Lions General Manager Bob Quinn made a strong statement when he fired head coach Jim Caldwell at the end of last season: 9-7 isn’t good enough.Caldwell had gone 9-7 two consecutive years Isaac Nauta Detroit Lions Jersey , and according to Quinn that simply wasn’t the kind of progress he wanted to see.“I wanted to take this team to the next level,” Quinn said.To take the Lions to the next level, Quinn hired his old friend Matt Patricia. Quinn worked for the Patriots from 2000 until the Lions hired him in 2016, and Patricia worked for the Patriots from 2004 until Quinn gave him the Lions job this year, so the two go back a long time. Patrica, according to Quinn, was the coach who would take the Lions to the next level.And now, after the Lions’ Thanksgiving loss to the Bears, they’re 4-7. The Lions can finish no better than 9-7 this year, and given that they’ll be heavy underdogs against the Rams next week, they’re highly likely to clinch a worse record than the 9-7 mark that got Caldwell fired.So how safe is Patrica’s job now?The answer is probably that Patricia is safe. If Quinn were to fire Patricia after one year Isaac Nauta Jersey 2019 , Quinn would be admitting a huge mistake of his own, and that would be putting Quinn’s own job in jeopardy. The safest way for Quinn to keep his job is to hope that Patricia wins a few more games next year, when the Lions are playing a last-place schedule, and be able to claim his team is making progress.But the reality is, it’s not progress until Patricia improves on the 9-7 record of the team he inherited, the 9-7 record that wasn’t good enough for Caldwell to keep his job. Patricia definitely isn’t going to do that this year, and he’s done little as a coach to inspire confidence he’ll do it next year, either. The Lions addressed a number of needs this offseason, but after the first preseason game it’s clear they still have depth issues." Detroit Lions OpinionNFL Open ThreadsWednesday open thread: What is the Lions’ biggest remaining position of need?New,157commentsThe Lions addressed a number of needs this offseason, but after the first preseason game it’s clear they still have depth issues. EDTShare this storyShare this on FacebookShare this on TwitterShareAll sharing optionsShareAll sharing options for:Wednesday open thread: What is the Lions’ biggest remaining position of need?TwitterFacebookRedditPocketFlipboardEmailPhoto by Amy Lemus/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesThe Lions took tremendous strides this offseason in addressing their positions of need. Tight end Color Rush Isaac Nauta Jersey , which was arguably the weakest position group on the team in 2018, is now one of the strongest after the Lions signed premier free agent tight end Jesse James and drafted T.J. Hockenson eighth overall. The defensive line saw a big upgrade in the pass rushing department with the free agency signings of Trey Flowers and Mike Daniels. Even the backup quarterback spot got an upgrade with the acquisition of Tom Savage, who has started nine games over the last three seasons for the Houston Texans. In spite of all these upgrades, Thursday’s preseason game against the New England Patriots showed that the Lions still have a long way to go to matching up at some positions. Question of the day: Which position remains the Lions’ biggest need?My answer: Cornerback.I thought about answering with guard, given the sheer lack of talent, or wide receiver, given the nightmarish lack of depth (especially after Jermaine Kearse’s injury), or even backup quarterback given we haven’t seen anything out of Josh Johnson yet. Cornerback, however, seems to be the biggest problem. The Lions simply don’t have an answer at outside cornerback beyond Darius Slay. God forbid something happens to him, watching football games on Sundays will not be something I look forward to. Rashaan Melvin has a track record of streaky play and is coming off a down year Cheap Isaac Nauta Jersey , and we still haven’t seen enough of him to know how he’ll fit in the defensive scheme. I love Amani Oruwariye as much as the next guy, but I’m a firm believer cornerback is the second-highest positional learning curve in the NFL behind quarterback, and Oruwariye has confirmed that with his inconsistent play thus far in camp. Justin Coleman and Jamal Agnew have played well so far, but they’re much better in the slot, as evidenced by the worst-case scenario matchup of Jamal Agnew on N’Keal Harry we had to witness last week. At the end of the day, it really feels like it’s a one-man show at outside corner, and the Lions could certainly afford to help themselves by bringing in some more guys at the position.Your turn. Tweets from https://twitter.com/PrideOfDetroit/lists/lions-coverage