Detroit Lions approval poll: Bob Quinn (March 2018)

Before we turn the page on another month of our calendar, let’s take some time to reflect on the job Detroit Lions general manager Bob Quinn has done with the franchise.

March was a busy month for the young administrator. Just a few weeks after making the first head coaching hire of his young career, Quinn and his old buddy Matt Patricia had to do a film cram session and make some very difficult roster decisions. They had hundreds of free agents at their disposal and had to choose and negotiate which players would look best in a Lions uniform in 2018. And in between all of that, they had to find time to to attend the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, personally scout their favorite prospects at various Pro Days, and even get their face scanned for the Madden video games.

Before we get into some of the decision Quinn made, let’s take a look at his level of support coming into March. After firing Jim Caldwell at the beginning of the year and landing his clear favorite in Matt Patricia, Quinn jumped to a 92 percent approval rating in February, almost the exact mark he was at the year prior.

February 2018: 92 percent approval
November 2017: 78 percent approval
October 2017: 82 percent approval
August 2017: 95 percent approval
June 2017: 93 percent approval
April 2017: 97 percent approval
February 2017: 93 percent approval
December 2016: 96 percent approval
August 2016: 70 percent approval
June 2016: 86 percent approval
April 2016: 74 percent approval
February 2016: 72 percent approval

But March could turn out to be a divisive month for Quinn. He was put into a couple of no-win situations and no matter the decisions he made, he was never going to make anyone happy. Chief among his polarizing choices was his decision to cut Eric Ebron. Letting go of a talented player like that for nothing is never going to be a popular decision. However, allowing a disgruntled, inconsistent player to take up $8.25 million in cap space wasn’t going to fly with many fans either.

He faced a similarly difficult decision in what to do with Ezekiel Ansah. His franchise tag number of $17.1 million is far more than he’s likely worth, but is it worse than the alternative of losing him altogether? Again, that’s not an easy question to answer.

On top of all that, Quinn’s first two weeks in free agency didn’t really move the needle much in either direction. Without a marquee signing, Quinn both satiated Lions fans’ need for filling certain needs (tight end, defensive tackle, linebacker, running back) without quenching their thirst for making national headlines.

So put it all together and what do you have? That’s up to you to decide. Vote in our poll below: