The Detroit Lions are pushing toward the offseason, and they will have lots of decisions to make in terms of what positions to prioritize when all is said and done.
There are tons of questions that the team has to ponder currently, and the most important of which was recently revealed by Pro Football Focus and writer Sam Monson.
The most important issues for every team this offseason were examined in a piece. Given the amount of defensive needs on the roster, it could have been expected a defensive issue would take precedence.
For Monson, though, running back actually represents the most pressing issue at this point in time. As he wrote, the biggest question for the team will revolve around whether to re-sign Jamaal Williams relative to drafting a potentially elite player like Bijan Robinson.
“The Lions have a few questions to answer this offseason, but a major one will be how much they value the running back position. Jamaal Williams is a free agent fresh off eclipsing a franchise single-season touchdown mark held by Barry Sanders, and the Lions could have to make a decision about whether to draft Texas’ Bijan Robinson — arguably the best prospect at the position in over a decade — over higher-value positions. Is this a team that really values that position, or do they still want to attack the perimeter positions where they need help?,” Monson wrote in the piece.
The Lions’ offense was ranked fourth-overall last season, and their rushing attack was a very solid 11th in the NFL, racking up 23 touchdowns and around 128 yards per-game. A big reason why that was the case was Williams, in addition to D’Andre Swift, who seems likely to return in 2023 as well.
Detroit will have to make the choice on Williams, then decide whether or not they want to add a player for the future in the case of Swift having health problems again. A third running back could make sense, but how soon does the team want to draft him?
All good reasons that running back figures as a major question for the offseason.
Jamaal Williams Looks Likely to Return to Lions
It might not take long to see how much the team values the running back position, especially if the Lions elect to bring back Jamaal Williams, as has already been speculated.
A new deal with Williams could kick-start …read more
Source:: Heavy.com