Dan Campbell has just started as Lions head coach and said earlier on Tuesday that he’s aware the roster could need some re-tooling.
Could that include at quarterback by moving on from Matthew Stafford?
Campbell thinks it’s a little soon to say.
“Here’s what I’d say about Matthew, is man, he’s a stud,” Campbell said in his introductory press conference. “He is one of the toughest quarterbacks you’ll ever see. He’s extremely talented. I know he’s a team guy. And, listen, I know he wants to win. So I’ll leave it at that, that’s what I do know.”
Campbell was asked if the Lions could take a quarterback at No. 7 overall in the upcoming draft, and again said it’s just too early to say. But he later noted it’s not entirely necessary for a team to have an elite franchise QB in order to truly compete.
“But, I think your odds go way up of having success when you find one of those guys,” Campbell said. “Look, this is a passing league right now. It just is. The numbers that are being put up grow every year in the pass game. So I think that’s certainly an important piece that every team needs. You look at the greats and these teams that have had success throughout the last number of years have a quarterback. They have a quarterback in place who’s somebody they can feel like they can lean on and they’re going to be able to rely on for a long period of time. So certainly, that’s important.
“Do you have to have one? Well, no. But tell me who the other guy is then as to who’s going to serve that role. I think it’s like anything else — if you don’t have something, if maybe you’re lacking in one area, boy, you better beef up another. You better find a way to build on those things around that piece that maybe you don’t have so that you can give yourself the best chance to win.”
Stafford has put up solid passing numbers since entering the league as the No. 1 overall pick in 2009. But Detroit has had only four winning seasons in Stafford’s 12-year career.
Reasonable arguments can be made for the Lions to keep Stafford or move on from him, making Detroit one of several fascinating QB situations to follow over the 2021 offseason.