Detroit Lions Mailbag: If the Lions don't make a trade, who's the best edge they can sign off the street?
Welcome to Week 9 of the Detroit Lions Mailbag. We live in a world where nothing can ever just be normal with this team and I think some of this week's questions really reflect that. Let's get into it. We don't know what's going to happen with Jameson Williams this year, but I think that […]
Welcome to Week 9 of the Detroit Lions Mailbag. We live in a world where nothing can ever just be normal with this team and I think some of this week's questions really reflect that. Let's get into it.
We don't know what's going to happen with Jameson Williams this year, but I think that the Lions don't necessarily have to make a move for insurance. I think they can try to get what they get out of Jamo with Isaiah Williams. There's some similarities there in terms of play style and yards after catch ability. Obviously he doesn't have Jamo's speed, but then again, a lot of guys don't.
I also think you'd see more Tim Patrick and Allen Robinson if Jamo is unable to play for any reason.
Interesting question and I have a few different answers and I'm going to list them out here.
- Shaq Lawson: The former first round pick just got released by the Panthers last week and he's not just done with football now. He's never really been a full time starter, but he has been a guy that can get to the quarterback. I think working him into a rotation could be good for him here.
- Breeland Speaks: It is beyond insane to me that the UFL's Defensive Player of the Year isn't at least on someone's practice squad right now. The Michigan Panther tore it up in Ford Field last year, maybe he can help in some way for the Lions.
- Austin Bryant: Here's a guy that's actually played for Dan Campbell and Aaron Glenn. The former fourth-round pick of the Lions in 2019 is looking for a place to play. I thought he showed some promise not long ago. Maybe he can get back to that?
- Myjai Sanders: A recent third-round pick that's showed promise, but injuries hurt his development in the league and then on top of that, the Cardinals switched coaching staffs and it's just been a whole thing for him.
None of these guys are going to come in and replace Hutchinson. There's just not a lot of top talent just sitting by phone right now. At best you can get a guy or two that can help rotationally. Basically the Lions need to do their best to make a trade.
This is mostly a hunch from me, but the Lions have shown us in the very recent past that they will sort of hold a player back until later in the season and then unleash them. I think that's happening with Sione Vaki from an offensive standpoint. We've seen what the kid can do, but he's barely touched the offense during the regular season and that includes last Sunday when they played the Titans and had a lot of backups in for the fourth quarter. I think he's coming soon in the run and pass game.
Speaking of Vaki, I don't think he's relegated to the bench. The reason you haven't heard his name a lot is because he's playing mostly special teams right now and special team guys just don't get brought up a lot. The good thing is that Vaki is playing special teams really well. Pro Football Focus has him with an 84.5 special teams grade. That's one of the highest in the NFL and the highest on the Lions.
This is one of the big reasons the Lions drafted him. Holmes was blown away by his special teams ability and the fact that he could also play on offense and defense.
More than anything it's the slump. This just happens to players who have huge rookie seasons. They almost have regulate and reestablish themselves because now everyone is aware of them and is ready for them. I think LaPorta is still having a decent season despite it being slower. I fully expect him to pick things up big time pretty soon. This is definitely not the new norm for him.
Both Williams and Robinson are currently on the 53-man roster, so they're set. Here's every player on the Lions practice squad and how many elevations they have left to use:
- Mitchell Agude: 3
- Abraham Beauplan: 3
- Kingsley Eguakun: 3
- Jake Fromm: 3
- Erick Hallet: 3
- Jamarco Jones: 3
- Tom Kennedy: 2
- James Mitchell: 3
- Al-Quadin Muhammad: 2
- Morice Norris: 3
- Donovan Peoples-Jones: 3
- Chris Smith: 3 (he was elevated Week 1, but was released after that game. The Lions brought him back and that resets his elevations.)
- Isaac Ukwu: 1
- Shane Zylstra: 1
- Jermar Jefferson: 3
Honestly I think you'd be surprised how often quarterbacks don't get pulled from blowout games. It just doesn't happen as much it might seem it does. In this case the Lions did sit Goff for the entirety of the fourth quarter.
I do think there's potentially some influence there, but my thoughts on Goff remaining in for third quarter when the game was in hand was that the Lions really wanted to put one full filed offensive drive together. Basically everything they had done that day was short field work. That's just my view though.
Ideally you could pay everyone and I think the Lions will find a way to make things work. But for the fun of the question, If I had to let anyone walk it would be Derrick Barnes. Not because I don't think he's good, but because the linebacker room is the one room I have zero concerns with. I see them currently absorbing that blow and I think they could continue to do so.
With that said, the Lions should totally keep him because having too many good players is good problem to have.
Attorney gives insight into what could happen to Lions WR Jameson Williams after Detroit Police internal affairs investigation
On Tuesday night WXYZ Detroit dropped a story on the Detroit Police Department opening up an internal investigation into a traffic stop where Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams had a registered weapon of his in the car, but he did not have a concealed weapons license for that firearm. The officer put Williams in […]
