7 Detroit Lions Playing for Future with Season All but Lost
There's no wiggle room at 1-6.
That's already more losses than the Detroit Lions experienced during the 2014 regular season. Any realistic shot for a playoff spot will require a nine-game winning streak or at least an 8-1 finish. I'll let you calculate your own odds for that.
Suffice it to say: The Lions are dying.
So like any good doctor, we need to figure out what's wrong with them, which will likely require an autopsy on this corpse of a season once Week 17 mercifully passes to identify the cause of death.
That future search will focus heavily on the players whose contracts are set to expire this spring. Click through to find seven such Lions who will be the focus of any postseason examination.
OT LaAdrian Waddle
1 of 6
The offensive line was a force during the ultimately disappointing 2013 campaign that got former head coach Jim Schwartz fired.
LaAdrian Waddle was a key component of that united front. The then-undrafted free-agent rookie came in midway through the Week 7 game and started the rest of the season. He didn't allow a single sack, per Pro Football Focus, and finished with a better run-blocking grade than Russell Okung and Duane Brown.
That Waddle has seemingly been lost.
He missed a lot of action last year but often didn't look the same when on the field, giving up five sacks. And this year, Waddle has graded out as the second-worst tackle in the entire league.
The line as a whole has failed to improve from a terrible 2014. The scheme could be a heavy factor in this analysis, as many of the linemen don't seem adept at handling it, although there are plenty of instances where opponents have flat-out beaten Waddle on the edge.
Waddle needs to see a huge improvement soon, or it's hard to see why Detroit would entertain giving him another contract.
SS James Ihedigbo
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James Ihedigbo needed more time than Waddle to hit his stride as a professional football player. In fact, it took the tutelage of now-Detroit defensive coordinator and then-Baltimore Ravens secondary coach Teryl Austin to do so.
The Lions brought in the veteran safety coming off the best year of his career after they signed on Austin to coach the defense. The two were able to continue working well together in 2014, with Ihedigbo finishing as Pro Football Focus' 13th-highest-graded safety after allowing only a 66.9 passer rating and snagging four interceptions.
But the cracks started showing by the end of last season. Ihedigbo was benched in the de facto NFC North championship game and the wild-card matchup with the Dallas Cowboys. He also was the one spun around by tight end Jason Witten for a crucial fourth-down conversion late in that season-ending loss.
The veteran safety has done well overall against the run this season, but there are seven missed tackles on his resume as well. Throw in an allowed passer rating knocking on the door of triple digits (97.8), and things only get worse for the 31-year-old.
Whatever Detroit chooses, a successor will have to be groomed soon. Who knows? He could already be on the roster in the form of third-round pick Alex Carter.
S Isa Abdul-Quddus
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Prior to the season, Isa Abdul-Quddus bet on himself.
We don't know if the market forced the wager on him, or if he thought he could get a better deal in a year, but Abdul-Quddus only signed a one-year deal, meaning he'd go through free agency again this spring.
Based on the first seven games, it would appear that his parlay isn't playing out like he'd envisioned.
Abdul-Quddus has as many missed tackles as stops (two), and he has had trouble avoiding blocks in the open field. He's also allowing a passer rating of 103.6, per Pro Football Focus. All of these numbers will need to be improved dramatically if Abdul-Quddus is going to garner the offer that gives him some long-term security.
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LBs Tahir Whitehead and Travis Lewis
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Tahir Whitehead and Travis Lewis are grouped together because of their similar career tracks.
Both started out hooking to the bottom of the roster by excelling on special teams, and both ascended to the starting lineup through a mixture of injuries and gumption.
Now they both find themselves in other cities come 2016. Yet if either plans on returning to Detroit, he'll have to beat out the other to do it.
Whitehead had the upper hand coming into the season, but Lewis has closed the gap. In fact, the latter has picked up three starts, although the former has posted 36 more snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. It's anybody's game at this point.
DE Jason Jones
5 of 6
The defensive line has been playing well for the past two weeks. Nobody will talk about it, but a big cog in that unit has been defensive end Jason Jones.
The Lions brought on Jones to build a wall against the run and maybe rush the passer. His first year was lost to a knee injury, and his second brought the run stuffing, but his third year in Detroit has seen a full return on the investment.
According to Pro Football Focus, Jones has racked up 11 stops (plays that constitute an offensive failure) along with 16 quarterback pressures, which is third on the team. But neither of those stats accounts for his presence in the backfield and ability to funnel the running game into his teammates' waiting arms.
Past injuries and his impending 30th birthday will play a role in Detroit's decision. Yet out of everyone mentioned here, Jones seems to be the most likely for the Lions to retain.
DT Haloti Ngata
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Yes, that last statement regarding Jones took into account Haloti Ngata's expiring contract.
Ngata hasn't made too many splash plays since his acquisition this summer, but the expectations could be clouding his contributions.
The former Baltimore Raven has been quite proficient rushing the passer, according to Pro Football Focus. The analytical site has credited him with 17 pressures for a pass-rushing productivity score of 11.8, which is second among defensive tackles.
Availability, however, has been an issue, as he's missed two games so far. It's also unclear how much Ngata will cost. There tends to be a disconnect with older stars—he'll turn 32 before he signs his next contract—between their actual value and their perceived value.
But he still has nine games left to inflate his price.
With that in mind, consider this a watch list that will be updated as more information becomes available. Hey, it's better than solely watching the game for the wins and losses.
All advanced stats, grades and positional rankings are courtesy of Pro Football Focus.
Brandon Alisoglu is a Detroit Lions Featured Columnist. He also co-hosts a Lions-centric podcast, Lions Central Radio. Yell at him on Twitter @BrandonAlisoglu.
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