Stafford: May be harder to defend Lions without Calvin Johnson

Calvin Johnson's retirement left the Detroit Lions scrambling to replace a wideout who'd been among the league's elite playmakers for the better part of the last nine years.

But perhaps the necessary shift toward a new offensive approach may actually end up working in the team's favor.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford has suggested that, in a way, the lack of a clear No. 1 target can make the Lions more difficult to game plan against.

"I think we're going to do it a little bit differently than we have in the past," Stafford said Tuesday on SiriusXM NFL Radio, according to Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. "Obviously we used to feature Calvin and everybody kinda got there's after that.

"It's gonna, I think, be tougher for defenses in a certain way that they don't know who we're going to. There's no guy to key in on. We're probably just going to spread the ball around a bunch, a bunch of guys are gonna get a ton of catches and we're gonna be alright."

As much as Stafford and the Lions will miss a potential Hall of Fame target on the outside, there's likely some reason for optimism as they look ahead.

Upgrading the receiving corps has been a clear focus for Detroit throughout the offseason. The free-agent additions of Marvin Jones, Jeremy Kerley, and Andre Roberts provide plenty of depth and competition alongside Golden Tate, and the Lions also reportedly met with unsigned veteran Anquan Boldin last week.

If Stafford can continue to thrive at the helm of Jim Bob Cooter's system, the offense could be poised for a surprisingly smooth transition.

A strong second half following Cooter's promotion to offensive coordinator saw Stafford put together his most productive season since 2011. He finished the 2015 campaign completing 67.2 percent of his passes for 4,262 yards, 32 touchdowns, and just 13 interceptions, leading the way to a 6-2 record down the stretch.