Detroit Lions mailbag: Can Trey Flowers thrive under a new scheme?

The 2021 Detroit Lions are going to look a lot different than the team from the previous three years. Whether it’s the coaching staff, the overturned roster, or the scheme on both sides of the ball, there is little—both philosophical and on the surface—that resembles the Matt Patricia era.

One exception to that rule is the presence of starting edge defender Trey Flowers. Flowers was a key part of Patricia’s defensive scheme, and he figures to be a significant player under Dan Campbell and company, as well.

But will this arranged marriage work? It’s a brand-new scheme for Flowers and one that comes with a bit of a new role. Instead of playing with his hand in the dirt, he’ll be standing up as an outside linebacker when Detroit is in their base 3-4 defense. There’s also a significant chance he’ll be asked to drop back in coverage more than he’s used to—which is to say he’ll likely do it more than just a handful of times a year.

Earlier this offseason, Flowers said he’d welcome the challenge.

“I’m definitely looking forward to it, obviously you know it’s something new,” Flowers said during minicamp. “I’ve dropped back but probably haven’t been as emphasized as it is now. It’s something to learn, something new to learn, so I’m eager to learn it.”

But will he succeed? That’s one of our main topics on this week’s Q&A podcast which we recorded live on the Spotify Greenroom app. Other topics this week include:

• What will the Lions’ identity be on offense and what kinds of personnel groupings will we see?
• Which Lions rookies will see the most snaps on offense? Defense?
• How can Detroit improve the Ford Field experience?
• Is there any way the Lions can compete for the NFC North in 2021 if Aaron Rodgers is out?
• Who is the face of the Lions' defense?

Listen below.

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