Ansah and Taylor have shown they can terrorize offensive lines, but they can’t do it alone.Some solid signings in free agency and maybe a draft pick or two could bring this up rapidly.Talk about a disappointing group last year. ET, the Lions must be down to a 53-man roster. If Whitehead returns, or a really good LB is drafted, this group could easily jump up a lot.On the positive side, the Defensive Backs continued their upward trend.Darius Slay is on his way to establishing himself as an elite cornerback in the NFL.
Last year, Reid showed he can start, and he still seems to be developing. Matt Prater is an incredibly reliable kicker with great range. Ideally you want a good back-up and that’s absolutely on the to-do list for the offseason. Kerryon Johnson is the incumbent starter as a third-year pro, but he's only been able to be on the field for 18 of 32 games in his career. It’s likely that Calvin Johnson retires before this season starts, which changes the shape of the group.That could result in a free agent signing, a draft pick or both. Keep an eye on Muhlbach will be Muhl-back and that’ll be the end of the unit.The way I will be describing the priorities will be interdependent. The Lions used that pick on QB Brad Kaaya. At most I’d expect an older veteran to come in and just provide a little experience to the group. Whatever the contributing factors, it was also clear that the rushers on the team couldn’t overcome them.The 3 rating I gave is mostly on their youth and potential they’ve shown. Similarly, while Brandon Pettigrew is a tight end, and has been used in the passing game, he is used primarily as a blocker, so he’d be in the offensive line section.In general, your QB should start every game. With so many defensive linemen leaving in free agency, I would expect some significant changes here. 03/17. DeAndre Levy got injured, Stephen Tulloch never returned to form from his injury and Kyle Van Noy hasn’t lived up to his potential at all. Who Is the Lions' Starting Running Back? This was also the first season in over 40 years in which the Lions had an official cheerleading squad. Follow along here for all of the final cuts down to the 53-man roster. The 2016 Detroit Lions season was the franchise's 87th season in the National Football League (NFL), their 83rd as the Detroit Lions, and their third under head coach Jim Caldwell.On January 8, 2016, the Lions hired Bob Quinn as general manager. Jim Caldwell generally prefers a reliable vet, while the What happens here will be significantly influenced by Calvin Johnson’s decision. After starting 80 consecutive games it’s safe to pencil Stafford in for another season.He certainly ended the season on a high note, but that doesn’t make up for his bad start to the season. Whitehead continuing his 2014-15 campaign was one of the bright spots, along with Josh Bynes. For example, Theo Riddick is a running back, but he is used primarily as a receiver. They could take a flier on a young QB in the draft, or sign a vet. To finish the regular season, the Lions hosted a rematch with division rival the After a scoreless first quarter, the Seahawks opened the scoring in the second quarter via a two-yard touchdown pass from Detroit finished ahead of Tampa Bay for the No.
Find out the latest on your favorite NFL players on CBSSports.com. Over the next day or so, Lions coaches will be agonizing over which players will make the team, while players will be anxiously waiting by their phones hoping to hear nothing. If Diggs had an aberrant performance last year, and Lawson stays inconsistent, I think it’s a 6. They will also need to bring back depth players for the edge. Even without a retirement this is a very shallow group. Reiff has been able to start, but he’s due more than he’s worth this year, and it’s his contract year.This group is stronger than the 4 rating would suggest.Ansah is a top-flight edge rusher, and Devin Taylor is a solid, flexible player, despite his under-utilization early on. 6 seed and qualified for the last playoff spot based on record vs. common opponents — Detroit's cumulative record againstNew Orleans finished ahead of Philadelphia based on better record vs. conference opponents.When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest ranked remaining team from each division.