Former Syracuse football offensive lineman Jamar McGloster has signed on with the Detroit Lions. Here’s why this is a perfect fit in the NFC North.
Former Syracuse football offensive tackle Jamar McGloster is on a new NFL team after signing on with the Detroit Lions. Previously he had signed on as a priority undrafted free agent with the San Francisco 49ers.
That relationship lasted a few months, but ultimately didn’t materialize into an opportunity. While certainly McGloster is a raw prospect, he also obviously has the tools (6-foot-7, over 300 pounds).
When you have 90 man rosters during the offseason and eventually 53 by the time everything is said and done, you can afford a project on the bench. McGloster is the perfect developmental right tackle for the Lions, with the hopes that one day he can take the position and be a full-time starter.
For jersey purchasing purposes, McGloster will be wearing No. 67 for the Lions this season.
While at Syracuse, McGloster wore No. 65 and also was the starting right tackle for the past two seasons. Now the Orange will have to try and replace that, fortunately they had a special rainy day fund just in case.
Enter Koda Martin.
A former SEC starting left tackle suddenly transferred to the Syracuse football program this offseason. It was an answer from the heavens for an Orange program that had lost a ton of production on both offense and defense since last season.
But only minimal loss on the offensive line according to Cuse.com:
"“First-year offensive line coach Mike Cavanaugh inherited five returning players with at least a season’s worth of starting experience. The Orange haven’t had that type of veteran presence up front since 1989 when the team brought back all five starters from a 1988 squad that went 10-2 and finished No. 13 in the AP poll. Add in Texas A&M graduate transfer Koda Martin and Syracuse’s boasts six players with at least a year’s worth of starts in either the ACC or SEC.”"
Martin has a special connection to the Orange for a variety of reasons including: his dad (Kirk Martin) is the new quarterbacks coach and Dino Babers is his father in law.
Quick side note, playing a guy early in the starting lineup with those connections early can send negative energy throughout the locker room. So Babers has to be careful, but apparently that’s not something he’s particularly worried about because he told Stephen Bailey of Syracuse.com that when you have a Michael Jordan type on your team, you’re going to play him:
"“If you and I are on a basketball team and Michael Jordan just moved into the neighborhood and now he’s going to be on the team, we’re not going to be fighting about it. He needs to know his role. You’re going to know real quick that he’s better than us. Our job is to get the ball to Michael Jordan.”"
While bringing this article full circle, here’s one more Detroit Lions fun fact to nibble on as we get closer to the regular season. DID YOU KNOW: the defensive coordinator for the blue and white is none other than Paul Pasqualoni the former Syracuse football head coach. I know McGloster doesn’t play defense, but hopefully his Syracuse bloodlines can help him get over the top and make this team.