Dan Campbell says the Lions are ready to get Isaac TeSlaa involved — now he has to make it count
TeSlaa spent 52 offensive snaps doing mostly dirty work in Week 1. Campbell says Detroit wants to reward him with more chances in the passing game, but another Lions receiver is already making a case for a larger role.
The Detroit Lions walked out of their Week 1 win against the New Orleans Saints with a lot to feel good about on offense, but one thing stuck out to just about everyone watching: wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa was completely missing from the pass game. He played 52 snaps, got targeted exactly one time, and spent most of his afternoon blocking. A lot of blocking. Whether he was blocking all that well is another question, but the volume was there.
So what’s going on with TeSlaa? Can Lions fans expect to actually see him contribute as a pass-catcher? That was one of the things Detroit coach Dan Campbell addressed Tuesday morning in his interview with 97.1 The Ticket. Campbell said Lions fans should expect the team to pay more attention to TeSlaa and get him some targets.
“Yeah, we’d like to get him going a little bit, you know. We’d like to get him a couple more opportunities here, especially— man, he did so much dirty work the other day, like 50 plays. He’s blocking his rear off the whole game. He didn’t ever complain or bitch about anything. He doesn’t. And so he’s earned that right to get a couple of throws here. And so yeah, we— he’s on our mind. We’d like to have him part of this thing in the pass game. So, yeah, we see him. We, we get it.”
Why this matters for TeSlaa right now
For TeSlaa, this is big. He needs to be more involved because Tay Martin is nipping at his heels. Believe me, Martin is coming. TeSlaa needs to go out there and have a big game, a big performance, get some catches, and make some things happen. If he doesn’t, there’s a chance he could be passed by.
The blocking also has to get better. TeSlaa walked out of that Saints game with a pretty rough blocking grade. Pro Football Focus gave him a 51.7 blocking grade on 20 run blocks. It’s not horrible. It’s not the worst thing you’ve ever seen in your life. But it’s not the best, either.
Martin is doing the dirty work
Martin, on the other hand, showed some really good blocking ability this summer and was an absolute dynamo on special teams on Sunday. That’s the kind of dirty work Campbell is talking about when he says a player earns more opportunities. Martin is doing all the right things to put himself in position to climb.
So if the Lions are planning to get TeSlaa more involved on Thursday, he’s got to take advantage of those opportunities. This could be a big game for him, assuming Detroit follows through on getting him more targets right away.
As it looks right now, the Lions want TeSlaa to be a bigger part of the offense. The question is whether he can hold off the competition long enough to make it stick.
