Detroit Lions offensive coordinator talks the good and bad of having so many weapons
Entering the 2020 regular season, the Detroit Lions have surrounded franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford with the most diverse depth of talent in his 11-year career. At every level of the offense, the Lions have heavily invested to give Stafford his best chance of success.
At quarterback, the Lions signed veteran backup Chase Daniel to help support Stafford and be a capable replacement that can come in an win ball games if needed, After all, Detroit didn’t win a single contest last year with backups Jeff Driskel and rookie David Blough under center.
At running back, Detroit drafted D’Andre Swift in the second round of this year’s draft. Swift figures to pair with oft-injured starter Kerryon Johnson, as a solid one-two punch at the position. The Lions also have powerback Bo Scarbrough and rookie scatback Jason Huntley who is an excellent receiver out of the backfield.
At wide receiver, the Lions have one of the top veteran trios in the NFL in Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones, and Danny Amendola, All three have expiring contracts at the end of the season.
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At tight end, the Lions invested heavily into this group last year. They used their high-first round selection on Iowa’s T.J. Hockenson. Detroit also paid a pretty penny to acquire former Pittsburgh Steeler tight end Jesse James as a free agent. The team also added Washington tight end Hunter Bryant as an undrafted rookie free agent this offseason.
Finally, the Lions’ offensive line went through some drastic changes this offseason. Detroit famously has used two recent first-round selections on this unit in left tackle Taylor Decker and center Frank Ragnow.
The team also parted ways with right tackle Rick Wagner and right guard Graham Glasgow this offseason. How well their replacements play this season will be a major story line to follow, especially considering the fact Stafford missed eight games last season due to a back injury.
Detroit Lions – So many weapons but only one football
The moves this offseason will not only benefit Stafford, but second-year offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell as well. But as Bevell told DetroitLions.com recently, having more weapons also means there are more mouths to feed.
"“The good part about the job is I have all these weapons and that’s also the bad part about the job. I mean, there’s only one ball. … We have to able to find a good mix to keep the defenses honest. Just like last year, you’ll see a tight end have a big game, you’ll see a wideout have a big game. Sometimes that’s scheme. Sometimes it’s matchup.”"
The Detroit Lions should field one of their most overall talented offenses in recent years once this regular season kicks off in 2020. And while that means offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell will have to find several ways to get as many of those weapons as involved as possible, it’s certainly better than the alternative.