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Has Lions QB Jared Goff Peaked?

Read more on why Detroit Lions fans should have optimism regarding quarterback Jared Goff headed into the 2022 NFL season.
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The biggest question mark surrounding the Detroit Lions is Jared Goff.

Once upon a time, this quarterback was the No. 1 overall selection of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Rams. At the time, the future looked brighter than bright for Goff. 

Goff even made it all the way to the Super Bowl, before everything began spiraling downward, including his confidence level.

It all resulted in Goff being dealt to the Lions. And, after one year, there is now heavy chatter that Detroit may be on the verge of selecting Liberty signal-caller Malik Willis in next month’s draft.

To say that Goff has fallen from grace would be an understatement. On top of it, he had to sit back and watch former Lions QB Matthew Stafford win a Super Bowl with his old team.

For a QB struggling with confidence, it probably could not be a worse setup. While Goff is what he is, do Lions fans have reason to believe he can do things better in 2022?

The answer is yes, and here are the reasons why. 

The raw skill set is still there

There were moments last season where Goff looked like his old self. Who could forget the almost miraculous comeback against San Francisco in Week 1 or the last-second touchdown throw to wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown that beat the Vikings?

The first half in Green Bay was pretty darn good, too, and there were other times where he showcased flashes of high-end play, as well.

When a player shows the skill set is still there, it is just a matter of consistency. If Goff can get past whatever caused his confidence to get shaky with the Rams, it would help.

Goff has had a year to become part of the team in Detroit

At first, as is the case with any player who gets traded, there is an adjustment period. Suddenly, Goff was in a whole new domed world, with new teammates and snow to shovel. He additionally had all new receivers to develop timing with.

That adjustment period is now behind Goff. He has had time to learn about everyone, including Lions head coach Dan Campbell. There is a good chance Goff will look and feel more comfortable in his second season in Detroit, which can only help.

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This is a big "prove-it" year

With the potential “out” Detroit has in Goff’s contract in 2023, this season is almost like a one-year, "prove-it" deal for the California native.

There are only 32 starting QB jobs in the NFL, and the jury is already out on Goff. There is a fine line between those viewed as starters and those who are viewed as backups (and those that get paid backup-type money).

This season will prove to be the proverbial line in the sand for Goff. If things go sideways for Goff in Detroit, after what happened with the Rams, it will define the trajectory of the rest of Goff’s career in the NFL.

Some of the numbers do provide a reason to have optimism

Statistics can be telling, and they can help to provide insight about a player.

Despite Detroit’s 3-13-1 record and despite everything that went along with that, Goff still posted the highest completion percentage of his career (67.2%). Goff also put up his highest passer rating (91.5), since leading Los Angeles to the Super Bowl in 2018 (101.5).

The Lions seem committed to adding talent at wide receiver

To Goff’s defense, it is borderline miraculous he was able to accomplish much of anything with the group of receivers Detroit had last season.

Outside of Detroit’s 2021 fourth-round draft pick Amon-Ra St. Brown and Quintez Cephus, who was a 2020 fifth-round pick, Goff had three undrafted receivers to work with. Kalif Raymond, Trinity Benson and Tom Kennedy were all undrafted, and bounced around the league to some degree.

Josh Reynolds was a fourth-round pick of the Rams, but had been cut by the Titans before the Lions claimed him.

This group was not much to work with by NFL standards, and it was even less to work with when it came to the deep passing game.

Recently, Detroit went out and signed free agent DJ Chark, who was a former second-round pick. Chark is coming off a broken ankle, but has shown the ability to get deep in the past, with his 4.3 speed.

There is always the hope of Detroit adding deep speed through the draft, as well, where the Lions hold five picks in the first three rounds. And, more talent and speed at receiver would definitely help.