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Well, I've been a proponent of "find a spot for someone who can rush the passer at a high level." Clearly the Lions are as well.
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Burning Questions, Part II: Can Detroit Lions' offense remain among league's best?
Justin Rogers
Sep 1
Number 9 of The Detroit Lions.jpg
The Detroit Lions' offense has been among the NFL’s best the past two years, finishing top-five in scoring and yardage each season under coordinator Ben Johnson’s command.
This offseason's alterations to the starting lineup have been minimal. The team swapped Jonah Jackson for Pro Bowler Kevin Zeitler at guard, and reliable receiver Josh Reynolds took a bigger contract offer from Denver in free agency. So staying near the top of the charts shouldn’t be too difficult. Right?
Here are the questions the Lions can answer to ensure that happens.
Will Williams turn the corner in third season?
Through two seasons, the Lions have not gotten anywhere close to a return on investment with wide receiver Jameson Williams. Much of that was expected, but it’s now time for him to start fulfilling his potential.
Williams’ rookie season was essentially a redshirt year, focusing more on rehabbing back to full strength following an ACL tear in January. He did see action in six games, but was limited to 78 snaps, producing a meager 81 yards from scrimmage after catching only one of his nine targets.
Things were supposed to accelerate last year, but the train derailed before it left the station due to a suspension for violating the league’s gambling policy. He returned to appear in 12 contests, but battled youthful inconsistency and shaky hands, churning out just 24 catches for 354 yards.
Still, there were promising signs down the stretch, carrying into the postseason. That momentum has swelled this offseason with Williams more prominently featured following Reynolds’ departure. The hands look better, the deep-ball tracking has improved, and the route running is a little more crisp. There are still going to be ups and downs, with wider oscillations between good and bad days than most, but if Williams can be a legitimate No. 2 to Amon-Ra St. Brown, it will go a long way toward keeping Detroit’s offense humming.
A reasonable bar for a healthy Williams? How about 50-60 Catches, 700-800 receiving yards (and more from scrimmage with some of the end-arounds and reverses the Lions will inevitably look to incorporate) and 5-8 touchdowns?
What more can Gibbs offer in the pass game?
The Lions drew national criticism for their 2023 draft strategy, which included selecting a running back and off-ball linebacker with the No. 12 and No. 18 selections in the first round. “What about position value?” the analysts squealed.
And while the jury remains out on linebacker Jack Campbell, running back Jahmyr Gibbs immediately established himself as one of the best dual-threat running backs in the league, in no small part due to a more physical, between-the-tackle ability than his 5-foot-9, 200-pound frame would suggest.
Gibbs finished his debut campaign with 1,261 yards from scrimmage to go with 11 scores. He averaged an impressive 5.2 yards per carry and chipped in 52 receptions on 71 targets.
Despite those overwhelming positives, if you’re looking for areas for improvement, it is as a receiver. Gibbs is supposed to be Detroit’s answer to Alvin Kamara, a guy who caught at least 81 balls each of his first four seasons, while netting nearly 43% more yards per reception than the 6.1 Gibbs averaged in 2023.
There’s little doubt there’s more meat on the bone as a pass-catcher, and Gibbs has taken a smart approach of working on that aspect of his game with St. Brown, one of the game’s elite route runners the first few yards off the line of scrimmage.
Because of his receiving abilities, the similarly built Kamara racked up more than 1,500 yards from scrimmage in three of his first four seasons. There’s every reason to believe Gibbs is capable of the same.
Will the injury bug leave Detroit’s offensive line alone?
Penei Sewell screaming during a game.jpg
As Johnson describes the unit, the Lions' offensive line is the engine that makes the car go. The group is universally viewed as one of the league’s best, with several publications raking them No. 1 this offseason. But that engine has required more trips to the mechanic than anyone could have imagined the past three years.
In 2023, Taylor Decker missed time with a high ankle sprain, Jackson — now with the Rams — was sidelined separate stints by ankle, wrist and knee injuries, and Frank Ragnow powered through a laundry list of ailments, but was shelved multiple games for the third time in four seasons.
Individually, the group is tough and durable, even more so with Zeitler joining the mix, but they can’t seem to catch a sustained break, collectively. Even during camp, the newcomer missed a couple of weeks with a shoulder issue and All-Pro right tackle Penei Sewell suffered a scarier-than-it-looked ankle injury.
Healthy, Detroit’s offensive line is a dominant force. But take away one of the five fingers and the fist they make is weakened. The team has reasonable depth with Dan Skipper, Kayode Awosika and Colby Sorsdal, but there’s little doubt the overall effectiveness declines when one of the starting five misses time.
Can practice squad adds fill need for WR with size?
As noted above, Williams is technically Reynolds’ replacement as the No. 2 receiver option. Of course, that bump up the depth chart requires someone to backfill what Williams would have provided as the No. 3 had Reynolds re-signed.
The Lions had a reasonable plan, retaining Donovan Peoples-Jones on the cheap. He offered the requisite size, athleticism, versatility and track record of production to fill that void. Obviously, that didn’t work out as planned.
