Should the Lions go for broke to secure the No. 1 draft pick in 2016?
The Detroit Lions have cleaned house in the midst of a 1-7 start to the season, and the latest on the chopping block were general manager Martin Mayhew and president Tom Lewand. With the major moves on Thursday, following the firing of offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi last week, it doesn’t appear Detroit is finished swinging the ax.
NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport indicated Thursday that Matthew Stafford’s job is “very much in doubt.” It’s quite obvious the franchise may be looking into the possibility of making a major change at the quarterback position.
Stafford still has an arm that can throw for miles and he is on track to cross the 4,000-yard mark once again in 2015. Other teams in worse quarterback shape could see the appeal, and the Lions most definitely are in the position to pull some puppet strings after the 2015 season concludes.
It’s possible that a trade for Stafford could be in the cards after the 2015 season is complete. This means if the team is willing to part ways with their expensive quarterback, it might as well secure that coveted overall first draft pick as insurance or to offer to other teams as trade leverage. That said, it doesn’t seem like the market is particularly hot for his services right now.
While Stafford has completed a career-high 64.5 percent of his passes so far this season, he is on course to finish the season with 22 interceptions, which would also be his career-high. And, things may only continue to get worse, rather than better, for the struggling team.
After investing millions of dollars on Stafford the past seven seasons, one can certainly wonder if a new quarterback might be in the plans. With no chance at making a comeback in the NFC North, thanks to a dominate Green Bay Packers and up-and-coming Minnesota Vikings, perhaps the team should just go for broke and target the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft by tanking down the stretch.
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