Wednesday open thread: Who will be the most improved Detroit Lion in 2019?

2018 was an up-and-down season if we’ve ever seen one. The Lions started off their first defensive play with a pick-six, only to get trampled by a rookie quarterback on a mediocre team in prime time. They bounced back to a record of 3-3 after a “Sunday Night Football” beatdown of the New England Patriots, only to collapse down the stretch once more. It wouldn’t be a complete Lions season, however, without the glimmer of false hope given in Week 17 when the Lions tore apart a hampered Green Bay Packers team.

Along the way, we saw numerous players toy with our feelings as well. We fell in love with Kerryon Johnson, only to see him land on IR. We were let down by the Marvin Jones Jr. who wowed us throughout the 2017 season. As the year came to a close, we learned to love our star-studded defensive line, particularly Damon “Snacks” Harrison and Da’Shawn Hand.

There was plenty to be happy about, but also a lot left to be desired, as is the case when your team only wins six games. So, that begs the question:

Who will be the most improved Detroit Lion in 2019?

My answer: I’m going to cheat this question a little bit — you’re waiting for me to answer this with the name of a player. Instead, I think the most improved Detroit Lion in 2019 will be head coach Matt Patricia.

Patricia seemed extremely out of place along the sideline in the beginning of the 2018 season, and he was befuddled with rookie coaching mistakes all the while. It seems the tides have turned, however, and having a year under his belt has allowed him to grow comfortable with his team and his role, most recently evidenced by this viral photo of him at Lions minicamp.

Who do you think will be the most improved Lion in 2019? Will it be a player, a coach, perhaps even the guy who manages the salary cap? Let us know in the comments.