Instead, the Lions have four receivers on the 53-man roster, averaging just 187 pounds. The lack of size on the outside is appreciable. But fear not, the team has stockpiled its practice squad with possible solutions. Peoples-Jones remains part of that mix, but Tim Patrick and Detroit native Allen Robinson are probably more intriguing.
Patrick feels like an early favorite to emerge from the cluster. At 6-foot-4, 212 pounds, he offers the large catch radius, reliable hands and perimeter blocking that were lost with Reynolds’ departure. But Patrick is coming back from a two-year absence after suffering a torn ACL and torn Achilles. That’s a tall task, particularly for a player on the wrong side of 30.
Robinson has experienced a similar decline with age. His production plummeted in Pittsburgh last season, with just 280 receiving yards in 17 games and more than 700 offensive snaps. But maybe, just maybe, the former Pro Bowler will be rejuvenated playing for the hometown team.
Will rookie RB see snaps after showcasing electric potential?
Sione Vaki of Detroit Lions.jpg
Honestly, if Sione Vaki doesn't play an offensive snap this season, it wouldn’t be that surprising. With the dynamic tandem of Gibbs and David Montgomery set to hog most of the playing time, and Craig Reynolds a reliable three-down option as an injury fill-in, the Lions can afford to be as patient as they want with the converted safety they selected in the fourth round of April’s draft.
Yet after Vaki flashed some of the same electric playmaking potential in the preseason that he did as a stopgap fill-in for the Utes last season — leading to the full-time position change as a pro — it would be a shame if the Lions didn’t find a handful of opportunities to sprinkle him in as he continues to learn the nuances of playing running back.
Because of his vision and burst, Vaki is a legitimate big-play threat every time the ball is in his hands. It's why he should also be considered an option in the return game. But by his own admission, he could need as much as three years to feel fully comfortable with every aspect of lining up in the backfield.
If needed, is Hooker ready?
In an ideal world, the Lions won’t need their backup quarterback in 2024. That scenario would hardly be unusual as starter Jared Goff has started every game the past two seasons and four of the last six.
But the harsh reality of football is every player — no matter how historically durable — is one bad hit from being sidelined. The recently revised contingency plan now calls for Hendon Hooker to be the next man up.
An exceptional college quarterback, Hooker spent most of his rookie season rehabbing from a torn ACL. Now healthy, this offseason has been a battle to find consistency after the coaching staff reshaped his mechanics to be better suited for the three-, five- and seven-step drops required at the professional level.
Through the preseason, Hooker demonstrated those mechanical changes were slowly taking hold, all while showcasing impressive dual-threat ability. His mobility adds a dimension the Lions don’t have with Goff, and it could be enough to help the team survive an emergency situation.
But in a worst-case scenario, where he’d need to steer the ship for several weeks, is Hooker capable of keeping Detroit's season afloat? It’s impossible to say, but it can’t be any worse than the alternatives from the past few years: Tim Boyle, David Blough and Nate Sudfeld. Hooker’s ceiling is unquestionably higher.
Email: jrogers@detroitfootball.net
X: Justin_Rogers
"I hope to see the Lions in the Super Bowl before I die"
My friend Ken LComment
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"I hope to see the Lions in the Super Bowl before I die"
My friend Ken LComment
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Why I'm picking the Detroit Lions to reach Super Bowl 59 — but not to win it
Paywall article from today's Freep.
Dave Birkett
Detroit Free Press
The path from NFL cellar-dweller to Super Bowl contender is rarely as straight as the one the Detroit Lions have traveled the past three years.
General manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell took over a flailing organization in 2021, traded their best player less than two weeks later and started a rebuild that’s put them on the cusp of greatness as they enter their fourth season in charge.
They’ve built one of the best rosters in the NFL, with young cornerstones on both sides of the ball, and they’ve embraced the expectations that some of their most loyal fans are still too scarred to accept.
Holmes said Thursday he expects the Lions to "win the Super Bowl” this year, and with the majority of their core intact from last year’s 12-5 team and a few significant upgrades on defense, that should be everyone’s goal.
I picked the Lions to win 12 games again this year, to come out on top of what I think is the NFL’s best division and to end their season on the league’s grandest stage in a game some believed they’d never make — the Super Bowl.
I stopped short of picking them to win the Super Bowl, however. I’m going with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs for an unprecedented third straight year.
And while I think there are sound football reasons for both picks, I’ll confess I did a lot of soul searching the past few days to make sure I was making them for the right reasons.
The natural inclination for some when a beat reporter picks the team he covers to make the Super Bowl is to scream “homer.” It’s a fair criticism sometimes. It’s easier to show your face in a locker room when you pick that team to win than it is when you predict them to lose — though I’ve had a decade-plus of experience with the latter.
But the Lions have a top-five roster in the NFL, with ascending talent and the ability to win games in multiple ways. They ranked in the top five in rushing, passing, scoring and total offense last season. They have one of the most dominant offensive lines in football. They’ve added playmakers who should help generate more turnovers on defense. And they have a coach in Campbell whose aggressive nature is fuel for his locker room.
If you don’t see the Lions as legitimate Super Bowl contenders, I don’t know what you’re looking for.
I almost picked the Lions to win it all; it’s a popular thing to do right now. And when I didn’t, I had to ask myself if I was doing something different, just because.
