Analyst Believes Only Three Teams Had a Worse Offseason than Lions

ESPN analyst does not believe the Lions had a good offseason

John Maakaron | May 18, 2020

The offseason moves made by the Lions have left some NFL analysts scratching their heads.

To start off, Detroit general manager Bob Quinn turned to his former employer in New England, and signed three ex-Patriots.

Based on some of the positions the Lions decided to target in the 2020 NFL Draft, it can be argued the defensive line was not upgraded enough.

Some have viewed the selection of running back D'Andre Swift as a luxury that came at the expense of drafting an impactful player on defense.

On Monday, ESPN writer Bill Barnwell released his list of NFL teams with the worst offseasons.

The Lions came in at No. 29, meaning he believes only three NFL organizations did a worse job of improving their teams this offseason.

What could Detroit have done differently?

According to Barnwell,

"Resisted the urge to go after as many former Patriots as possible. The Collins deal is a mess, and under Belichick, the Patriots have exhibited the ability to develop players such as Shelton and Harmon into useful contributors. Patricia and Quinn are trying to buy them instead. If the Lions couldn't trade down in the first round, they should have used their second-rounder on a position that's tougher to fill than halfback."

Those critical of the Lions' offseason have routinely cited an over reliance on ex-Patriots, overpaying for unproven talent and not doing enough to upgrade the defensive line.

Many argue that Detroit still needs to do more to upgrade a pass rush that simply let the team down last season.

Time will tell if Quinn & Co. made the correct moves this offseason.

In the meantime, Detroit is hoping the criticisms it's received become unfounded when the team takes the field this upcoming season.

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Published May 18, 2020

JOHN MAAKARON

John Maakaron has covered Detroit Sports since 2013. Brings a vast array of experience covering the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Lions, Michigan Wolverines, Michigan State Spartans, Detroit Mercy Titans, and Oakland University Golden Grizzlies. John brings a wealth of sports broadcast experience. In 2013, John had the vision to establish the Detroit Sports Podcast Network. Has recorded over 3000 podcasts analyzing Detroit Sports. In 2019, Sports Illustrated Media Group, a historical sports media outlet, partnered with Detroit Sports Podcast to provide daily Lions content for their growing and expanding digital media outlet. Our Lions content can also be read in the newspaper at The Oakland Passionate about Detroit Sports and it is reflected in his coverage of the local teams!