Malcolm first with Rolder as backup, but Jack Campbell is the new Chuck Norris and he’s not going down.
If we’re talking about the starter/s going down, no position is thinner than QB.
After that I STILL think the CB room could be more robust, but then I am very much come from the you-can-never-have-enough-DBs school
That’s the case with pretty much every team though. I didn’t think it needed to be said.
Plenty of teams can hold the fort down though. We wouldn’t be one of those.
Teddy could be serviceable for an amount of time, I think. He’s definitely not Goff though.
Eh, we’ll see. I think he could win us a game against a bad team by leaning on the run game, maybe, but a Foles-ian 3-game run against elite teams? Flacco stepping in and going .500? Tyrod, Willis, etc… doing the same? I don’t see that. I really wish we’d added Trey Lance a couple of years back when the Chargers picked him up for peanuts. That’s a guy like Willis you can keep winning with imo.
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I agree with most of your takes, but I can’t get on board with that one. If you held a gun to my head and said “You have to pick Teddy or Lance to play 10 games for the Lions this year and they have to go .500 or we’re pulling the trigger”, I’m picking Teddy every single time, lol
Fair enough. We disagree there, but it is what it is. I don’t think Teddy has anything left and would much prefer him as an emergency 3rd option. I also admittedly prefer mobility in a backup, you can shift the offense like GB did with Willis more easily, or like many teams have with Taylor.
Fascinating thread that should make you feel better:
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I would start with the Bears, Vikings and Packers. It appears to me the Lions no longer have any interest in any downhill running attack. Just sit back and hope Gibbs can break a long one. The way our WRs block there will be some explosive runs. With the way our TEs block there will be no more bully ball. I would not trust Manu to line up right in that Skip role. Maybe Frazier can be a blocking TE.
I dont think having less TEs on the field indicates a lack of interest in downhill running. If anything 13 personnel pushes the defense to stack the box doesnt it?
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I think we’re not only good at TE but we’re strong at TE. (As long as we’re healthy)
Few teams have a better TE rotation than the Lions do.
Laporta is a top tier TE.
Wright is one of the better back-up and situational TE’s in the league.
Many teams only carry two TE’s and we could do the same….. but I have no issue with signing a bunch of people to complete for the 3rd sport or waiting until cuts and seeing what shakes out like we did with Patrick for WR3.
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TEs still on the market
Darren Waller for 2 mil sign me up
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I’m concerned about LaPorta’s back but if he’s ready to go, I think LaPorta, Conklin and Wright is a very solid TE room. My lone worry, assuming LaPorta is healthy, on the offensive side is depth at RB and Pacheco being a sizeable downgrade from Montgomery. Also, the offensive line is awfully inexperienced although quite a bit more talented than this time last year but tight end I think is fine.
I worry about LaPorta’s health because ‘back’ is an injury that always gives me pause. Although, one of the sports docs on the radio offered some optimistic feedback. I like Wright as a #2. You know what he brings and you can rely upon it. Conklin? we can hope he gets back on track.
But if Conklin doesn’t deserve a roster spot, there are alternatives. I actually believe we will sign another TE before camp. Cheap Veteran.
I also think we will use our tackles much like we have used Skipper in the past. Manu is a big target if he can catch the ball. Sewell has done this before. Our swing tackle should be solid depth this year if healthy.
We also have WR’s that can fill part of the role. Law’s tape shows a solid blocker. Teslaa makes catches in the same area of the field that TE’s normally roam.
I am more concerned about our RB room than our TE room because I think we have non-traditional options that can do what needs to be done.
Virgina, it was james Mitchell who was te3
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I know you really don’t believe this. And if we want to pivot and start running more 11, it won’t matter. You can run downhill with one contributing TE, the Niners have been doing it for years (granted their one TE is an awesome blocker). The Rams did it plenty before last year. But your WRs have to block.
But if we want to break it down further, the league average use of 12 personnel is still only 23%. 3 out of every 4 plays DIDN’T have 2 TEs. And since the Cards led the league running 12 personnel at 13%, I think we can see that the vast majority of rushing attacks still operate with one TE. Even the heaviest users of 12 were in the 30s.
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Quick edit, Virgina Tech was where James Mitchell went to, not Virgina
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That was the draft we tried to trade up with Baltimore for Likely TE round 4