Notes: Jared Goff lands in PFF’s bottom tier of NFL starting quarterbacks

PFF released their latest starting quarterback rankings and Jared Goff isn’t faring too well, seemingly much lower than in most rankings.

I look at a lot of these lists so when I saw Pro Football Focus’s Bruce Gradkowski’s latest evaluation I thought, “Huh, Goff seems ranked lower here than in most lists.” So I looked up a few and sure enough, he’s about six spots lower than where most writers place him.

• This one from NBC Sports’s Dave Zangaro on June 7 ranks Goff at No. 20:

“The Rams clearly thought they were getting an upgrade in Stafford but Goff will get a chance to prove himself in Detroit too. He might not reach his Pro Bowl peak again, but we’ll see what he can do in a new situation in 2021.“

• This one from SB Nation’s James Dator on June 1 places him around No. 19:

“A few years ago he seemed to be a lock to become one of the best quarterbacks in the league, but it’s been a fairly steady decline since then. Now he’s leaving Los Angeles, and landing on a team with even less offensive talent around him.”

• ​​This one from Pro Football Network’s Shane G. Tyler from May 21 ranks him at No. 20:

“He’s garnered much more valuable experiences than his predecessor in half the time. With that said, I don’t expect Lions fans to fall in love with his dink and dunk approach.”

You get the point.

Gradkowski has Goff all the way at 26th in the league. Here’s what he had to say:

“Getting the ball downfield in 2020 was a struggle, whether it was missed throws or negatively graded throws. This is probably why Goff led the league in passing yards on completions of 5 yards or less a season ago. The Lions seem to be building around Goff, and this is exactly what he needs to get his confidence back up so he can play at a high level again.”

But Gradkowski notes that Goff getting a fresh start in a new city, combined with a boost of protection from Penei Sewell, may be exactly what he needs to perform well again. That, and an offense that suits him.

“The Rams were third in the league in play-action pass attempts and tied for fifth in screen pass attempts. It will be imperative that the Lions help their QB and design an offense around what he’s comfortable with.”

And onto the rest of your notes.

• The Athletic asked each reporter covering an NFL team what they think the club’s worst offseason move was, Chris Burke weighed in. (Subscription required.)

• Was Matthew Stafford held back by the Detroit Lions?

• Speaking of, our friends over at Turf Show Times took a look at what some of the POD crew had to say about Stafford. “Unsurprisingly, it turns out that Stafford meant a lot to them.”

• Jamaal Williams is already becoming a fan favorite with his big smile and fun energy. Learn even more about the back here:

• NFL.com’s Tom Blair offers an NFC North preview, and when it comes to the Lions: “I’m not going to talk about kneecaps. I’m not gonna do it. Am I a hero for this? Maybe.”