Three options for the Detroit Lions after Steve Longa’s ACL tear
By Ash Thompson
The nuclear option
Navorro Bowman is likely waiting for a starting opportunity to open up somewhere in the league. It may be that the veteran pro bowler would rather retire than take a back seat to younger players. The Lions should do their due diligence to find out.
There has been no push from below for Jarrad Davis. The second-year Lions middle linebacker was handed the starting job from day one but lost it to Whitehead as the season went on. Whitehead is gone, and nobody else has challenged the kid.
Davis has struggled in coverage during the 2018 preseason, and he likely always will to a certain extent. Longa was never going to unseat Davis. Longa simply provided more of the same but not as good.
Bowman, on the other hand, is a legitimate starter in the league. He was a victim of the youth movement in San Francisco. After his release from the 49ers in the middle of the 2017 season, he joined the Oakland Raiders. Bowman played well but Jon Gruden decided to go in a different direction.
Bowman has been looking for work ever since, and will likely end up on a one year deal for significantly less than he originally thought. A struggling starter like Davis and a lack of organizational depth might be Bowman’s best opportunity to get on the field at this point.