Playoffs in 2022…. Here’s how!

The War Room Detroit Lions — The Den
1

First off, if I’m Holmes, then I’m giving DC and Goff both the 2022 season for a multitude of reasons. The only major change is Lynn being shown the door in lieu of a young offensive mind from the college ranks. DC has proven himself to me a leader, motivator, but surely not a play caller. I see no reason to cast Goff (who had a better winning percentage the last 4 years with Rams than Stafford will this year) aside and eat 30M.

What we did to our roster this year was almost unprecedented while still being brilliant. When Stafford called his shot to leave, it triggered a massive 21’ purge of talent (marginal) and payroll that overcoming it would have been a small miracle.

Stafford, KG, Marvin, Collins, Trufant, Coleman, James, Daniels, Shelton, Agnew would have cost us a collective 105-110M to keep, Tag (KG), or re-sign at the current FA deals they got (Marvin and Agnew). So instead of overpaying 110M for mostly has been a, role players, etc - WE ATE 55M in dead cap and had no means to replace them.

Thus all the 1 year prove deals for high risk, high reward types like Harris, Perriman, Tyrell, and Dunbar….

Fast forward to 2022……

WE NEED TO ADD 10 IMPACT STARTERS- HERE IS HOW-

  1. Frank Ragnow
  2. Romeo Okwara
  • return form injury.

Free agency-
3. Larry Ogunjobi- love his speed and strength at 6’4” and 305. He was a 4.9 forty guy with solid vertical and bench, and he’s a sedated about 4 sacks a year at DT the past 3 seasons. I’d love to see Ogunjobi, Brockers, McNeill, Penisini, Levi O, and a rookie as our 3 man front rotation next year

  • 4 years 36M
  1. Mike Williams- I know he’s been injury prone, but you can’t teach 6’4” with hops! He’s the opposite of the rest of our WR corps, he’s entering his prime 2-3 years. With Cephus, St Brown, Raymond, Reynolds, and a rookie burner, we enter 2022 with 6 guys and our #4-6 are the same guys that got reps as our 1, 2, and 3 this year.
  • 4 years 75M with a very cuttable year 3 and 4, essentially a 2 year 38M deal with maybe 7M guaranteed in year 3?
  1. Marcus Williams- I love him next to Walker. Williams plays centerfield, we get a proven veteran next to walker. Love him and his familiarity with Glenn.
  • 4 years 60M- it is what it is.
  1. Tracy Walker- we have to show love for guys who play well, play hard, and ignore adversity.
  • 5 years 45M but backloaded.
  1. Kicker- D Carlson, Bullock, Folk anyone.

Resign- E Brown, Nelson, Harris, Raymond, Anzalone, Reynolds to 3 year deals, back loaded with decent guarantee money. About 6-10M total each. That way we keep depth and team guys intact, and their hits won’t make a dent until Goff, Flowers, Big V save us huge money in 23’. Flowers will save 9M next year, but his dead cap alone of 12M will cover half the guys above or more in 23’.

Draft-

  1. A Hutchinson

  2. D Lloyd- we trade up to #21 from #26-28 by giving up top pick in rd 3

  3. Trade up- from 33 to 30-31- just to get the 5th year option and better shot at our WR of choice- I won’t pretend to know which guy- Olave, Wilson, Burks, Bell,J Williams

So we get 3 legit impact players with 5 year options, and still have a 3rd, 1-2 5ths, 6 etc.

Draft CB in round 3 with Comp pick from Golladay.
Draft OG with 5th

By my count we end up pretty well off-

Walker- 6M
Williams- 15M
Williams- 9M
Ohunjobi- 5M
35M of our 55M of cap room post flowers cut. Our resting guys cost us 7M next year. That’s 42M. Rest for draft class and league minimums. We are pretty good with UDFA.

