Are the Detroit Lions the best rebuild in the NFL?
By Robert Jones
The Detroit Lions’ efforts have not gone unnoticed by the national media, so are they legitimately the NFL’s best rebuild?
Win or lose on Sunday, as has become habit, the Detroit Lions are going home. “Wait til next year” has been the motto of long-suffering fans in the Motor City for far, far too long.
An acquaintance of mine recently said “will next season ever get here?” When considered in the context of the eternal wait for a legitimate contender, it seems like it will never arrive.
The Lions have consistently failed at selecting general managers and head coaches, who then have followed up by bungling drafting picks and free agent signings. Other than that, they have been just fine.
The blind squirrel has found a nut at times, with players like Charlie Sanders, Lem Barney, Billy Sims, Chris Spielman, Barry Sanders, Herman Moore, and Calvin Johnson. But this franchise has too many misses to count.
The “same old Lions” have been perpetually rebuilding since 1957.
But as we prepare for another offseason, the question has to be asked. Is it possible that general manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell are the winning combination to build the Lions into a contender?
Do the Detroit Lions have the NFL’s most promising rebuild?
Fans want to believe that the Lions finally have the right leadership in place. But it isn’t just the fans who think that may be the case.
Bill Barnwell of ESPN, as highlighted by the Detroit Free Press, gave the Lions a thumbs up in separate articles last week. Barnwell’s belief that the Lions were better than their record this season. He add in a belief in Holmes’ ability to find talent, with around $40 million in cap space give the Lions a chance to take a big step forward next season.
Then there’s Ben Solak of The Ringer, who believes the Lions have the the most promising rebuild in the NFL right now. Solak tips his cap to Campbell, a gritty coach who has had the guts to stay the course and not be afraid to make adjustments when he felt they were needed.
There are no guarantees in the NFL. Especially when it comes to rebuilds. Some teams are able to figure it out and build champions, while others, like the Lions for so many decades, have fallen well short.
Will next season finally arrive for the Lions in 2022? Maybe not quite, but it certainly looks like next season could very well be here in the near future.