Detroit Lions top 5 offseason priorities

Aug 22, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions offensive line coach Jeremiah Washburn talks to players during the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Ford Field. Detroit won 13-12. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

 
2. Upgrade the Offensive Line

The Lions offensive line is one of the top three priorities for Detroit this offseason. That’s because they were extremely under whelming in 2014. The running game struggled greatly despite three quality running backs and quarterback Matthew Stafford was sacked 45 times last year. That is way too many hits on your franchises starting quarterback.

Martin Mayhew spoke about the possibility of upgrading the offensive line during the offseason on Monday and had this to say:

"“We had a lot of guys in and out of the lineup. I think that affected us offensively. You saw we had more sacks this year, which was an issue. We didn’t run the ball quite as well this year. I’d like to get guys healthy, you know? “I assume that we’ll be healthy next year, but to lose Larry (Warford) a couple different times, to lose (LaAdrian) Waddle a couple different times, multiple times during the season, lose Riley Reiff for a period of time, it makes it tough. So, I think the health of our offensive line impacted our offense.”"

Long time starting center, Dominic Raiola is now 35-years-old and will probably not be back next year. It is expected that Travis Swanson will take over his position in just his second year in the league. It’s also likely that left guard Rob Sims will not be back next year, and right tackle LaAdrain Waddle battled injuries all year — that makes at least two positions that need immediate attention.