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They've generated some buzz as a trendy surprise team. The only problem is it's tough to identify a single thing that Matt Patricia has done well in his first two seasons. Organizationally, this group seems to have no plan other than to add former Patriots, cross their fingers and hope for the best. The Lions' best chance for success would be to build a prolific passing game around Matthew Stafford. Yet they've spent top-50 picks on running backs in two of the past three seasons and just signed Adrian Peterson. Unless Stafford puts this team on his back, it's tough to find a blueprint to relevancy for them.

This is likely a win-or-else year for coach Matt Patricia. The question is: Does he have enough to be a playoff team? Quarterback Matt Stafford is back healthy, so he has that to lean on.

Pretty cool to see this organization leading league's social justice charge following shooting of Jacob Blake. Now, will it galvanize club?

Will Matt Patricia's defense finally come together?

Michael Rothstein: The Lions could have as many as seven new defensive starters, and whether they can figure out how to become an effective unit leads to the overarching question for the 2020 season: Will Matt Patricia and Bob Quinn start to turn it around after a combined nine wins over two seasons, or will this be their final year in Detroit?

The late-period version of Adrian Peterson has a way of clearing low bars set for him by people on the outside. He carved out a bigger role than people expected for two years in Washington, and now he lands in a crowded Lions backfield that already includes Kerryon Johnson, second-round pick D'Andre Swift and Bo Scarbrough. Perhaps Peterson is simply a temporary depth rental while Swift and Scarbrough get healthy. But, like we said, Peterson has a way -- and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell has a history with the future Hall of Famer.