4 things to learn about new Lions guard Kenny Wiggins

Welcome back, Detroit Lions fans, to yet another 4 questions. What has Reisman been doing to me? First, he sends me to Minnesota. Then he sends me to New York and Seattle. Snow and rain. That’s been my first couple of weeks on the job. But this time everything is different, because I’m heading to Los Angeles!

Nevermind the fact that Reisman and our own Chris Perfett actually live in LA and could have easily got this done in an afternoon for free. Also, nevermind the fact that neither would return my calls while I was here. I’m sure they had auditions and whatnot to get to.

So after a day of getting pampered LA style—which, I imagine, is just mud wraps and seaweed baths—I headed over to the world famous Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles in Hollywood to meet with Richard Wade from Bolts From The Blue. He dropped some knowledge on me about Kenny Wiggins, who I will admit I had never heard of until he signed with the Lions. Here’s what Richard had to say:

POD: What are your overall thoughts on Wiggins time in San Diego/Los Angeles?

BFTB: “Kenny Wiggins is coming off the best season of his career. He was a dependable starter for the Chargers after their rookie second-round pick Forrest Lamp was lost for the season over the Summer. He is, however, a limited player and was exposed over the course of playing a full season. He is capable of being a starter, but he is likely going to be your worst starting lineman if your line is any good.

That said, I don’t want to downplay how big 2017 was for him. Many people thought he might struggle to make the 53-man roster and now as he leaves in free agency he will definitely be missed.”

POD: What are his strengths?

BFTB: “He’s tough and won’t miss games with minor dings. He has experience at and is mostly capable of playing multiple positions. He’s a hard worker and will do anything that is asked of him by the coaches.”

POD: What are his weaknesses?

BFTB: “His weaknesses are basically everything that isn’t masked by trying really hard. His athleticism is unexceptional. His technique is merely adequate. If he plays every week, opposing defenses will recognize his limitations and attack them. There’s a reason that he looked like one of the better linemen on the team for the first third of the season before falling off badly late in the year.”

POD: Can Wiggins make a large impact in Detroit? Or is he better served as a role player?

BFTB: “Wiggins is not an impact player, but he is a very solid role player. I think that if he is not asked to do too much he should be a positive addition to the Lions. In an ideal situation, he is not going to start more than about four games per season and if his time on the field is limited to that he will be fine. That said, he’s the kind of player it’s easy to root for and I hope he has success in Detroit.“

So everything we thought about Wiggins is correct. He’ll play the role of depth in Detroit in 2018, and that is not at all a bad thing. The Lions allowed the second-most sacks in the league and had the 32nd ranked run game in 2017. One of the reasons that happened is because they had their optimum offensive line lineup for just 95 of 980 snaps in 2017. Depth is something that can help correct that issue, but the Lions definitely need more than Wiggins to help remedy that.

Thanks again to Richard Wade. If you’re ever looking for Chargers news and opinions, do yourself a favor and check out his work at Bolts From The Blue.