Detroit Lions go through a drill with Wide Receivers Coach Antwaan Randle El
The Detroit Lions go through a drill led by wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El during practice at Allen Park on Sunday, August 11, 2024.
When it comes to the wide receiver position, performance is only part of the equation.
Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell said Monday that he and general manager Brad Holmes were still working to assemble the team’s initial 53-man roster by Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline.
And while Campbell declined to provide details on the positions and players at the center of their debate, he acknowledged that the Lions are looking for balance in assembling their receiver team.
“Ideally, you would like to have a little bit of everything,” Campbell said from the team’s training ground at Allen Park.
The Lions’ top three receivers are Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and Kalif Raymond, and undrafted rookie Isaiah Williams has emerged as a strong candidate for the backup spot with a productive preseason (team-highs of 11 catches and 123 yards).
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St. Brown, Raymond and Isaiah Williams are similar slot-first receivers who thrive in open space, and Jameson Williams poses a major offensive threat as one of the fastest players in the NFL.
Ideally, the fifth member of the Lions’ receiving corps would be a tall receiver who can reliably win in contested catch situations further down the field. The Lions have two candidates for that spot on their current roster: Donovan Peoples-Jones (6-2, 204) and Daurice Fountain (6-2, 210), although neither impressed in the preseason.
Peoples-Jones caught two passes for 31 yards in three test games, while Fountain recorded two catches for 15 yards.
“They’re big receivers, they’ve got length and for their size, they can run pretty well, so there’s that element of, can he play big boy ball outside?” Campbell said. “Red zone, that comes into play, and when you don’t have that, sometimes you feel — you really feel a little small. You feel like it would be nice to have the size. And you wish that came out a lot more, but that’s what both of those guys bring.”
Finding complementary players for the back rows of the receiver team is only part of the task.
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Campbell said he doesn’t feel the offense would falter without more receiver size. The Lions also have strong weapons at tight end and running back to rely on on offense, and offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is one of the most innovative thinkers in the game.
And the contributions of the special teams will also play a role. Neither Isaiah Williams, Peoples-Jones nor Fountain are considered core players in coverage.
“They’ve got speed, they’ve got quickness, they’ve got size. They’ve got skill,” Campbell said. “That’s what Brad and I have to weigh here: Is there enough — have we seen enough of these guys to feel like we can or need to use them sooner or later, or are they going to provide valuable depth or supporting cast? … It’s all going to play a role.”
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Contact Dave Birkett at [email protected]Follow him on X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
