Inside Allen Park: Early Look at Jared Goff and Detroit Lions Offense
One of the big question marks heading into the 2021 season involves the Detroit Lions and their redesigned offense.
New signal-caller Jared Goff will be responsible for running Anthony Lynn's offense with a whole new cast -- and suffice to say, their will be an adjustment period for the 26-year-old quarterback.
How quickly the offense gels together will be a determining factor regarding how competitive this team will be as the 2021 season progresses.
Early impressions of Goff through two days of training camp
It is apparent that Goff understands the position and has the ability to shift protections effectively.
Early in training camp, Goff has not been asked to do too much, as the majority of his tosses have been intermediate, short passes to the running backs or to tight end T.J. Hockenson.
He was observed Thursday working and chatting with Frank Ragnow, Taylor Decker and wideout Tyrell Williams between drills and team reps.
The performance of the offense was certainly better on Day 1 then on Day 2 of training camp.
In terms of the deep throws, there have not been too many to evaluate at this point in camp.
Goff missed Hockenson early on an overthrow that could have been picked off.
The best play on Day 2 occurred when backup Tim Boyle launched a deep ball and successfully connected with new wideout Chad Hansen, who beat out Jerry Jacobs in tight coverage.
Early in camp, Goff has caught the attention of his new left tackle, Taylor Decker, who shared early impressions of his new quarterback.
"Goff is phenomenally talented," Decker said. "You see him out there running the show, making passes and coordinating protections. He does a great job. I'm really excited to work with him."
Decker added, "You hear about guys having good arms and then to actually see them throw it in person. You see a guy throw a ball and you say, "That is what it is supposed to look like." Put it on a dime where it is supposed to be in coverage and in double coverage. It's impressive to see because I can't do that."
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Breshad Perriman yet to stand out
Like it was stated before, Perriman and the offense have not taken too many shots deep, so Detroit's newest wideout has yet to stand out compared to Tyrell Williams and Hockenson.
On Thursday, Perriman was able to beat cornerback Amani Oruwariye for a solid reception, but that has been few and far between.
In the coming days and weeks, the veteran needs to showcase his speed more and showcase his skills against Detroit's secondary.
Williams continues to display a workman like attitude daily.
When Okudah successfully broke up a play targeted for Williams, he came back two plays later and beat the secondary for a nice reception.
It is clear that Williams will emerge at the No. 1 wideout in this offense.
Running backs shine early in camp
D'Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams are going to make a lot of fans happy in Detroit.
Williams has an endless amount of energy and is showing that he can be trusted catching balls out of the backfield.
On Thursday, Swift has looked explosive and decisive early during team drills.
On the third play, Swift received the carry, made his cut decisively and then accelerated downfield for approximately 75 yards.
During his media session, head coach Dan Campbell also commented on his early impressions of rookie Jermar Jefferson.
"I have been pleased with Jermar," he said. "We're only three days in and only one practice in. From where he came in the summer, we looked and watched him run, his weight. We had extra days with the rookies before, so we were kind of doing walk-throughs. ... I like what I've seen."
Tight ends are the focus after the running backs
No question, T.J. Hockenson and the other tight ends are getting their work in early and often in training camp.
It will be no surprise that Hockenson will be featured in this offense.
The big question marks will be who emerges in the supporting role.
Darren Fells is simply a physical specimen and will shine in his blocking role.
The lead contenders to be the No. 3 tight end are Alize Mack and Jake Hausmann, who both will get extended looks all throughout camp.
Hausmann is the proven blocker, while Mack's size and fluidity are his best assets.
