Drafting the right quarterback will be key
The news that the Lions and Matthew Stafford have decided to part ways completely opens the door to rebuild this team as it needs to be. With Matthew gone, it should also be a slam dunk that the Lions will be selecting a quarterback at pick number seven in the draft this April.
Whoever the Lions select will invariably become the face of this franchise just like Matthew did 12 years ago. This is the most critical selection Detroit will make in the draft. If they favor BYU’s Zach Wilson and he’s there, then nab him. If they are high on Trey Lance from North Dakota State, then pull the trigger.
The key to this rebuild is to be right.
That being said, this team needed a lot of work before we found out Stafford will be gone. Campbell’s overall assessment of the roster is right, any keepers the Lions have are on offense. The defense needs practically everything.
So along with finding talented players that ‘fit’ what Campbell wants to do and securing his quarterback to build around, Campbell’s assistants have to be impactful while they wait for Holmes to mine enough talent to start really seeing results.
Now we have to hope that Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell have learned their lessons well in the face of this rebuild.
There is a long way to go before free agency and the draft, not to mention next season. We will learn a lot about both Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell as well as the rest of Detroit’s new front office posse and the direction this team is headed over the next few months.
Will Holmes and Campbell succeed where others have failed? It’s way too early to know for sure, especially given the precarious nature of a rebuild. So for today, it’s okay to shed a tear for the impending loss of Matthew Stafford or to revel in Dan Campbell’s press conference that pumped up the city of Detroit once again.
Because the die has been cast. Not only will this be a total rebuild, but a journey to a new era of Detroit Lions football. May it finally pan out.