Detroit Lions Roster 2020 Lions Roster

Top 3 Lions Roster Questions of 2019-2020

Who will emerge as Detroit’s top wideout

After adding Danny Amendola in the offseason, the Lions face a problem many teams have at the wide receiver position. That question is, who can Detroit actually count on to become their top wideout. Amendola has been a fairly productive receiver in his career but never a #1 option. There isn’t too much room left to grow at his age and the breakout potential isn’t really there. He brings a veteran presence to the team but likely won’t finish in the top 2 for receptions.

Marvin Jones remains a reliable option though he did struggle with injuries last year. He only suited up for 9 games but made the most out of that time. At that point, he accumulated 508 yards and 5 TDs and would’ve likely challenged for his second consecutive 1,000 receiving yard season if he wasn’t sidelined. Kenny Golladay was the Lions’ lead receiver with 1,063 receiving yards and 5 TDs. With Jones back in the picture, it remains to be seen whether Golladay will remain the #1 option or slot back to #2. 

What to expect from T.J. Hockenson

The tight end position was one of the weakest spots for the Lions in 2018. They quickly changed that by drafting T.J. Hockenson with the 8th overall pick in this year’s draft. In fact, that’s the highest a tight end has been taken since 2006 when Vernon Davis went #6 overall to the 49ers. That’s surely a high price to pay for the position but Hockenson is a special talent. He didn’t enter the year on anyone’s radar but by season’s end, he was the #1 TE prospect in the draft. 

If he does pan out, Hockenson might be well worth the pick having been one of the best rated tight ends coming out of the draft in the past few years. He’s a great run blocker and only dropped two passes in his collegiate career. Out of training camp, the rookie has already impressed; he’s caught almost a dozen TDs and showed great athletic ability that will make him very successful. The ceiling is definitely high but Hockenson will have to prove his value one game day arrives. If he’s as good as advertised, we might be talking about Hockenson being a top 5 tight end by year’s end. 

Can Matthew Stafford carry the team once again

The Detroit Lions have only reached the playoffs 3 times in the Matthew Stafford era. Those were in 2011, 2014, and 2016. In each of those seasons, Stafford did something special. He set his career passing yards in a season in 2011, went to his first and only Pro Bowl in 2014, and led the NFL with 8 4th quarter comebacks in 2016. Since then, Stafford has been a good yet not great signal caller. The completion percentages have increased, the TD numbers have either remained constant or dropped, and the interceptions continue to be in the double digits yearly.

If the Lions want to reach the playoffs again, they’ll surely need their QB to play better. The Bears and Vikings defenses surely won’t be slowing down anytime soon and Aaron Rodgers is seeking another deep playoff run before retirement. There’s simply too much standing in Detroit’s way and if Stafford can’t improve and become elite, there’s not much hope. While he will get back Jones and the addition of Hockenson will help, Stafford must improve on his decision making and improve from the 50.8 QBR from last year.