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Mailbag: Lions' Biggest Personnel Needs

Read more on the Lions' biggest personnel needs and more in the latest SI All Lions Mailbag.

The Detroit Lions will play their Thanksgiving Day game Thursday with not much for fans to be thankful for. Still winless on the season, it’s been a tough season so far. It is a rebuild after all, but it has been difficult to find much enjoyment in year one of the Brad Holmes/Dan Campbell tenure. Naturally, most questions in this mailbag revolve around how the Lions will be better in the future and what the team can do to improve.

*Questions edited for clarity

1.) Looking towards the future, should Detroit follow the Los Angeles Rams with acquiring proven talent with trades/draft picks or stick to the traditional draft process? -- @wardazr

Answer: There are a lot of different ways to build a team. It will likely be a bit of both. I wouldn’t say general manager Brad Holmes should trade away every single first-round pick, as the Rams have done. But, if there is a good deal to add a young, proven player, I’m all for it. The biggest issue the Rams will have is that at some point, their talent will get older, and they won’t have many developmental pieces to build around. The Rams are also in “win-now” mode, which drastically changes their strategy. Holmes and company are not at the same juncture. During a retool, the Lions have to find their cornerstone players and roster talent before going all in. Also, hitting on a rookie gives five years of a cheap contract – which greatly helps their salary-cap situation and their ability to go after players in free agency. In short, I feel the Lions should try to build through the draft and start leveraging future draft picks once they are more competitive.

2.) When can we expect to see a bigger role for linebacker Derrick Barnes? -- @KRZY2313

A: I won’t lie, I wish head coach Dan Campbell would put a little more on Barnes' plate, as well. Barnes has mostly been used in run-defense situations – which is his best attribute. In his 192 defensive snaps, 124 have been against the run, to go along with four pass rushes and 64 coverage snaps. It is smart to put players in the best position to succeed, but Barnes has shown flashes in coverage. However, looking at his Pro Football Focus grades, his 33.3 coverage grade would indicate he still has a ways to go before he can be relied upon in the passing game. Ultimately, the Lions' coaching staff feels that Alex Anzalone and Jalen Reeves-Maybin provide more in coverage. Next year, both Anzalone and Reeves-Maybin will be free agents. The Lions could bring one or both players back, as well as add more linebacker talent to the position. Outside of injury, I think the Lions will continue to develop Barnes slowly, and he likely won’t be asked to do more until late this season or even next year.

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3.) What makes quarterback Tim Boyle so much better than David Blough in management/the minds of the coaches? -- @JMHuron

A: I can’t say just how much more the Lions’ staff likes Boyle than Blough -- it could be closer than some think. Maybe it was just more of a coincidence that Boyle returned off of injured reserve right when the Lions needed a backup quarterback to play. At the end of the day, Blough’s attributes likely limit him to a career backup, though. Campbell probably realizes that and wanted to give Boyle a fair chance with the starting offense. Blough doesn’t have any elite traits that project him to be anything more than a career clipboard holder. He was undrafted for a reason. Boyle at least has a strong arm. To me, that’s the only real factor that separates the two, yet it’s an important one in the NFL.

4.) Do we go after a free-agent quarterback next year until they draft the heir? Someone like Marcus Mariota, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Mitchell Trubisky? -- @dabomb92288

A: It will all come down to price. The Lions are already paying Jared Goff good money, which limits how much cap space they can allocate to the position. You could argue plenty of free-agent quarterbacks would be an upgrade from Goff – I’m not in that boat, though. Goff is a bottom-tier starter in the league in a horrible situation. Not many quarterbacks would look good in this current offense. What’s the point in adding another fringe-starter-quality quarterback to the roster? It would only take up more valuable cap space. I do think it could be beneficial to maybe add competition, but competition alone won’t make a quarterback suddenly become much better, in my opinion. At the very least, it would give fans a little reprieve from watching Goff on a weekly basis. Unfortunately, during a rebuild, having to live with a subpar quarterback for a little bit while the team is constructed is sometimes part of the process.

5.) At this point in the season, what do you think are our biggest needs personnel-wise to take that first step towards success? -- @Dante_was_here

A: I’m not going to limit this question to one position. Outside of offensive tackle, center, running back and tight end, the Lions could upgrade almost anywhere. The Lions just need talent in general. It doesn’t really matter where. A team can build and scheme around elite players at any spot. Obviously, adding a legit wide receiver -- or even a couple -- could greatly boost the Lions' offense. It would give the offense another dimension that could really open up the playbook. I will say that is the biggest need to improve the team. Fortunately, capable receivers can be found relatively easy in the draft and free agency. On the defensive side of the ball, every position needs work, but a true pass rusher would go a long way, as well.