2021 NFL Draft: 5 Teams that should be tanking for Trevor Lawrence
5. Detroit Lions
When the Detroit Lions hired head coach Matt Patricia, they did so with the hope that the former Patriots defensive coordinator would be the guy to get the team over the hump after they’d been stuck in 9-7 purgatory with Jim Caldwell. Over the first two seasons of Patricia’s tenure, however, he’s taken the team in the polar opposite direction.
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For me, the 2020 NFL season is make-or-break for Patricia. If he leads the Lions to another top-10 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, then he should be shown the door because he’s had enough time to start building things and, as such, they clearly aren’t working. And as they change up the coaching staff, the Lions might be of the mind that it’s time to fully hit the reset button on the franchise, namely by cutting ties with Matthew Stafford.
The 32-year-old Stafford has long been one of the most talented quarterbacks in the league. But be it because of his own ability as an NFL quarterback and all that entails beyond talent or be it because of the teams around him, he’s never truly led a successful run in Detroit. And as 2021 is the first year that the Lions can cut or trade him without taking on water in the form of dead cap, maybe they would do that if Stafford either fails to get the team to the postseason or gets hurt again.
If things were to go that way in the Motor City or if they have a mind to part ways with Stafford soon, then Trevor Lawrence would be the player to put them in the best position. It might not be an intentional tank but, as the Bengals proved in landing Joe Burrow, it doesn’t always have to be to land the top quarterback in the draft to carry the franchise into a new era.