I can see the Lions hoisting the Lombardi Trophy following Super Bowl 59 on Feb. 9 in New Orleans. Barring significant injury, I think their floor is making the playoffs as a wild card.
But ultimately, I think the Chiefs are best positioned to win it again this year. They have an easier road to a division title, which often portends postseason success; the Green Bay Packers, who the Lions play twice this year, are better than any team the Chiefs will face in the AFC West, and I think the Chicago Bears will take a major step forward with Caleb Williams at quarterback.
Kansas City is better offensively this year than it was a season ago, with more speed at receiver. The Chiefs ranked second in total and scoring defense last season and return most of their key players on that side of the ball. They largely avoided some of the drama I think will be detrimental to several of the league’s other Super Bowl contenders —namely, the San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Cincinnati Bengals and New York Jets.
And they still have Mahomes, the best player of this generation, at quarterback — he's in a tier by himself and someone who will be motivated by the chance to three-peat, something that could eventually set him apart from Tom Brady as the greatest of all time.
It’s tough to pick against Mahomes in any setting, even though the Lions beat him last fall. But the real reason I picked the Lions to take one step forward this year, but not two, is that it seems like the natural next progression for a team that has improved from 3-13-1 to 9-8 to 12-5 and a few points short of the Super Bowl.
Like the Pistons of the 1980s who had to first get through Larry Bird, then Magic Johnson, to win an NBA title, I think the Lions have two dragons to slay before they ascend to the throne.
They’ll drive a stake through the 49ers’ heart this year and emerge as the class of the NFC, and they’ll face Mahomes for all the marbles in the Super Bowl.
It’s a coin flip what happens next, and you already know which way I think it lands.
Holmes detests the term, but if it doesn't go the Lions' way this year, it's not the end of their championship “window." Their roster is built for the long haul, they have the right leaders in place and no serious salary cap issues to contend with next year.
I don’t see any roadblocks in their way, just more of the steady progression that has gotten them this far.
“I’m proud of us that we’ve avoided mentally putting ourselves into that we’re being in a window, and so we have to do something different from a roster standpoint,” Holmes said Thursday. “We've kept our approach and our process very consistent in terms of how we build it, the opportunities that we provide players, and that’s what gives us confidence (we have a team that can compete for the Super Bowl).”
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
"I hope to see the Lions in the Super Bowl before I die"
My friend Ken LComment
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2024 season prediction:
Lions, 13-4.
F it. Going over on the Lions Vegas O/U. It’s the best Lions roster on paper entering the season in my lifetime. Assuming reasonable injury luck, Lions are capable of winning one more game than last season. It’s going to be tougher with a target on their back and more difficult schedule, but why not… if Kerry Collins can lead the Tennessee Titans to a 13-3 season in 2008, certainly we can enjoy being on top one time.
Offense -
Should be reminiscent of what we have seen since the 2022 season turnaround. Jamo, Gibbs, and LaPorta ascending can certainly help prevent a setback. I hope to see one of the practice squad WRs emerge and help later in the season. We’re going to need injury luck at OLine and WR because the depth isn’t there IMO. The achilles heel as noted before. However, it’s the NFL… if your achilles heel is depth, you’re in a good spot when compared to the rest of the NFL.
Defense -
Pass rush and coverage appear to be on the rise after being the downfall of 2023. Hutchinson and Davenport recking people off the edge. Year 4 McNeill playing next to Reader. The new DLine coach helping develop others. LBs should be more of the same and I’m hoping for year 2 Jack Campbell to increase the ceiling of the unit. A long with the complete makeover of the secondary to stop the dumpster fire results of previous years.
Special Teams -
It will be interesting to see if kickoff returns become a story in the NFL. or do teams kick it out of the end zone… Lions better have good coverage considering the number of LBs they have on the roster. Jack Fox is punt god. Hogan Hatten can lap Teez Nutz in a race. The question is what we get out of Jake Bates… hopefully proving to be a clutch gamer instead of the concerns from “we’re talking about practice.”
Go Lions! What a time to be a fan.
Not bragging because you can make fun of me for several things (I thought Teez Tabor would be good), but I’ve pretty much nailed the Lions season prediction every year Campbell has been here. 😇 Support:
AAL 2023 - Alim McNeillComment
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These are the Athletic's national analysts and not specifically Lions, but they are very positive towards the Lions. They incorrectly call LaPorta a poor blocker and they don't make any mention of Gibbs & Monty, but overall a good listen giving a more national perspective.
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"Your division isn't going through Green Bay it's going through Detroit for the next five years" - Rex RyanComment
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Lions 2024 captains:
Goff
Sun God
Sewell
Thor
JRM
Hutch"Yeah, we just... we don't want them to go. So that's our motivation."
Dan Campbell at Green Bay, January 8, 2023.Comment
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"I hope to see the Lions in the Super Bowl before I die"
My friend Ken LComment
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"I hope to see the Lions in the Super Bowl before I die"
My friend Ken LComment
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Lions season preview: Defense expected to uphold Super Bowl aspirations
Paywall News article.
Nolan Bianchi
The Detroit News
There are a number of reasons why the Detroit Lions didn't reach the Super Bowl last year, but the bottom line is that the defense couldn't catch a break after leading 24-7 at halftime in the NFC Championship loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
After revamping the defense — particularly the secondary — this offseason, the expectation is that the defense will play just as big a part in the team's success as the offense.
