Offtopic » Making sense of the Detroit Lions’ move to waive Anthony Zettel

When the Detroit Lions decided to waive Anthony Zettel for waiver claim Romeo Okwara Youth Jarrad Davis Jersey , it sent shockwaves down the fanbase. It wasn’t all that surprising that the Lions put in a claim for a defensive end, this is exactly the time when a team like the Lions shouldbe searching for players that can help them along the defensive line, and our good friend Brett Whitefield from Pro Football Focus even predicted the Lions would make this move:But the decision to cut Anthony Zettel seemed like a puzzling move, especially considering the young edge rusher was second on the team with 6.5 sacks just last year as a 16-game starter. So what went wrong? Why did the Lions make such a callous move when their defensive line was already so lowly regarded? Let’s break down some theories.Anthony Zettel wasn’t very goodMany point to Zettel’s sack total as evidence he was an up-and-coming defender improving every day. While 6.5 sacks is admittedly pretty good for a second-year, former sixth-round pick, anybody who remembers the 2017 season will also remember how Zettel essentially disappeared in the second half of the season. He had exactly 0.5 sacks in the final seven games, and was definitely part of the reason why Lions fans were clamoring all offseason for some pass rushing help. His overall Pro Football Focus grade was okay (70.7) but his pass rushing grade was not (60.6). He was also just not a very versatile guy. He’s not someone you’d want to drop in to coverage, and we saw plenty of time he had trouble setting the edge—either falling victim to rollouts or play-action.Back during Week 3 of the preseason, head coach Matt Patricia said something very telling.Anthony Zettel could only do one thing on this roster, and to be frank, he didn’t do it an extremely high level. Anthony Zettel wasn’t a scheme fitBouncing off that last quote, it’s clear that Patricia values versatility in his scheme. A defensive end isn’t just expected to pass rush or run defend. He’s expected to be able to line up in the middle of the line or occasionally drop back as an off-the-ball linebacker. The more you can do to make the defense unpredictable, the better. Granted Zettel has only had two years in this league and just an offseason under Patricia’s new scheme, but it was very clear by the end of the preseason the Lions just did not trust Zettel in multiple role, and it wasn’t for lack of trying. They got a long look at him. Zettel actually started training camp as the starting right defensive end while Ezekiel Ansah worked his way off the Physically Unable to Perform list. They even gave Zettel an extended look in the preseason finale—he had more snaps than any other defensive end. They tried him on the left end, they tried him on the right end, they tried him in a three-tech, five-tech, and just about everywhere else on the defensive line. They gave him a shot, and they clearly didn’t like what they saw.Zettel’s replacement Cheap Frank Ragnow Jersey , on the other hand, has already flashed some versatility with the Giants. Just watch this film breakdown of Okwara’s game where he shows both pass-rushing abilities and looks comfortable as a coverage linebacker, too. Da’Shawn Hand is going to get serious playing timeWhile we’re talking about players with promising versatility, Lions fourth-round pick Da’Shawn Hand showed it at every chance he got. Hand got plenty of time playing the interior, the edge and just about anywhere else the Lions thought he may be helpful. Hand has the added benefit of coming from Alabama, where they run a very similar scheme to Patricia, and they even have a defensive line coach familiar with Hand’s game. We had a sneaking suspicion that Hand was going to get a good chunk of playing time when he was out there getting rotational snaps with the starters halfway through training camp, but this move all but confirms the Lions’ confidence in the rookie. But why Zettel and not another position?This was the most common complaint of the move and an understandable one. The Lions aren’t very deep on the defensive line, while it seems like they have a surplus of guys at wide receiver and offensive line, even though the talent there doesn’t seem to warrant the high numbers. So why not add Okwara at the expense of a receiver or offensive lineman. Let’s start with wide receivers, because both Brandon Powell and Bradley Marquez were both a bit surprising to see on the initial 53-man roster. The fact that both remain on the roster is very telling. For Powell, it means the Lions are definitely afraid of losing him to a waiver claim. I don’t really see how Powell factors into the 2018 team—I wouldn’t be surprised to see him inactive on game days—but the Lions clearly like his potential beyond that. However, I think this says a lot more about Bradley Marquez. Marquez made the team based on his special teams contributions, and the fact that he’s still around after a bunch of additions and subtractions since the 53-man roster was created, I think it’s safe to say that Marquez isn’t only here to stay, but he’s very likely to be active on Sundays (or Mondays) as part of the special teams units.Bob Quinn has always made special teams a priority, so maybe this isn’t be as surprising as it seems. With the offensive line, however, it’s a little tougher to justify. Outside of their starting five, the Lions have Kenny Wiggins Tavon Wilson Jersey , Joe Dahl, Tyrell Crosby and newly-added Andrew Donnal at their expense. Nine offensive linemen are a lot, especially when you consider the Lions have another on their practice squad (Leo Koloamatangi). But it’s hard to point to the expendable one among the group. They probably still want to see what they have in Donnal, and they aren’t going to get rid of fifth-round pick Crosby. Wiggins and Dahl didn’t have great preseasons, but their position versatility and experience working with the first-team offensive line are valuable right now, especially since we don’t know the current status of starting right guard T.J. Lang, who didn’t play a single snap in the preseason. Overall, cutting Zettel is still a surprising move, but it’s one we should probably get used to. The defensive front seven is definitely in rebuild mode, and it wasn’t