3 Ways Cory Undlin Can Be Successful in Year One in Detroit
Cory Undlin won’t have an easy task when it comes to turning one of the league’s worst defenses around in 2020.
A drastic improvement likely won’t happen overnight, but a jump will need to be made in order for Detroit to win more games this upcoming season.
Here are three ways in which Undlin can be successful in his first season in Detroit:
1.) Developing the youth
Undlin’s ability to step in and work one-on-one with names such as Jeff Okudah, Julian Okwara, Tracy Walker, Will Harris and others will loom large when it comes to the future of the franchise.
There’s no teacher quite like experience, but Undlin knows what it’s like to train a position group and do so successfully.
He recently described what phase two and three of OTAs would’ve looked like if the team was on the field.
While they may not be physically together, it was still easy to identify Undlin’s devotion to development this offseason.
“Phase two and phase three was all about detailing and becoming a master at your craft. And becoming an expert at back peddle and breaking, or lining up as a 3-technique and then stepping with a six-inch step, blocking out, punching, hand-placement,” Undlin said.
2.) Cutting down significantly on passing yards allowed
The 4,551 passing yards that Detroit allowed last season qualified for the most in the NFL.
Allowing 400.4 yards per game also isn’t a recipe for success for getting off the field late in games.
It’ll be interesting to see what adjustments Undlin makes to the defensive scheme in order to limit opposing passing yards in 2020.
3.) Applying more pressure on opposing quarterbacks
Easier said than done, but nonetheless, it's a critical factor when it comes to improving a defense.
The Lions had the league’s worst pass-rush win rate (24 percent) and the second fewest sacks in 2019 (28).
These are numbers that certainly coincide with the struggles of the secondary.
When you couple the prospect of at least a middle-of-the-pack defense with potentially a top-five offense, the Lions could see a notable uptick in wins.
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