Lions general manager Brad Holmes added cornerbacks via the draft, trade and free agency while doing his best to plug holes along the defensive line. Here's you need to know about this defense entering Week 1:
Wide range of possible outcomes for defensive line
Despite wide criticism of the team’s sack totals last year, the Lions ranked second in quarterback hits (77) and sixth in total pressures (354).
But whereas the Lions had one player, Aidan Hutchinson, accounting for 28.5% of the team’s pressures (Hutchinson had 101 by himself, good for second in the league), the Ravens, for example, led the league with 397 while the leading pressure-getter, Jadeveon Clowney, accounted for 17.8% of the team’s overall production in that area.
To summarize: The Lions relied on Hutchinson a lot. That can be spun in one of two ways: a.) Hutchinson could be a regression candidate, which would cause the entire defense to suffer or b.) the added help of DJ Reader, Levi Onwuzurike and Marcus Davenport, plus the coaching bump from new defensive line coach Terrell Williams, will empower Hutchinson to reach the next level of stardom — Defensive Player of the Year candidate.
Based on what we saw in training camp this year, we wouldn’t bet against him landing in that second bucket. Hutchinson came back bigger and stronger, and the progression we saw from his teammates was an encouraging sign that points toward the front seven as a whole being even stronger this season.
Plenty has been said and written about the emergence of Onwuzurike, a former second-round pick who’s shaping up as a hybrid interior/outside guy who poses a threat in both the run and pass game. We know what the expectations are for Alim McNeill, the fourth-year defensive tackle who took his game to another level last season, and Reader, one of the Lions’ top free-agent signings who was activated from the PUP list last week.
An X-factor of the Lions’ pass rush is Marcus Davenport. Davenport, 27, was a nine-sack, 42-pressure player with the New Orleans Saints in 2021. He underwent five surgeries the following offseason and couldn’t return to form — at least not in sack totals. He had just a half-sack but only had eight fewer pressures than in his nine-sack year. His one-year prove-it deal with Minnesota in 2023 didn’t work out after he suffered a high-ankle sprain in Week 6 that ended his season.
Davenport is an intriguing player, but his injury history suggests he won't be a lock to contribute in 2024. This could also suggest defensive end is still an area for concern for this Lions team overall. Behind Davenport, they're relying on Josh Paschal and James Houston to be Hutchinson's complementary pieces, and while both of those guys have a good amount of upside, they don't have great floors.
The Lions rushing defense was dominant last season. Detroit led the league in games (12) holding opponents under 100 rushing yards, allowing the second-fewest rushing yards (88.8 per game) and the third-lowest rushing average (3.7). Limiting opponents in the run game will be critical to the defense’s success again in 2024, and they’ve certainly got the horses to do it.
Reader (quad), whose status for the opener is currently unknown, is one of the biggest additions to the run defense. In addition to being a block-eating menace at nose tackle, he's also shown great ability to go get the ball carrier himself. In 14 games last season, Reader made 34 tackles and was credited with 22 run stops. Next to McNeill, who had 19 run stops last season and is expected to take another step forward in his development, the defensive interior should be rock solid.
Onwuzurike having the ability to kick out wide on run plays should mean Detroit's defensive line is poised for another dominant year in the run game, especially when you consider they're returning all the major contributors from their linebacking room.
Lions have top trio in linebacker room
Outside of Hutchinson, few Lions defenders were as locked in last season as linebacker Alex Anzalone. Anzalone, one of the Lions' captains, dialed up 25 pressures of his own last season for three sacks and 10 hits on the quarterback while making a transition back to his best spot on the field, WILL (weak-side) linebacker, where he also made 129 tackles.
The opportunity to shift positions was brought about mainly by Derrick Barnes being capable of taking over regularly as the MIKE (middle) linebacker. Barnes played 68% of snaps for Detroit in 2023, nearly double the amount he took the previous season. He had 19 pressures as a pass rusher and made 81 tackles before intercepting his first pass to punch Detroit's ticket to the NFC Championship. Barnes underwent his own transition this offseason, taking a majority of his reps at SAM (strong-side) linebacker. There, he'll have the chance to add even more as a pass rusher, which is the role he primarily held in college.
This then brings us to Jack Campbell, the 2023 first-round pick who played sparingly in his rookie season but is expected to take a major step forward in 2024. It's anticipated Campbell will wear the green dot and see the field a lot more than he did in his rookie season, when he played 59% of snaps.
Behind the starters, Detroit has a good deal of depth to deal with anything coming their way. Jalen Reeves-Maybin was an All-Pro special-teamer and extremely effective when he saw the field on defense, while Malcolm Rodriguez has solidified himself as a do-everything guy. The Lions kept two extra players at linebacker in Ben Niemann and former Lions undrafted free agent Trevor Nowaske (Canton).
(Another) revamped secondary
Despite getting a ton of pressure on the quarterback, the Lions were last in the league in total air yards on completions and gave up the eighth-highest yards after catch. This ended up producing one of the worst pass defenses in the league, as Detroit ranked 27th in pass defense 247.4 yards per game.
