The Detroit Lions secondary went through a significant overhaul this offseason, yet they appear stronger and deeper as a whole than what was on the field in 2019.
Among the new additions, Duron Harmon — whom the Lions traded with the Patriots for last March — could have the biggest impact in 2020 due to his leadership and scheme knowledge. Harmon played for seven seasons on the Patriots defense and he is expected to be able to smoothly translate into coach Matt Patricia’s scheme.
During a recent video conference with the media, Harmon mentioned that this is a defense that he is very familiar with, but also acknowledged that it has evolved a bit since Patricia left New England.
“So obviously there are some new things I’ll have to learn”, Harmon said. “I’m working as hard as I can to make sure I learn those things. To make sure that when I go out there, people can count on me. To know that I’m always going to know what I’m doing and that I’m going to do my job at a high level.”
While the MIKE linebacker typically gets a lot of the glory as they distribute the defensive play call, the single-high safety spot in Patricia’s scheme acts as the quarterback of the defense, making pre-snap adjustments and re-aligning players in coverage.
Harmon is expected to start at the Lions’ single-high safety spot this year.
One of the reasons the Lions secondary has struggled in the past two seasons is the revolving door at single-high. Glover Quin never seemed comfortable in the role — it’s much different than the free safety spot he played the majority of his career — Quandre Diggs was better suited for the slot than in center field, Tavon Wilson was more successful as a box safety, as was Will Harris, and while Tracy Walker can survive playing deep, he is an absolute weapon as a JOKER.
By being able to deploy an experienced single-high safety in Harmon, the Lions not only shore up the position but it also affords them the opportunity to use Walker more in the JOKER role and Harris as the third safety in the box.
Experience, intelligence, leadership. Harmon is exactly what the Lions need in the secondary.
