Lions: Three Quarterbacks to target in free agency
By Bob Heyrman
Marcus Mariota
I know what you are thinking. A player that lost his job to Ryan Tannehill is the best you could come up with?
Well, maybe not the best, but he’s certainly better than what we have in Detroit. One would presume Marcus Mariota would prefer an opportunity to compete for a starting job at his next stop, that won’t happen with the Lions.
The Lions can provide Mariota a fresh start. He could benefit from sitting in the film room with Stafford and Darrell Bevell breaking down defenses and learning a scheme that fits a mobile Russell Wilson.
Mariota is far from Wilson, but he can pull the ball down and excel to the first down marker, picking it up with his legs when everyone downfield is covered. Believe it or not, Stafford is a very underrated runner in his own right, but he’s not on Mariota’s level.
Detroit would benefit from a guy with 61 career starts in the league as a plan B. Darrell Bevell would have no problem scheming for a seasoned veteran backup quarterback rather than shrinking the playbook and terminology for the Blough’s of the world.
Mariota has completed 63% of his passes during his time in Tennessee, throwing 76 touchdowns and 44 interceptions to go with13,183 yards. His career quarterback rating is respectable at 89.6. To compare Stafford’s career, QBR is 89.3. Mariota has added 1399 rushing yards, along with 11 touchdowns over his five-year career.
Detroit possesses plenty of weapons on offense, something Tennessee had lacked for years during Mariota’s time before this season. He’d fit like a glove behind Stafford in Detroit’s offense.