Are the Detroit Lions ‘two players away’ as former QB suggests?

Detroit Lions defense

Defensively, the situation was similar … injuries, injuries, injuries. Players at every level of the defense missed chunks of time helping the entire roster to have 21 players out at one point during 2019. The link to the other half of the Senior Bowl article that discusses the defense’s needs is below.

The defensive line lost Da’Shawn Hand early in the year, had Damon Harrison for limited amounts of time, while free agent Mike Daniels didn’t contribute much, either. Tackle A’Shawn Robinson and end Romeo Okwara missed time, too. Trey Flowers seemed like he was playing by himself at times last year and was the only truly consistent member of the line.

Harrison is deciding whether or not he wants to play in 2020 but would be the only returning, starting interior player on the roster. The linebacker corps, has all of the starters returning but it is in major need of playmakers. Devon Kennard is a solid player, a blue-collar worker that the Lions can depend upon but they need to pair him with a better pass-rusher and coverage guy.

The Detroit Lions have a bunch of linebackers to fill their JACK, MIKE, and WILL spots but as far as starters go, they are very vulnerable to the pass and the group isn’t very adept at getting to the quarterback, either. Former first-round pick Jarrad Davis is trying to improve but the simple fact is that he hasn’t developed into the player that this defense needs, despite his very good athleticism and speed.

Christian Jones and Jahlani Tavai round out the major players and Tavai is the only player who might fit the defense if he gets better in coverage. Jones is a part-time player who gives the Lions a decent depth player or situational pass-rusher. Jalen Reeves-Maybin is a mainly special teams player who can fill in on the outside but is better suited to his support role.