Some may say the Lions need to add a veteran wide receiver, but Brad Holmes may have dismissed the idea on Thursday.
Heading into the draft, there was some buzz about the Detroit Lions taking a wide receiver early. Josh Reynolds’ departure in free agency grew to be inevitable, and he’s leaving behind 64 targets (fourth on the team) from last season.
Of course, the Lions did not come out of the draft with a wide receiver. A couple undrafted rookies that were signed are interesting, and since the draft some receivers who could have been on the radar as a veteran addition have signed elsewhere. As is obvious, in May now, the pickings are slim to add anyone at any position.
In general, teams always have possible roster additions on their radar. Pro Football Focus’ idea the Lions could stand to add pass-catching depth is not a fresh one, and it will probably linger. The only wide addition for the Lions this offseason has been Tre’Quan Smith, who played in one game for the Denver Broncos last season.
Brad Holmes expresses confidence in Lions’ wide receiver depth as it is
The headline topic from general manager Brad Holmes’ appearance on 97.1 The Ticket Thursday morning was what he said about getting Jared Goff signed to a contract extension.
Holmes was asked about the Lions’ wide receiver depth. Via Justin Rogers of the Detroit News, Holmes highlighted the ongoing development of Jameson Williams, Antoine Green and Donovan Peoples-Jones.
“He (Peoples-Jones) was a big-time, core player for the Cleveland Browns before we traded for him,” Holmes said. “We traded for him, and, you know, the guy comes in late and he doesn’t really know the offense. So, you haven’t really seen Peoples-Jones. And we all get into the recency bias of, well, what’s Peoples-Jones going to do? No, Peoples-Jones can play. He does provide an element of being able to play on the outside and being a contested-catch guy and being able to do multiple things.”
Peoples-Jones played a lot of snaps for the Browns before the Lions acquired him last season, but his production was lackluster. Then he had to learn a new offense and new teammates in the middle of a season. On the idea he has a lot more to offer, and he’s not far removed from a 2022 season where he had 61 catches for 839 yards, the Lions brought him back on a one-year deal this offseason.
Green was an interesting final draft pick flier for the Lions in 2023. He didn’t play a lot as a rookie, with 106 offensive snaps over nine regular season games (33 in one game) and one catch for two yards. There is an opportunity in front of him this year, and Holmes noted it.
“We’re really excited about Antoine Green… he has size, he has speed, he’s another guy that kept getting better and better.”
Of course the Lions’ receiver with the biggest opportunity to breakout, and the highest expectations, is Williams. Via Rogers, Holmes echoed Dan Campbell’s previous comments.
“We have high hopes for him and we like where he’s at, at this point,” Holmes said. “We know he’s going to continue to get better.”
Holmes sounds confident and content with where the Lions’ wide receiver depth chart is. It doesn’t seem like an addition is really on the radar, at least for now and barring an unforeseen circumstance. Which probably means a signing is coming.