really any good to begin with. Nothing should make that clearer than this eye-popping stat from MLive’s Kyle Meinke:The Detroit Lions should trade Golden Tate I love Golden Tate. If you are a Lions fan, you probably do too. Since coming to Detroit, the electric wide receiver has played in every game, scored 22 touchdowns, and has made defender after defender look completely silly. Tate’s effort against the Cowboys last Sunday was a perfect example of exactly what he can do with the ball in his hands.When Tate signed a five-year, $31 million contract with the Lions before the 2014 season, it had the potential to be a steal. Indeed, his $6.2 million average annual value puts him at just 38th among NFL receivers this year. For a player who is borderline top 10 at his position, Detroit made one of the best signings in the league.However, as this contract comes to an end, it is impossible to ignore the future. With under a month until the NFL trade deadline http://www.lionsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-ricky-jean-francois-jersey , the Lions need to think about the team’s plans going forward and how Tate fits in. As exciting as he can be, it would be in the team’s best interest to trade him now while they still have a chance.Re-signing makes little senseTate will be 31 at the start of next season but will command a salary much higher than his current contract. While age might be a factor in term length, he will certainly look at what his peers are getting paid and look for something similar. Right now, top-15 wide receivers are seeing at least $13 million in AAV, while top-20 receivers are all making over eight figures.It is possible he could take a hometown discount, but given the fact that he has vocally celebrated every big receiver contract, it seems clear where his heart lies. This is perfectly normal—players should absolutely maximize the paychecks that they earn. Though he has mentioned wanting to stay in Detroit and retire as a Lion, asking and hoping for Tate to take a smaller cut just to help out the team seems foolish and unfair.Not spending upwards of $10 million a year on Tate will give the Lions flexibility to spend elsewhere. Detroit has massive needs along the defensive line and linebacking corps, both of which are much higher priorities than wide receiver, where they already have two very capable options. There is no logical reason for the Lions to spend at a position of strength with gaping holes existing on the other side of the ball.Get draft capitalLosing Tate at the end of the year will likely trigger a compensatory pick, but knowing where that pick will land is tough to tell. There is a chance it could end up in the third round, but that depends on whether the Lions sign any top free agents in the offseason and what other players are on the move. There is an argument that Tate would net the team a third-rounder, but this is more of a guess than a statement of fact.I am not going to spend much time speculating about a possible return for Tate in a trade because that would absolutely be guessing. However, the NFL has shown that the wide receiver market to be profitable, with players like Brandin Cooks netting at least a first-round pick on two occasions and Sammy Watkins bringing home around a second-rounder. Those players are younger than Tate and had different contract situations. I include them here only to show a rough idea of how teams value top receivers and that teams are willing to part with good picks for good players. A first-rounder is very unlikely, but a second-round pick seems right within his range, and would be a clear improvement over a compensatory selection the Lions would get for not trading him.The offense will be fine...The Lions made Matthew Stafford the highest quarterback at the time of his extension. They have committed millions and draft picks to the offensive line. They went out and snagged Marvin Jones. They drafted Kenny Golladay and Kerryon Johnson in back-to-back years. Lions fans know that this offense has enough weapons to do everything it needs to do.Tate is a unique player with tons of talent, but the team can survive without him. As the running game continues to develop, there is no reason to expect a huge drop off from the offense with Tate to the offense with whoever replaces him. Most likely, his targets are simply going to Jones and Golladay. I can only see good things happening as those two continue to be fed the ball....but if not Kenny Golladay Jersey , it does not matter right nowAt 1-3, the season is not over for Detroit, but the on-field product should cause some hesitation. Do the Lions look capable of winning the division? Do they look like they can even hang around the Wild Card hunt? The reality is that everything needs to go right for the Lions to even have a chance at the No. 6 seed in the conference; that would be the best-case scenario.The more plausible outcome is that the defense continues to struggle and the Lions have no ability to stop opposing running games. Stafford and the offense should be able to sneak out a couple wins, but even with Tate, the ceiling is probably around .500. There is no harm in losing Tate right now, as this is not a competing season for the Lions anyway. In fact, it probably helps them with their draft position for next year. Losing potentially the best skill player on the offense will have an impact, but in terms of season outcomes, the variance will be minimal.Making the difficult choiceAgain, it is impossible to know what other NFL front offices are willing to surrender for Tate, but if general manager Bob Quinn gets a competitive offer, he should seriously consider making a move. It will hurt to lose Tate, one of the few constants over the past four seasons, but his production is going to wind down sooner or later. It makes sense to let someone else make the mistake of overpaying him and getting out now.A second-round pick and additional cap space, plus the team’s own picks—which will likely be high in draft order—will go a long way in helping the Lions fill out the roster. The offense might take a slight step back, but that sacrifice is more than worth it to see the defense take huge leaps forward. Thank you for your service, Golden, but the hardest choice is the right one in this case. It is time to move on.