The Lions Defense Will Lead the NFL in Takeaways
This is a defense that already boasts one of the NFC’s best secondaries. The 2017 Lions’ ability to take the ball away from opposing offensives was nothing short of impressive. The unit’s 19 interceptions were the fourth most in the NFL. Its 13 recovered fumbles were second most. Only Baltimore and Jacksonville earned more takeaways than Detroit’s 32.
Detroit’s success came from its secondary play. Darius Slay emerged as a shutdown corner, intercepting eight passes on his way to a 1st Team All-Pro selection. Quandre Diggs impressed at both cornerback and strong safety, nabbing three interceptions. Free safety Glover Quin added three picks of his own to go along with four forced fumbles. Starting strong safety Tavon Wilson returns as well, completing the starting unit. There’s plenty to like about the depth behind the starting unit, with the return of Kevin Lawson and the addition of DeShawn Shead from Seattle. Don’t forget about 2017 second round pick Teez Tabor, who figures play a larger role this seasons.
Simply bringing back the secondary won’t be enough to sustain success. The defensive backfield’s gravitation to the football was one of few bright spots on defense. The Lions were a middle-of-the-road pass rushing unit, ranking 20th in the league with just 35 sacks. 12 of those came from Ezekiel Ansah, but even his stats were skewed. Detroit’s premier pass rusher tallied three-sack performances in three games against overmatched offensive tackles. So, in Ansah’s 11 other appearances, he only managed three total sacks. That’s not great.
Defensive yardage and scoring stats from 2017 don’t favor the Lions either. Detroit ranked 21st in the league allowing 23.5 points per game. Allowing 355.8 total yards per game placed Detroit in the bottom six of the league. They ranked 26th and 19th in passing and rushing defense, respectively. Suffice to say, plenty of work needed to be done this offseason, and general manager Bob Quinn answered the bell.
Detroit vastly improved the defensive front, giving the ball-hawking secondary more opportunities to force turnovers. The Lions are expected to use more odd-man fronts under Patricia. Defensive tackles A’Shawn Robinson and Da’Shawn Hand dominated under similar schemes at Alabama. With former Alabama DL coach Bo Davis coming to Detroit, the pair of Crimson Tide alumni should thrive. Stick incoming nose tackle Sylvester Williams, who signed with Detroit after a monster year with Tennessee, between the Crimson Tide duo, and then add a triage of pass rushers – including Ansah, Anthony Zettel and Kerry Hyder (who returns after missing all of 2017 after a torn Achilles) – and the Lions’ defensive front looks a heck of a lot meaner than a year ago.
What’s going on at the second level of the defense can’t be overlooked either. Detroit’s big splash of the offseason came via former Giants linebacker Devon Kennard. The outside linebacker displays the versatility that will allow Patricia to move him all over the field. At 260 pounds, Kennard can set the edge, rush the passer, attack the run game and sit back in coverage. He’s an ideal fit next to 2017 first-round pick Jarrad Davis, who impressed in 14 starts as a rookie.
The secondary in Detroit flourished without much help along the defensive front. With an influx of talent, this unit has the opportunity to be special in 2018.
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