Detroit Lions broad receivers coaching camp preview

The Detroit Lions’ passing assault was one of the prolific within the league final season.

Led by first-team All-Professional choice Amon-Ra St. Brown, the Lions had been capable of carry out at an elite degree by way of the air. St. Brown surpassed 1,500 receiving yards and scored 10 touchdowns final season, fueling the passing assault.

Elsewhere inside the room, although, there are questions. The 2024 season ought to supply loads of readability on what the Lions have in Jameson Williams, who’s coming into his third NFL season. Detroit will even want to seek out an possibility to interchange the manufacturing Josh Reynolds supplied during the last three seasons.

Here’s a preview of the place the Lions stand on the broad receiver place heading into the 2024 season.

Purpose for hope

Hope for the Lions’ receivers begins and ends with the presence of St. Brown, who has rapidly risen to the extent of the league’s finest in three NFL seasons. He was rewarded with a hefty new extension that agency asserts him as a part of the staff’s core.

St. Brown’s relentless mindset and tireless work ethic make it powerful to see him regressing an excessive amount of, and so long as he stays wholesome he can be a distinguished consider Detroit’s offense.

Williams confirmed loads of potential final yr and has the prospect to step into an even bigger function in 2024. If he could make strides, the Lions’ offense turns into all of the extra harmful.

Purpose for fear

With Josh Reynolds off to Denver, the Lions are shedding a giant secondary goal for Jared Goff. Reynolds had good chemistry with the quarterback relationship again to their days along with the Rams, so changing him can be a tough job.

Whereas Williams has arguably essentially the most thrilling potential of any participant on the roster, he has simply 25 catches in 18 common season video games. He’ll want an uptick in manufacturing to fufill his first-round standing from two years in the past.

If Williams pans out, the Lions nonetheless face questions on their third receiver. There can be a battle for that spot, for which there are a number of candidates. Confirmed manufacturing is missing all through the Lions’ receiver depth chart, so the Lions might want to use coaching camp to guage the most effective choices.

Coaching camp battle

Assuming Williams slides in because the second wideout behind St. Brown, there is no such thing as a clear reply as to who the third pass-catcher can be. Kalif Raymond has the almost definitely case, as he has proven the flexibility to play each spot regardless of being undersized for the place.

Two different choices that would discover vital enjoying time are Donovan Peoples-Jones and Antoine Inexperienced. Peoples-Jones wasn’t capable of make a big impression after being acquired in a deadline commerce, however has good dimension.

Inexperienced, in the meantime, flashed velocity and big-play capability through the preseason as a rookie final yr, however had only one catch within the common season. He is probably not prepared for a giant workload immediately, however he has the abilities essential to contribute.

This battle will even get extra intriguing if underrated gamers equivalent to Daurice Fountain and Kaden Davis construct on sturdy performances in minicamp and OTAs.

Participant to look at

Williams flashed tantalizing potential throughout his alternatives in 2023. Billed as a speedster with the flexibility to show a brief move right into a landing, the Alabama product has confronted roadblocks in every of his first two seasons.

Now, with an offseason freed from accidents and setbacks, he is positioned to get a full, uninhibited look. He is spent two seasons in Johnson’s system and understands the staff’s ideas, so he has the prospect to burst onto the scene in 2024.

Displaying consistency and avoiding drops can be two large keys for Williams in 2024. There’s a path to a giant function inside the offense for him, and now could be the time for him to interrupt out and shine.