Detroit Lions: Strong staff provides hope for post-Stafford life

Matthew Stafford requesting a trade has dominated Detroit Lions‘ news for the past few days for good reason. Stafford has been the face of the franchise since he was drafted in 2009. Stafford is easily the best quarterback in franchise history and stabilized a position that the Lions struggled with since the Bobby Layne days.

It will definitely require an adjustment for the Lions’ fans seeing someone else under center, but it might be the best for both sides. The Lions can kick off their new regime with a fresh start and additional assets from the Stafford trade, and Stafford finally has a chance to compete for a championship.

Besides the Stafford news, several other exciting news bits were coming out of Allen Park. In the front office, John Dorsey and Ray Agnew will be joining Brad Holmes and provide the necessary experience. Also, Anthony Lynn, Aaron Glenn, Duce Staley, and Aubrey Pleasant are exciting, up and comers to join the coaching staff.

Let’s dive into what all these newcomers will bring to the table.

New Hires in the Detroit Lions Front Office

John Dorsey and Ray Agnew should be huge assets to Brad Holmes as he gets his feet wet as a general manager. Ray Agnew joins the front office as the new assistant general manager. Before this,  Agnew was the Director of Pro Personnel for the Rams for the past 4 years, where he worked closely with Holmes.

His experience there will be great for the Lions as Holmes has no experience in pro personnel previously. Dorsey is the bigger name as he was the GM of the Browns and Chiefs and will be a senior personnel assistant with the team. Dorsey was not a perfect GM with the Chiefs or Browns, but he has an exceptional eye for talent.

In Kansas City, he drafted their championship core of Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Tyreek Hill. Then, in Cleveland, he drafted Baker Mayfield, Nick Chubb, and Denzel Ward, who led the Browns to a playoff win this year.

Agnew and Dorsey are solid, experienced additions to the front office. Agnew knows how Holmes will want the front office set up and can assist on the pro personnel side. Dorsey is a great talent evaluator and will also challenge Holmes and Angew’s thought process. Having someone with a different thought process will be important in ensuring Holmes won’t be surrounded by yes men.