Detroit Lions: Pro Football Focus not sold on offensive line
Pro Football Focus doesn’t seem too impressed with the 2017 Detroit Lions offensive line. Is it time for Lions fans to panic?
Ouch. It seems like not everyone is excited about the 2017 Detroit Lions offensive line.
Indeed, Pro Football Focus recently released their rankings of every offensive line in the NFL as the season approaches, and the Lions didn’t fare too favorably, finishing 24th on the list. For those keeping score at home, PFF ranks the Lions not only as the worst offensive line in the NFC North, but as the fifth-worst line in the entire conference.
Only the San Fransisco 49ers (27th), New York Giants (28th), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (30th), and Seattle Seahawks (32nd) were ranked lower in the NFC.
More from NFL Spin Zone
- Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
- Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
- Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
- Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
- Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens
It’s not a ringing endorsement by any means and fans are likely to be disappointed, especially after the franchise spent big money in free agency on right tackle Rick Wagner and guard T.J. Lang. If there’s any silver lining here, it’s that the unimpressive ranking is largely predicated upon the expected long-term absence of left tackle Taylor Decker. The entire explanation is as follows:
"The loss of Taylor Decker crushes the Lions ranking here. Going from him to Greg Robinson is a night-and-day difference. It doesn’t help that Robinson will be sat next to easily the weakest position on the Lions line where neither high draft picks in Graham Glasgow nor Laken Tomlinson have proved themselves even average starters."
It’s a fair point, although it’s far from a lock that Greg Robinson will cement himself opening day starter at left tackle. It’s a distinct possibility that Cyrus Kouandjio or even Joe Dahl could emerge as Matthew Stafford‘s blindside protector by Week 1. There’s no question that whoever earns the role will be a downgrade from Decker, but if all goes well, the former Ohio State star will find his way back onto the field at some point during the season and solidify the position in the process.
Furthermore, while it’s true that Graham Glasgow and Laken Tomlinson have yet to emerge as quality starters, they are both young players with potential to spare. It’s not unreasonable to expect someone to step up and capably fill the left guard spot. Meanwhile, with Wagner and Lang locking down the right side and center Travis Swanson returning to form after last year’s concussion, the situation isn’t quite as dire as PFF paints it.
Unquestionably, the offensive line will miss Decker. Its very difficult to get by without a franchise left tackle in today’s pass-happy NFL. And for however long he is sidelined, Stafford’s protection will likely suffer.
Next: NFL 2017: Ranking the 10 best WR duos
Still, this is a team that has invested considerable resources into building a top-notch line, and the hope is that there is enough depth in place to prosper in 2017. It won’t be long before fans find out whether the team’s backup plan will prove successful, or if Pro Football Focus is correct to suggest that it won’t.