The Detroit Lions have a supremely talented roster ahead of the 2024 campaign, and that’s especially true on the offensive side of the ball, which figures to be Detroit’s strength once again this coming season, although the gap could be closing.
The Lions are rock-solid at the top of the depth chart for most position groups on offense, but there are some concerns to talk about, particularly when it comes to the depth options for each.
With that in mind, we’re going through each position group on offense to identify what the concern level is (ranging from none to high), and what the reason or reasons are behind said concern level.
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Lions’ concern level at each position
Quarterback: Low
Jared Goff has proven on multiple occasions during his career that he can lead a team deep into the playoffs, although he has never gotten over the hump to win a Super Bowl. The biggest concern is injury, which could derail the Lions’ season.
Competing for the backup spot behind Goff are Hendon Hooker and Nate Sudfeld, the latter of whom is coming off a torn ACL. We know what Sudfeld is already and he’s unlikely to be able to pick up the slack if Goff gets hurt. Hooker, on the other hand, remains a total wild card and may or may not be capable of filling the void.
Running back: None
The Lions have one of the best running backs rooms in the entire league with David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs at the head, and Gibbs hasn’t even been fully unleased yet, with the Lions planning on giving him more work in 2024.
Battling it out for spots behind them are Craig Reynolds, Zonovan Knight, Jake Funk and Sione Vaki. We’ll see what Vaki and Funk bring to the table, but we already know that Reynolds and Knight are capable backups.
Even if one of the top-two backs gets hurt, the other is more than capable of carrying the load and keeping this ground game moving. It would take a total calamity for the Lions not to be good at running back in 2024.
Wide receiver: Medium
If not for the presence of elite pass-catchers like Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam LaPorta, we might have gone “high” here because of the question marks.
The Lions didn’t make any significant additions at wide receiver in the wake of Josh Reynolds leaving, which is important to note considering Reynolds had the second-most yards among wide receivers last season.
Detroit is clearly hoping Jameson Williams will step into that role, but that’s not a guarantee after two quiet years to start his career. The good news is, the Alabama product seems to be off to a good start this offseason.
The Lions are also hoping to get a bit more out of Kalif Raymond and something out of Antoine Green and Donovan Peoples-Jones, both of whom are the top candidates to fill out the bottom of the depth chart.
Tight end: Low
Detroit’s tight ends room is strong. LaPorta is already a star, and Brock Wright is a good No. 2 option who can contribute as a pass-catcher and blocker when needed.
James Mitchell and Shane Zylstra are the favorites to fill out the depth chart, but Mitchell has yet to establish himself and Zylstra is coming off a serious knee injury.
The biggest concern here is that LaPorta is the No. 2 pass-catching option entering the season and if he gets hurt, nobody else on the depth chart will come close to being able to replace his production.
Offensive line: Low
With Taylor Decker, Graham Glasgow, Frank Ragnow, Kevin Zeitler and Penei Sewell, the Lions sport arguably the best offensive line in the league. I’m saying arguably to be nice, too, because I think it’s the very best.
The concern is that injuries happen and the Lions have depth options that are either unproven or lackluster.
The good news is, all of the Lions’ starters have played 15 games or more in each of the past two seasons, and the group is so good that one injury won’t derail it. However, multiple injuries could present a problem.
