Wide receiver seems like an even bigger need for the Lions after OTAs and mandatory minicamp
The Detroit Lions neglected to get a wide receiver this offseason. The big reason why the Lions didn't make that move is becasue Lions GM Brad Holmes felt confident in what the team had ahead of OTAs and minicamp. Right off the bat you could see that maybe some of that confidence was coming true […]
The Detroit Lions neglected to get a wide receiver this offseason. The big reason why the Lions didn't make that move is becasue Lions GM Brad Holmes felt confident in what the team had ahead of OTAs and minicamp.
Right off the bat you could see that maybe some of that confidence was coming true with Jameson Williams showing up big this spring. Lions' head coach Dan Campbell called him a man on a mission and the most improved player out there. You could see that. He's likely well on his way to being a big part of this team.
The problem is that you didn't really see that from the rest of the guys. There was this big separation from "man on a mission and most improved" to "let's see what happens in camp."
Not every player is going to draw rave reviews and they shouldn't. But you'd at least hope to see and hear positive things about players and when it comes to Donovan Peoples-Jones, who's supposed to be the third receiver on this team, you never really heard anything.
Campbell did mention him in a presser during minicamp, but it was nothing too exciting and it felt a little defensive of the idea that they brought him back.
“I think he’s another guy that’s coming in here to help us compete." Campbell said "There again, it’s hard to say. This thing will shake out when we get to camp. There’s a reason why we signed him back. We like DPJ, he’s a different body type, he’s a pretty smart guy. He brings something a little bit different to the table. He has got to play big boy ball. His separation is his size and his length, and he’s got to battle some. We’ll see how this goes in training camp. If we didn’t like him, he wouldn’t be here.”
Everyone has to compete in camp. That is a given. But when it comes to guys that are supposed to play big roles, the last thing you want to hear about them is "this thing will shake out when we get to camp." That's just not going to sell anyone on the idea that he's going to take on a big role with success.
The same was said with Antione Green. Though it's a little more understandable with Green since he was a seventh round draft pick last year. Of course he's going to take more time and have to compete at training camp.
The Lions lost their number two receiver in Josh Reynolds to the Broncos this offseason. Their entire receiver corps is now just Amon-Ra St. Brown and bunch of hopes. Jameson Williams had a big spring, but he needs to have a big summer and then a big fall and winter too. We don't know what he's actually going to look like in this role.
Then there's a supplemental receiver in Kalif Raymond, a maybe in Donovan Peoples-Jones and an even bigger maybe in Antoine Green.
This is not the time for maybes. The Lions are hoping to win the Super Bowl this season. They need receivers to help make that happen. The good news is that this could still happen. Lions' GM Brad Holmes has said that the Lions could look to bring in a receiver before or during training camp. Let's see if they do that.
5 nearly unknown Lions players that have a chance to sneak on to the 53-man roster this year
There's a bit of sadness to the reason we're writing this today, but it is what it is. The Detroit Lions waived cornerback Craig James on Tuesday and the reaction from part of the Lions fan base was that they just didn't know who he was. It's understandable because James never played a game for […]
