Nobody is really talking about the Detroit Lions as potentially huge players in the quarterback market as we approach the 2023 NFL offseason, but perhaps we should be. The Lions are coming off of a tremendous season in which Jared Goff led the team at QB. Goff did an admirable job helping Detroit’s offense reach heights we haven’t seen from that franchise in a very long time.
He deserves credit for the way he’s played since the blockbuster Matthew Stafford trade a couple of years ago, and he will almost undoubtedly be the Lions’ starter again to open the 2023 NFL season. Justifiably so, even. But the Detroit Lions find themselves in a very interesting spot leading up to the 2023 NFL Draft. They’re not going to be major players in the 2023 NFL Free Agency market at quarterback, but they hold the sixth overall pick in this year’s draft.
Detroit Lions in a great position to take a chance on a QB in 2023
Coming off of a year in which they won nine games, that’s a luxury most teams are not afforded. Thanks to the Rams struggling badly in 2022, the Lions have that sixth overall pick and a very good chance of getting a quarterback they might really like in addition to winning while they’re at it. Talk about having your cake and eating it too.
General manager Brad Holmes probably figured when he made the trade with the Rams that he was going to get two late first-round picks from the Rams because they would do well with Matthew Stafford. They won the Super Bowl in year one and then the entire roster, it seemed, struggled with injuries in year two. That has put Detroit in a rather enviable situation with this year’s quarterback class including some high-upside prospects like Bryce Young, CJ Stroud, Will Levis, and Anthony Richardson.
Richardson, specifically, may be the direction to go if you’re the Detroit Lions.
Anthony Richardson has the most upside of any QB in this draft. I love the fit in Detroit. No rush to get him on the field. Goff can hold it down until he’s ready. The payoff could be HUGE pic.twitter.com/1quTAmV2zB
— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) February 21, 2023
The Lions are truly in a great situation here. Anthony Richardson might not be a finished product at this point (is any college QB?) but that doesn’t matter. They have all of the right ingredients to help him be successful at the next level.
The Lions have stability right now in their coaching staff, bringing back offensive coordinator Ben Johnson for at least one more season. They have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. They have a strong running game. Their weaponry in the passing game has gone from the worst in the NFL in 2021 to maybe one of the best in the league in 2023.
There may not be a better situation for a young quarterback to fall into in the top-10 picks of this year’s draft, depending on how much you love the coaching staff in Carolina and what you think about how great the Raiders’ situation is for a youngster. This Detroit Lions team has been one of the most improved in the entire NFL the last couple of seasons, and they have a chance to really enter the 2023 quarterback market with some house money.
Drafting a player like Richardson at no. 6 overall would certainly qualify as a decision with long-term ramifications, but it’s also something the Detroit Lions can afford to do because they have the assets in place.