Goff

Swift/Williams/Jefferson/Igwe

Hock/Rookie 6th/UDFA

Williams/Cephus
Olave/Reynolds
St Brown/Raymond

Levi/Brockers
McNeill/Penisini
Ogunjobi/UDFA

Decker/M Nelson
Jackson
Ragnow/E Brown
Big V/ rookie 3rd rd
Sewell

Hutch/Bryant

Lloyd/Anzalone
Barnes/Rookie

Romeo/Julian/Harris

Okudah/Iffy
AO/Jacobs
Parker/Rookie

M Williams
T Walker

If fits the cap, fits the needs. Gives Goff similar talent to what he had in LA last year, but with heavier focus on run game.

Adding Romeo, Ogunjobi, Lloyd, Marcus Williams, Okudah, Iffy, and if course Hutch to this D would make us a top 12 unit in my opinion.

Having a whole offensive line, and 3 massively improve WR options in addition to a better scheme could be more than enough to net a 10 win season.

If the Rams lose Stafford for much of next year to back surgery etc, they could go 4-13 easily and we have a top 10 pick in 23’ for a QB. Even to picks in teens or 20s could trade up to 10-13 and find a QB who could flourish with the talent already in place around him.

2

I actually have some similar thoughts on similar players. I like both the Mike Williams and Marcus Williams signings. I think the injury prone label on Mike Williams is not valid though. But both contracts look to be about right.

I don’t think it’s necessary to pay Tracy Walker that extension. And I’m not sure you can shell out that kind of money long term to just the safety position. I suggested signing Williams and tagging Walker in another thread. To me that makes sense. I would hate to see 5/45 get tied up in our safety #2 and have him not be elite. He has an up and done track record. I tag him and then let him go. Williams>Walker long term. I don’t know how realistic it is to keep both.

The plan is sound and on par with what I would like to see though!

3

Just win ……

4

Thanks. I do like Walker more than most. I think he was coming on, Patty broke him, and now Glenn has him back on track.

We seem to have something with young cheap CBs. I think for 2-3 years we can afford to be expensive at safety with how cheap we are at CB.

With hutch and Romeo we would still be cheap at edge given Julian, Bryant, and Harris being so cheap.

Also dirt cheap at ILB with Barnes and Lloyd making a combined 4M

Even DT/DE we have 2 over 5M next year in Ogunjobi and Brockers, and rest under 1.75M

OL, 2 guys over 10, 2 around 8, and Jackson cheap.

WR- one big ticket at 15M, rest all under 2.5M next year.

RBs- all cheap

Hock- reasonable

We can afford to sure up safety.

5

Walker is really up and down, even week by week this year. I can’t fathom why he’s so inconsistent. I see the glass half full. He can play like a #1 safety. Winning solves alot, and I think it will with him. I like your five year plan with him.

6

I can never justify another Mike Williams on this team. That name is ruined for me forever.

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7

Good point. Signing a Mike Williams and then wearing the black uniforms again might be enough to push me right over the edge.

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8

This is Called a “trigger”!

9

I think making the playoff in 2022 is doable and should be our goal. We should be building a roster to do just that.

I think in order for that to happen they need to get Dan some help with his game management. Someone he can lean heavily on. Someone he respects. An aging former HC who can sit up in the press box and be in his ear would be a huge help.

Obviously we need an OC who can call plays. I’d prefer a veteran play caller that has a ton of experience. I think getting a first time OC would be a huge mistake.

10

To quote Daniel Jeremiah:
“This team is nowhere close to being a good football team, much less a playoff team or championship-caliber team.”

There is a LOT of ground to make up. We are not sniffing the playoffs in 2022.

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11

I agree. Just getting through 2021 doesn’t end the rebuild. Next year will be better, but not playoff better.
While I can appreciate how some of y’all get involved, sometimes some of you just over think it all. I mean I’ve followed Detroit sports for over 50 years and always pull for them, but yikes. Sometimes some of ya scare me. Lol :flushed::flushed::flushed:

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