For a second offseason in a row, the Lions attempted to remedy this by overhauling their secondary. Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson and cornerback Jerry Jacobs walked in free agency and cornerback Cam Sutton was released following a run-in with the law. The team turned around and acquired Carlton Davis IIIvia trade, signed Amik Robertson and then drafted Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. They'll hope to get Emmanuel Moseley, who tore his ACL on his second play back in 2023 and then suffered a torn pec in training camp this year, later in the year.
As of right now, it's looking like Davis and Arnold are the starting outside corners, with Robertson getting the starting job at nickel corner and Brian Branch moving to deep safety alongside Kerby Joseph. It's unclear what the plan currently is for Ifeatu Melifonwu, who was one of Detroit's most impactful playmakers last season but appears to be taking a backseat entering 2024.
The Lions — on paper — should have a better secondary than last season, but that's also what we said last season.
nbianchi@detroitnews.com
@nolanbianchi
"I hope to see the Lions in the Super Bowl before I die"
My friend Ken LComment
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As regular season nears, Dan Campbell urges Detroit Lions to shelf Super Bowl talk
Paywall Freep article.
Dave Birkett
Detroit Free Press
Dan Campbell arrived seven minutes early for his weekly news conference Monday, with a broad smile on his face and freshly shorn hair under his blue Detroit Lions baseball cap.
The man who pounds two venti coffees from Starbucks, with two shots of espresso in each, every morning seemed naturally wired Monday by the real power source to his heart — football.
“I told the team this morning, 'Man, let’s put our guys in position to go win and to do what they do best and just let them go win the race for you,' ” Campbell said. “So it’s exciting, man. This is a great time of the year and it’s all about putting your guys against their guys.”
The Lions have Super Bowl aspirations — something general manager Brad Holmes embraced last week — but Campbell urged his players to cut the championship talk at his first team meeting of the regular season Monday.
Sports Illustrated picked the Lions to win the Super Bowl this year, an ESPN simulation of the season did the same, and the excitement about the most anticipated season in modern franchise history is palpable everywhere in and around Detroit.
But with their Week 1 game against the Los Angeles Rams a few sleeps away, Campbell said the Lions should be focused not on the end result but on what it takes to get there.
“We’re to the point now where that doesn’t even matter anymore,” Campbell said. “Like what does that do? It does nothing. Now it’s about the steps to get to there.”
Those steps begin in earnest Sunday against the Rams in a playoff rematch at Ford Field.
The Lions beat the Rams, 24-23, in a thrilling wild-card game in January for their first postseason victory in 31 years. They edged the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a second playoff win the next week, then lost a heartbreaker to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC championship game on Jan. 28.
Having had to live with the anguish of falling one step short of the Super Bowl all offseason, Campbell said the next 18 weeks are about the Lions putting themselves in the best position to avoid that torment again.
“The steps are, you better win your division, cause you get a home (playoff) game,” he said. “And then once you get a home game, now it’s about seeding and you win these head-to-heads and now all of a sudden you’re the 3-seed, you’re the 2-seed, maybe you’re the 1-seed. So we got to win the division, man, and so it starts with this first game, NFC opponent who could win the West at the end of this year.”
The Rams have made the playoffs five of the past seven years, advanced to the Super Bowl twice in that span and walked away champions once.
They return much of the roster that had the Lions on the ropes in the playoffs last season, including quarterback Matthew Stafford, receivers Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp and running back Kyren Williams, though they lost the future Hall of Fame anchor to their defense, Aaron Donald.
Longtime Lions left tackle Taylor Decker called it “exciting” just to “get back in the building” Monday for the start of a game week, though Decker insisted he’s no more fired up for this season with realistic championship expectations than he has been for any of his previous eight years in Detroit.
“I never felt like (winning the Super Bowl) was a big conversation topic within the building,” Decker said. “It would come up here and there, but again, we just need to take it week by week because we’d be doing a disservice to each other, and you've seen it too many times. If you look too far ahead, then you might be three, four weeks in the season and you're like, ‘Uh-oh, what's going on here?’ We're not going to let that happen.”
The Lions have a chance to get off to a fast start with three of their first four games at home before a Week 5 bye, and their rabid fanbase frothing for the experience.
They’ll debut on a primetime stage Sunday (8:20 p.m. NBC), with a mostly healthy roster and if their coach has his way a set of blinders on that will keep them from looking too far ahead.
“We’re excited,” Campbell said. “I think everybody’s pretty excited, so we’re excited to have the roster pretty much set here and some guys we want to go to war with. We have a very good opponent coming up, 'Sunday Night Football' at our place, it just doesn’t really get any better. It really doesn’t.”
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
"I hope to see the Lions in the Super Bowl before I die"
My friend Ken LComment
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What I’m seeing from the Detroit Lions: They made the right moves and other observations
Paywall article from The Athletic.
By Colton Pouncy
Sept 3, 2024
Come Sunday evening, the Detroit Lions will embark on a brand-new season — hoping it’ll be one they’ll never forget.
As head coach Dan Campbell put it, the Lions want “the whole enchilada.” Their rise from 3-13-1 to the brink of the franchise’s first-ever Super Bowl appearance has been linear in every way. It’s something you don’t always see in this league, that kind of year-over-year progress. But the Lions are confident in the way they’ve built this thing.
