Poll: Should the Lions Rebuild or Retool This Offseason?
To rebuild or to retool. That is the question for the next regime of the Detroit Lions this offseason.
The Lions are coming off a disappointing 5-11 season in which their defense allowed both the most points (519) and the most yards (6,716) in franchise history.
The team was largely noncompetitive throughout the course of the campaign, with eight double-digit losses -- including back-to-back ugly defeats at the hands of the Carolina Panthers in Week 11 (20-0) and the Houston Texans in Detroit's annual Thanksgiving game (41-25).
Those two losses ultimately did Matt Patricia and Bob Quinn in, and led to their dismissals from the organization Nov. 28.
The Lions went just 4-7 with Patricia and Quinn in 2020, and proceeded to go 1-4 the rest of the way with Darrell Bevell as the franchise's interim head coach.
Detroit's next general manager will have plenty of important decisions to make this offseason, including whether to trade franchise passer Matthew Stafford and re-sign wide receivers Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones Jr. and defensive end Romeo Okwara.
Kirthmon F. Dozier, Imagn Content Services, LLC
If the Lions decide to rebuild, Stafford is likely gone, and the team could then also decide to trade veterans like linebacker Jamie Collins and defensive end Trey Flowers.
A full-fledged teardown could also see the organization deciding to let both Golladay and Jones walk in free agency.
As for Okwara, I think the new GM will make a concerted effort to re-sign the 25-year-old, no matter if the rebuild or retool route is taken.
If the franchise's next lead personnel decision-maker opts for a retool, I could see Stafford returning, either Golladay or Jones being re-signed and Detroit choosing to keep its best defensive players, such as Collins and Flowers, instead of trading them.
If it was me running the organization, I would choose the teardown option. I believe it has a better chance of setting the Lions up for success over the long term -- and for the simple reason that they aren't one or two pieces away from being legitimate playoff contenders.
What do you guys think Detroit should do this offseason, though: Rebuild or retool?
Vote here.
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