"I think that’s the most important thing. Try to help him out, obviously with the offensive line in front of him, get a little bit of a run game, get some skill players out there and play better defense and try to do everything we can to have a complementary football team with him as our leader," Matt Patricia said this offseason.
Judging by the skill players, it might be the best supporting cast of Stafford's career.
ESPN NFL analyst Bill Barnwell isn't buying it. In a ranking of the league's offenses based on weapons -- wide receivers, running backs and tight ends -- he has the Lions at No. 25. That's a seven-spot drop from last year.
Why?
He doesn't see any game-breakers beyond Kenny Golladay.
"Heading into last year, Lions fans were excited about a new big three of Kerryon Johnson, Kenny Golladay and T.J. Hockenson. One out of three ain't bad!" Barnwell writes. "Johnson missed half of the season with a knee injury and seemed to fall out of favor with the organization. Hockenson had 131 yards and a touchdown in the opener against a hapless Cardinals pass defense, but then only added 236 additional yards over the next 11 games before hitting injured reserve with ankle and shoulder injuries."
Barnwell continues, "Johnson will be competing with second-rounder D'Andre Swift, with the Lions hoping at least one of them turns into a productive back. They'll also be hoping for a return to form from Marvin Jones, who has gone from averaging 18 yards per catch in 2017 all the way down to 12.6 last season. ... There's plenty of talent on paper here, but the Lions need somebody besides Golladay to leap."
While it's true Jones didn't make as many big plays last season as he has in the past, he also caught nine touchdowns and was on pace for almost 1,000 yards before an ankle injury ended his season after 13 games. He and Golladay comprise a pretty dangerous duo at receiver.
As for the rest of Stafford's supporting cast, potential needs to yield production.
Elsewhere in the NFC North, Barnwell ranks Chicago No. 28 in terms of offensive weapons, Green Bay No. 19 and Minnesota No. 17. If it makes Lions fans feel any better, none of those teams improved from last year either.