They’ve drafted and developed well — targeting players with a combination of talent and work ethic, passing on those who didn’t fit. They’ve added the right pieces in free agency, refusing to overspend and refusing to sacrifice their culture. They’ve kept their coaching staff intact despite external interest. It’s all led to where the team is now — set to begin a season that could end in New Orleans in February.
Offense
Led by offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, and powered by Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Penei Sewell — each of whom signed extensions to remain in Detroit for the foreseeable future — a Lions’ offense that ranked third in yards and fifth in point per game is expected to be dangerous once again.
At quarterback, Goff leads the way, fresh off a new deal. It was a reward for his steady play and resilience, working his way from potential bridge QB to Detroit’s long-term answer. He’s thrown for north of 9,000 yards and nearly 60 touchdowns over the past two seasons — serving as a perfect fit in Johnson’s offense. Surrounded by playmakers, an offensive line that protects him and an OC that has a tremendous amount of confidence in him, Goff has been able to play the best football of his career right here in Detroit.
The key to the offense reaching new heights could be the arrival of wide receiver Jameson Williams. It’s Year 3 for Williams, and after a roller-coaster first two years recovering from a torn ACL and earning the trust of the staff back after a gambling suspension, the Lions believe Williams is ready for a starter’s workload in 2024. This was easily the best training camp of his career, taking every snap with the first-team offense. Williams is a player with a natural, childlike exuberance, but what was clear from training camp is that Williams looks like a more mature version of himself. His routes look crisper, there are fewer drops and mental errors and Goff didn’t hesitate to throw his way. If Williams is ready for the spotlight, his unique top-end speed ability to change gears at a moment’s notice could provide more explosive plays than last year, while opening up the middle of the field for St. Brown and others. If he’s not, and the Lions can’t get adequate production from Tim Patrick, Allen Robinson or Donovan Peoples-Jones, the passing offense could face growing pains.
If you ask the Lions, they’ll tell you they believe their offensive line — already viewed as one of the best in the league — has a chance to be even better in 2024. Much of that has to do with the addition of right guard Kevin Zeitler. Coming off a Pro Bowl season, Zeitler signed a 1-year, $6 million contract with the Lions this offseason, taking over for the since-departed Jonah Jackson. While the Lions were appreciative of Jackson’s contributions over the years, nagging injuries kept him in and out of the lineup last year. That hasn’t been an issue for Zeitler. He’s played at least 950 snaps in each of the last nine seasons. And while he’s getting up there in age (34 in 2024), he’s shown few signs of slowing down, and is highly-regarded in pass protection. He’ll slot in at RG, right in between two All-Pro talents in Sewell and C Frank Ragnow. Left tackle Taylor Decker (who signed a 3-year, $60 million extension in August) and left guard Graham Glasgow (who re-signed with the team for 3 years, $20 million in March) round out the rest of the offensive line.
Elsewhere, the Lions expect internal growth from some of their young stars — TE Sam LaPorta and RB Jahmyr Gibbs. LaPorta, a second-team All-Pro in his first season, broke the NFL record for receptions by a rookie (82), and finished second all-time in touchdowns (10) and yards (889). That level of production at a position that’s notorious for learning curves cemented LaPorta as one of the best tight ends in the league. This offseason, LaPorta told reporters he wants to get better at disguising his routes and eliminating tells. Though he’s not viewed as a plus blocker, he’s serviceable in that department and the hope is he keeps improving.
Gibbs, meanwhile, didn’t truly break out until the second half of his rookie season. From Week 7 on, Gibbs ranked third in the league in rushing (766 yards) and third in yards per rush among RBs (5.4). The Lions still believe Gibbs has untapped potential as a receiver, and the belief is he’ll be more involved out of the backfield. He and David Montgomery combined for 2,000 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns in 2023 — forming arguably the league’s best RB duo.
Defense
Detroit’s defense, particularly its secondary, was a liability at times last season. The team allowed 247.4 passing yards per game a year ago — sixth-most in the NFL. From Weeks 10-18, the Lions allowed a league-high 2,444 passing yards. It coincided with a decision by defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn to switch from a zone-heavy scheme played in the first half of the year to his preferred style of man coverage with a high blitz rate in the second.
Per Trumedia, the Lions’ man coverage rate rose from 17th in the first half of the season (22.7 percent) to 9th in the second half (30.8 percent). From Weeks 1-9, the Lions’ blitz rate of 25 percent ranked 20th in the league. From Weeks 10-18, it ranked fifth at 39.2 percent. And while the results showed a pass defense that faltered without the proper horses to run the system, players and coaches believe it set the defense up for success in 2024.
This offseason, Detroit’s front office made it a point of emphasis to provide Glenn with the necessary pieces to run this style of defense. Glenn wants corners with the confidence of an alpha and a short memory to quickly move on when a rep is lost. The Lions surrounded him with several.
