We can say one thing in certainty about the Lions quarterback situation: Jared Goff is the starter entering 2023.
Beyond that is anyone's guess.
With two picks in the first round of this year's draft, including No. 6 overall, could the Lions take a swing on Goff's potential successor?
"It just has to make sense," Lions GM Brad Holmes told the NFL Network Wednesday at the combine. "Obviously we like Jared, he’s our starter, but we don’t have a lot behind him."
No they do not. As Holmes said himself, the Lions were "sliding into home plate at the very end of training camp" last season "trying to find a backup quarterback." They ultimately signed Nate Sudfeld and were fortunate to keep him on the bench. Goff played all 17 games in arguably the best season of his career.
Goff's re-emergence gives the Lions options. With their starter in place, they don't have to draft a quarterback this year. But if they fall in love with one over the next couple months, someone like Alabama's Bryce Young or Florida's Anthony Richardson, they could set themselves up for years to come.
Naturally, Holmes isn't ruling anything out.
"We’ve had these open, transparent conversations about, we’re happy with Jared, he’s our starter, but we need to add some pieces in that room overall. So whether it’s in free agency or in the draft, we just gotta get somebody to continue to develop," he said.
As for the Lions' general approach to the draft, where they hold two picks in each of the first two rounds and five picks in the top 81, Holmes is sticking to the philosophy that helped him nail his first two drafts in Detroit.
"We just want to add good football players that fit our culture and guys that we love, guys that are truly fits," he said. "I’ve talked about in free agency, we’re always strategic and selective in finding the right guys. We’ll continue the same process in the draft. I think in the past, in terms of free agency, can we get guys that really fit our culture or do guys want to come to Detroit?
"But when it comes to the draft, we want guys that fit our culture, that’s when we’re going to get the best football player for us."
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