The expectations for the Detroit Lions this season are incredibly high. That means the expectations for certain players are even higher. With the Lions almost a week into training camp, there’s been plenty of positives coming out from both the offense and defensive units. As we prepare for the first preseason game, here are five Lions players that are poised to have make or break seasons:
QB Jared Goff
Coming off a career resurgence, Jared Goff has set the bar high for his performance on the field. Last season, he had 29 touchdowns and 7 interceptions while posting over 4,400 passing yards. Meanwhile, he helped get the Lions to their first winning record since the 2017 season.
One of the key reasons to why Goff is a make or break candidate this season is because of his contract. If his play declines and the Lions miss the playoffs, the team could feel obligated to move on from him. Whether they cut him or trade him, they could save over $25 million dollars in cap room.
That decision could be easier with how the quarterback depth chart has improved. Not only did the Lions add quarterback Hendon Hooker in the 2023 NFL Draft but they’ve been linked to free agent quarterback Teddy Bridgewater for most of this off-season.
Brad Holmes on Jared Goff's season pic.twitter.com/IqI4IXjHdD
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) January 11, 2023
However, if Goff has another strong season, he could make it even longer here in Detroit by earning a contract extension. There’s been preliminary discussions on an extension for Goff but time will tell on if a deal will get done.
With the best supporting cast he’s had since being traded to Detroit in 2021, there’s belief that Goff should match his passing totals from a season ago. One thing is for sure, if the Lions are going to make a push for a division title or the playoffs, much of it will depend on their quarterback.
G Halapoulivaati Vaitai
I’ve said for much of the off-season that I believe Graham Glasgow will take the majority of the snaps at right guard this season. Much of my reasoning is based on the health of Vaitai and the rapport that Glasgow already has with Frank Ragnow and Taylor Decker on the offensive line.
Vaitai signed a massive contract in 2020 during free agency. Unfortunately, he’s been injured for the past two seasons and has already dealt with a minor injury in training camp this summer.
While the team renegotiated his contract to free up over $7 million dollars, his dead cap number of over $8 million dollars indicates that he’ll be on the roster. However, if he’s not healthy this season, the Lions could look to move on from him after the year.
During his three seasons with the Lions, he’s only started 25 games. We’ll see if he can string together games this season but returning from a back injury and playing at a high level won’t be easy. One thing for sure is that he’ll have the entire fan base rooting for him to succeed here in Detroit.
DL Levi Onwuzurike
Focusing on another player coming off a back injury, there’s plenty of pressure on Levi Onwuzurike to be part of the Lions defensive line rotation. During the 2021 NFL Draft, the Lions selected Onwuzurike in the second round.
As a rookie, he made an impact and finished the season with 35 total tackles and a sack. Much of his success came down the stretch of his rookie season where he had 15 tackles in the last five games. Unfortunately, he was sidelined with a back injury last season, and there’s a lot of uncertainty about what type of player he’ll be as he gets back onto the field.
So far this summer, he’s made his way back into the mix at practice. He’s arriving early to work on his core strength and do the proper stretching. Most importantly, he’s excited about being back and is looking forward to the future of Lions football.
If there are any further injuries to Onwuzurike or any setbacks, the Lions could be faced with a tough decision as they’ve already got some pretty good depth along their defensive line. I’d have to believe with the support of the coaching staff, the Lions will ease him back into his role with the team.
WR Jameson Williams
Look, I’m trying to stay patient with Jameson Williams. However, some of that patience is starting to run thin. Regardless of the torn ACL from two seasons ago, the expectations remain high for him. But they should continue to remain high.
Williams is a former first-round pick that the Lions traded up for in the 2022 NFL Draft. The speedy receiver has the ability to take the Lions offense to a new level. We can give him a pass as a rookie coming off the torn ACL but he only played in six games and recorded one catch last season.
He’ll miss the start of this season due to a gambling suspension. Once he serves his six-game suspension, there’s hope he immediately steps into a starting role for the Lions offense. If he doesn’t, then the concern about him could start to rise.
According to FantasyPros, Williams is projected to have 41 receptions for 633 yards and 3 touchdowns this season. If he hits those totals, the pressure might get taken off him.
Currently, Williams is dealing with a minor leg injury so that’ll be worth monitoring for Lions fans. But the Lions have been patient with him because the talent is there. It’ll be interesting to see how patient they remain for the second-year player out of Alabama.
S Tracy Walker
One of the deepest position groups for the Lions is at safety. Having players such as Kerby Joseph, Brian Branch and C.J. Gardner-Johnson will allow Tracy Walker the chance to ease his way back onto the field. That will be needed as he’s returning from a torn Achilles that occurred during week 3 last season.
Fortunately for Walker, his track record speaks for itself. He’s one hell of a football player and has posted 100+ tackles twice in his career. Had he not got hurt last season, he was on pace to reach that total again.
One of the key factors Walker makes this list is simply due to his contract status. In March, he converted $7.5 million of his 2023 salary into a signing bonus and it added a void year to his contract. This allowed the Lions to clear $5 million dollars of cap space.
If the Lions feel like Walker has fallen out of place in their defense or if there’s a decline in his performance, the Lions could look to move him in the offseason, and they could save just over $6 million dollars in cap space.
Luckily, head coach Dan Campbell has shown faith in Walker from the beginning of his arrival in Detroit. Walker is viewed as a leader and is a veteran in the Lions locker room so it would be surprising if the Lions moved on from him. Crazier things have happened so it’s worth monitoring for parts of this season.