One of Detroit’s 2024 third-round picks was traded for CB Carlton Davis III — a physical, savvy veteran corner who fits this style to a tee. In free agency, the Lions signed former Raiders DB Amik Robertson — a small but feisty cornerback who can play on the outside, but will play nickel in Detroit’s defense. And finally, in April, the Lions used their first two picks on CBs Alabama’s Terrion Arnold and Missouri’s Ennis Rakestraw Jr. They could be the long-term answers, as they learn from their vets.
Second-year DB Brian Branch is set to play more safety in 2024, to limit scenarios where he leaves the field. When Detroit is in its 4-2-5 look, Branch could line up at nickel or safety depending on the personnel. When Detroit would trot out its Sam linebacker package — a grouping that often substitutes a nickel for a third linebacker — Branch would exit the field a year ago. That won’t be an issue this year. Now, he’ll simply shift to safety. He could have Pro Bowl upside with a move like this.
If the secondary takes a step forward, Detroit’s defense could enter top-10 territory. Its run defense already ranked second in yards per game allowed last year (88.8) and that was before the team signed Bengals nose tackle DJ Reader in free agency. Reader is known for his ability to clog running lanes and eat space in the interior, which should make life easier for Detroit’s linebackers — Alex Anzalone and Jack Campbell. He should also free up fourth-year DT Alim McNeill to wreak havoc as a three-technique.
A year ago, McNeill saw a breakout season, setting career-highs in pressures and sacks with a full-time move to three-tech. If it weren’t for a knee injury late last year, he might’ve made his first-ever Pro Bowl. Entering the final year of his rookie contract, playing alongside a veteran like Reader could bring out the best in his game right before he hits free agency.
Aside from pass coverage, one of the Lions’ biggest issues was generating a consistent pass rush opposite Aidan Hutchinson. Hutchinson accounted for 37.4 percent of the Lions’ pressures in 2024 — recording 101 on the season. He’s the fifth player in the history of PFF to record at least 100 pressures in a season. However, a rotating cast of edges failed to play Robin to his Batman. The ineffective play of guys like Charles Harris, Romeo and Julian Okwara and John Cominsky, along with an injury to pass-rush specialist James Houston, made life easy for opponent quarterbacks in the pocket when Hutchinson wasn’t disrupting things.
To address that, the Lions signed veteran edge Marcus Davenport to a 1-year, $6 million contract. When healthy, Davenport is a high-win-rate defender who can pressure the quarterback and set an edge in the run game. His best season came in 2021 with the New Orleans Saints — generating nine sacks in just 11 games. However, injuries have limited him to just 2.5 sacks in 19 of a possible 34 games since. It’s a lot to ask of a guy who hasn’t been able to stay on the field, but Davenport is the blueprint for what the Lions want opposite of Hutchinson.
Over on special teams, the Lions are turning to UFL breakout star Jake Bates to be the answer at kicker. The Lions believe in his talent and range — something this staff has never had in a kicker. Given how often the Lions go for it in fourth-and-short situations, Bates’ range could be a weapon in fourth-and-long situations. He connected on multiple 60-yarders playing at Ford Field this spring, and the Lions hope he’ll be able to do the same on the sport’s biggest stage.
Bottom Line
It remains to be seen what’s in store for the Lions in 2024, but what’s clear is that this is one of the most anticipated seasons in franchise history. The Lions got a taste of success and felt they were on their way to the Super Bowl before a second-half collapse in San Francisco dashed those dreams before their head hit the pillow that night.
But the Lions aren’t done dreaming. This is a team that’s motivated and fueled to get back to the NFC Championship Game — and this time, win. The Lions are openly discussing their Super Bowl aspirations and believe they have proof of concept after last year’s successful run. They have continuity on their coaching staff. Their veterans set the tone. Their young talent continues to get better, and they believe they’ve addressed their biggest holes in free agency.
If it all comes together, the Lombardi could soon reside in Detroit. But first, there’s work to be done.
Colton Pouncy is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Detroit Lions. He previously covered Michigan State football and basketball for the company, and covered sports for The Tennessean in Nashville prior to joining The Athletic. Follow Colton on Twitter @colton_pouncy
"I hope to see the Lions in the Super Bowl before I die"
My friend Ken LComment
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'Pre-practice menace': Jameson Williams' altered approach has him primed for a breakout
Justin Rogers
Sep 3
Jameson Williams waves right hand.jpg
Allen Park — Unless we’re talking about mayflies, maturation isn’t an overnight concept. But given Jameson Williams only knows one speed on the field, maybe we shouldn’t be surprised his off-field approach turned a corner as rapidly as the Detroit Lions wide receiver accelerates off the line of scrimmage.
His metamorphosis likely began late last season. After tumultuous struggles with drops coming out of a four-game suspension to begin his sophomore campaign, Williams found some confidence down the stretch. Averaging 1.4 receptions for fewer than 22 yards the first nine games, he snagged 11 balls for 159 yards and a score the final three weeks of the regular season, before chipping in another 79 yards and a touchdown in the playoffs.
Admittedly, that's still modest production for a former first-round pick, but hints of a breakout were clearly there. It was enough that the Lions were OK with more subtraction than addition to their receiver room this offseason, content to lean on Williams as the No. 2 option entering a year where the franchise is expected to contend for its first Super Bowl.
