Jared Goff Projected to 'Take a Step Backward' in 2021

CBS Sports puts former Cal quarterback among a handful of NFL quarterbacks who may struggle. But Goff has shown he can help a team rise to success.

Will former Cal quarterback Jared Goff flourish in Detroit, or will he continue a decline that seemed to begin late in the 2018 season?

An assessment this week by CBS Sports’ Jared Dubin expects the latter, as he includes Goff in his report about a handful of NFL quarterbacks who could take a step backward in 2021.

The Raiders’ Derek Carr, Atlanta’s Matt Ryan, Goff, rookies Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson and anyone who starts for the Saints this season are the players put in this category by Dubin, who says this about Goff.

It's tough to think of a single player who had a bigger downgrade in situation than Goff. He went from throwing to Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, Tyler Higbee, Josh Reynolds and Van Jefferson, behind an offensive line that ranked second in Football Outsiders' Adjusted Sack Rate, in an offense whose plays were called by Sean McVay, to throwing to Tyrell Williams, Quintez Cephus, Breshad Perriman, Kalif Raymond and T.J. Hockenson behind an offensive line that ranked 21st in Adjusted Sack Rate, in an offense whose plays will be called by Anthony Lynn. It seemed clear the past couple years that McVay and the talent around him were propping up Goff's performance. Without that safety net, the bottom could very well fall out.

Goff’s reputation took a major hit in 2020.

Considered an MVP candidate midway through the 2018 season, Goff’s image reached a low point last season, which was reflected by two events.

---John Wolford, an undrafted quarterback who had started one regular-season NFL game in his career, was chosen as the starter for the Rams’ first-round playoff game against the Seahawks even though Goff was cleared to play after missing the regular-season finale with a thumb injury.

---The Rams had to throw in two first-round draft picks and a third-round pick along with Goff to acquire Matthew Stafford, who had not been named to the pro bowl in any of the previous six seasons and had a losing record as a starter in each of the last three seasons.

And CBS Sports apparently expects Goff will take another step back from that.

It is true that the weapons available for Goff in Detroit will not match what he had in Los Angeles, and McVay certainly has a better reputation as an offensive architect and play-caller than Lynn.

However, Goff has bounced back from setbacks before, and there is reason to believe he can do so again.

In his first season as a starting quarterback at Cal as a freshman in 2013, the Bears went 1-11, and there were times when outsiders thought he should have been replaced as the starting quarterback.

But two years later, Goff led Cal to an 8-5 season, including a spectacular performance in a bowl-game win, elevating his reputation to the point where he was the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2016.

Then, in the NFL, the Rams went 0-7 in Goff’s seven starts in his rookie season, leading some to question the Rams’ selection of Goff as the top pick.

But two years later, the Rams were in the Super Bowl with Goff in charge.

You could make the argument that Goff’s presence was part of the reason McVay’s offense looked so impressive and why the Rams receivers were so productive.

Granted, Goff will never be as mobile as some coaches would like, but Tom Brady has proved a quarterback does not have to be mobile to be successful.

This season with the Lions will indeed be critical to Goff’s reputation, and his surrounding talent in Detroit puts him at a disadvantage.

Goff’s task is to flush the 2020 season from his mind and do the most with the cards he is dealt in Detroit. It will be a challenge, but Goff had dealt with challenging situations before.

The Lions brass has said Goff is not just a stop-gap quarterback in their rebuilding effort and expect him be their signal-caller for the next several years.

A better indication of Goff's progress will come in 2022 and 2023 when the Lions may have progressed to the point where they can compete for a playoff berth.  Goff has shown he can be the cornerstone in the rise of a rebuilding team.

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Cover photo of Jared Goff by Junfu Han via Imagn Content Services, LLC

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Follow Jake Curtis of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53

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