Glover Quin feels he ‘passed the torch’ to Quandre Diggs

The Lions may already have their Glover Quin replacement, and it isn’t Tracy walker.

Last week, the big story from Glover Quin’s camp was him revealing to the Lions fan podcast “The Pride Podcast” that he asked to be released from his Detroit Lions contract before the 2018 season. It was a significant confession, but not all that surprising considering that Quin—and everyone else—saw the writing on the wall, especially after Tracy Walker was drafted.

However, later in the podcast, I thought Quin revealed another thing worth noting. When asked if he passed the proverbial torch to rookie Tracy Walker, Quin said he actually had another player in mind.

“I kind of feel like (Walker) is having an opportunity to take over the other spot, but I kind of feel like I passed the torch to Quandre,” Quin said. “Quandre was kind of my little—he was kind of like my little brother. I used to tell Quandre all the time, ‘Quandre, you’re going to be me when I leave.’”

2018 was a first Tracy Walker, but it was also a first for Quandre Diggs. The Lions essentially transitioned him to the safety position, where it is believed he’ll stay for the foreseeable future. And according to Quin, he expects Diggs, not Walker, to essentially be his replacement on the field next season.

Quin noted how similar their paths were in the NFL. Both started out as cornerbacks, moved to the nickel position, then transferred to safety. Quin and Diggs started out their careers modestly—both started out their careers with no interceptions, but quickly turned that around. Quin jumped to three interceptions in his second year, Diggs had three in his both his third and fourth seasons.

But what really jumps out to Quin was their similarity in football traits. All of the things that have made Quin so good—his football IQ, his ability to read quarterbacks, and his fearlessness in getting his nose dirty—all apply to Diggs.

“He’s smart, instinctive, ball skills, can tackle,” Quin said.

As for Walker, Quin sees plenty of promise.

“He has a lot of potential,” Quin said. “He was very, very willing to learn. He was very willing to work. He wanted to get as much information and knowledge as he could. Asked a ton of question and he wasn’t afraid to ask questions, and that’s a great sign, especially for a young guy.”

Overall, Quin feels good with where the Lions are at, even with his departure.

“I kind of feel like Quandre is going to be real key contributor in the secondary. Like I said, Tracy is going to be good. Two good, young safeties.”

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