Williams entered the offseason program invigorated, ready to rise up and meet the challenge. He doesn’t look different physically; he’s still the same wiry kid with a big, goofy smile. But once the ball is snapped, there’s been a noticeable shift. The route running is crisper, the hands, no longer problematic, and the deep-ball tracking, man, almost night and day.
Williams’ speed is his greatest asset, but consistently putting it to use has been problematic for the Lions. Occasionally, that’s been on quarterback Jared Goff's calibration to the rarest of top gears Williams possesses. But even more frequently, the receiver has shown an inability to locate a deep ball in his vicinity. And even when he does, it can be a circus of inefficient movements to successfully get from point A to B.
Look no further than his touchdown against Tampa Bay last year, where Williams initially looked the wrong way and had to spin around like a top before securing the scoring grab.
Williams has always been better at tracking a ball on his inside shoulder, running toward the middle of the field. But this offseason, he’s been more adept at locating Goff’s throws to the outside, essentially doubling the deep parts of the field where the receiver is capable of doing damage.
You could tell things were different during an early offseason rep, when Williams battled through the tight coverage of big, physical cornerback Carlton Davis III to haul in an over-the-shoulder deep ball. Of course, what wasn’t different was Williams celebrating the reception, letting out a primal scream before punting the ball into space.
Williams didn't have much to say about the secret sauce to his apparent evolution. Asked what he’s been working on to make himself a more reliable long-ball target for his QB, he points to a simplified mental approach.
“The man thing is focus,” Williams said. “It's not the drills, any of that, it's about focusing on the ball. You have to be locked in. Yeah, I did a lot of drills in the offseason, worked a lot of ball skills, I got a JUGS machine, I've got a tennis ball machine, I've got all that, but at the end of the day, you're going to have to get on the field and catch that post (pattern) that's coming.
“You just have to lock in,” Williams said. “It was more of a focus thing. I'm telling myself as I'm running, 'If this ball comes, we're going to the house. There are no drops, nothing.' I'm just locked in.”
Of course, that’s downplaying the work he’s put in. Unlike teammates Amon-Ra St. Brown and Kalif Raymond, who spend a good chunk of time after each practice catching a couple hundred balls off the JUGS machine each, Williams has developed a pre-practice routine with position coach Antwaan Randle-El.
“He's become a pre-practice menace,” Raymond said. “It's hard to see, because everybody isn't out there every day, but this dude catches so many deep balls. It's just another one, after another one, again, again and again. And he wants it just as much as (the coaches) want it for him. He wants it and you can see that hunger in him. You can see that attitude.”
Specifically with deep throws, Randle El has been enhancing the skill through a drill that utilizes a tennis ball. It’s not a new drill, by any means, but one that’s been a point of emphasis with Williams. The position coach will stand 5-6 yards behind the receiver and lob tennis balls over his shoulder to grab.
The logic: If you can locate and catch a tennis ball without looking back, it should be easier to locate and catch a football.
"The tennis ball is round, smaller and blends in with everything, so it sharpens your focus,” Randle El said. “He's never looking back at the quarterback. He's looking up and finding the ball as it comes over his shoulder. You're not seeing the ball thrown, you're looking up at the sky and tracking it.”
From there, a football enters the equation. So does a simulated defender, with a teammate standing beside and jostling with the target. During this portion of the drill, Randel El drives home key fundamentals; late hands and full extension.
“The over-the-shoulder catch, every day we've just been working it,” Randle El said. “That's what you've got to do. It's difficult to say, ‘Make that play,' without working it that play. You have to manufacture somebody leaning on you and having late hands to be able to catch the ball.”
No one has ever questioned Williams' passion for the game. It’s a key reason the Lions were so eager to trade up 20 spots to draft him coming out of Alabama. But there’s a difference between loving to play the game, or even loving to practice, and putting in the extra work when no one is watching. The ramp-up of his off-the-field approach is at the heart of Williams’ maturation.
“When we drafted him, we said, ‘He’s going to need to grow up a little bit.’ And he did,” general manager Brad Holmes said last week.
And those increased efforts haven’t been lost on Williams’ teammates.
“It's every day and that's what it takes,” Goff said. “He knows that and has been taking it very seriously and it's showing up. It's been really fun to see when those efforts are made and it shows up. …I think the biggest thing is he's holding himself to a really high standard. When you have guys like that, it makes it easier to hold each other to that standard.”
Now is the time for the work Williams has put in to translate to Sundays.
As Detroit's No. 2 receiver last season, Josh Reynolds was on the field more than 800 snaps. Following his departure in free agency, Williams could see close to a 30% bump in his per game workload.
That means Williams will be asked to run a wider array of routes — another area of growth we’ve seen this offseason — as the Lions look to replace the lost production. And if the vertical element of his game breaks through the way it looks like it could, it will add a different level of explosiveness to an offense that’s finished top-five in yardage and scoring the past two seasons.
“It opens up everything,” St. Brown said. “I remember the first time he first got out there his rookie year, he wasn't getting the ball, but just him being on the field and having that speed, it opened up the middle of the field so much. If we can complete one of those a game, or one every other game, whatever it is, teams are going to be running, safeties will be further back, it will open the run game for us, it's going to open up everything.”
Email: jrogers@detroitfootball.net
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"I hope to see the Lions in the Super Bowl before I die"
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