Calvin Johnson's retirement leaves a mega-sized hole in the Detroit Lions' receiving corps.
The 30-year-old wideout's production waned slightly the past few seasons due to injury, but he still was a massive matchup problem for defenses.
When Megatron was on the field, defensive coordinators were forced to roll coverage or risked being burned by a truly freakish athlete. At 6-foot-5, even with his speed sapped, Johnson could still make catches over defenders and forced double teams in the red zone.
Megatron was also Matthew Stafford's security blanket, trusting the receiver to win every time in tight coverage.
The question now becomes, what will the Lions do to replace a potential Hall of Fame player?
Golden Tate becomes the de facto No. 1 receiver. The 27-year-old wideout was a great free agent signing in 2014, compiling 2,144 yards in two seasons. Much of Tate's best work comes after the catch. Tate was still productive when Johnson missed games the past two seasons, but there will be questions about whether he can be consistent over 16 games without Johnson on the field to command extra defenders.
The Lions current roster offers little help behind Tate. Despite trying to fill the No. 3 receiver role for years, Detroit's depth chart consists of Corey Fuller and T.J. Jones. Woof.
Johnson's retirement gives the Lions $11 million more in cap space, but the free-agent market doesn't offer options for the top of the depth chart. Detroit is expected to go after Cincinnati Bengals wideout Marvin Jones. However, like Tate, Jones is closer to a No. 2 receiver than a No. 1 option.
Jones currently ranks No. 31 overall on Around The NFL's Top 99 Free Agent List. Travis Benjamin, an undersized slot receiver, sits next at 46. The list then devolves into veterans (Anquan Boldin) and depth players (Mohamed Sanu, Rishard Matthews, Jermaine Kearse).
Lions general manager Bob Quinn could look to the NFL draft to add a dynamic playmaker. NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock ranks Ole Miss wide receiver Laquon Treadwell as his No. 1 receiver. With holes to fill on the defensive and offensive lines, would the new GM go wideout in the first round, or try to add depth later? Based on how the New England Patriots (Quinn's former team) gathered their receivers, we'd expect the latter.
More than anything, the Lions need Stafford to improve his decision-making and spread the ball around now that he no longer has a security blanket.
