NFL: Ranking the offseason for all 32 teams
By Bryce Olin
24. Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions made some huge moves this offseason and started by firing head coach Jim Schwartz. The Lions replaced him with offensive mastermind Jim Caldwell from Baltimore.
This offseason, the Lions signed WR Golden Tate from the Seattle Seahawks and drafted TE Eric Ebron to be their version of super-athletic, pass-catching Tight End.
I anticipate the addition of the receiving threats to stretch the field and take some of the defense’s attention away from Calvin Johnson. That should take some of the pressure off Matthew Stafford and give him more some more options to throw to.
Detroit’s Achilles heel last season was turnovers. The Lions turned the ball over 34 times and put way too much pressure on their defense to bail them out.
If Ebron and Tate help like the Lions think they can, Stafford should have much better looks down the field and shouldn’t have to force the ball to covered players, like he did last season. Again, that’s what should happen, but in the NFL, it often never happens how it should. Still, the Lions put themselves in a good position to win in 2014.