he isn’t a quarterback.

What an opportunity this would have been for Haskins, as he sat the first half of the year behind Matthew. And then was called upon – after ten weeks under the system – with no pressure to start because Stafford has played so well. It would have been perfect.

There is no doubt. Stafford has played great this season. But with this back injury, what happens now?