3 Lions Who Will Exceed Expectations in 2021
Although the Detroit Lions aren’t expected to be very good, there are players who should be.
Should the Lions as a whole live up to poor expectations, there will be fun storylines surrounding individual players that will make the team interesting to watch, even late into the season.
Some of these storylines include Jared Goff’s performance as Lions quarterback, the development of second-year players D’Andre Swift and Jeff Okudah, as well as the development of an identity under new head coach Dan Campbell.
While forecasting the entire team’s level of success is a cause for concern, given how bad it looks on paper, it can be interesting to take a look at individual players.
Here are three Lions who will exceed expectations in 2021.
Jeff Okudah
It can’t be much worse than it was last season for Okudah, who really struggled in man-to-man coverage.
He missed the end of last season due to a groin injury that required surgery, and believes that now that he’s healthy, his game can be taken to another level.
There’s also the fact that he’s going to be working with a new defensive coordinator in Aaron Glenn. Once upon a time, Glenn was a very solid defensive back. Now, he’s coming to Detroit, after helping build one of the best secondaries in the league in New Orleans.
Okudah spoke highly of his first few encounters with the new regime.
“Within the first couple of meetings, I was just picking up so much things that I thought to myself, ‘It just would have been nice to have these tools in my toolbox in my rookie year,’” Okudah said.
A rough first year put a damper on what many believe Okudah can be. This season, however, he will show the league and Lions fans just how special he can be.
Breshad Perriman
Perriman has been the overlooked addition to the Lions’ receiving corps this offseason. Many fans have fallen in love with new draft pick Amon-Ra St. Brown, while others see Tyrell Williams as a piece that can stick.
Between those two, there’s Perriman. Once upon a time a first-round pick, Perriman has bounced around the league, and has dealt with numerous issues, whether it be injuries or on-field struggles.
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However, he looked to have turned it around in Tampa Bay during the 2019 season, where he set career-highs in yards, catches and touchdowns. An assistant coach of his with the Buccaneers was Antwaan Randle-El, who is the Lions' wideouts coach now.
With defenses bound to be set on stopping the rushing attack, downfield opportunities should arise for Perriman. Look for the UCF alum to have the best season of his career with Detroit.
Tracy Walker
Walker is a player who seemingly fell through the cracks under the leadership of Matt Patricia. After bursting on to the scene with a 100-plus tackle season in 2019, Walker’s snap count disintegrated in 2020 as the season progressed.
Now, under the leadership of Glenn, it’s likely that Walker will get increased action and a chance to show development. Walker moves well, and is at his best as a free safety, which is not the position he played last season.
“Well, first and foremost, it’s our job as coaches to not have a down Tracy, to have the up Tracy,” Glenn said. “So, we have to continue to teach, and he has to learn and understand exactly what we expect of him. That was the number one thing, the expectations. Now, it’s get in the classroom, and put the tape on and showing him exactly how we want our safeties to play. And these past two days, man, he’s been outstanding. He keeps asking questions.”
Walker has played better than his competition at free safety, Will Harris. Duron Harmon, who started at free safety for the Lions last season, is gone. This gives Walker all the opportunity in the world to take over and roam the back half of the Lions’ defense.
With Walker, the expectations have come with playing time. He exceeded in 2019, only to fall short in 2020. Now, he has a chance to set things right under a new regime.
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