Just ahead of the 2019 free agency period, the Detroit Lions filled one of their needs by signing former Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots slot receiver Danny Amendola.
It’s not an overly splashy move to kick off the offseason, but the Lions needed a reliable slot receiver and Amendola fits the bill. Lions Wire reached out to Pro Football Focus’ Brett Whitefield for some perspective on Amendola’s consistency.
“Over the past three seasons,” Whitefield said, “Danny Amendola has produced an offense grade of 72.2 while lined up in the slot. Over the same stretch, he ranks 12th out of 59 qualifiers in 1st downs or touchdowns from the slot with 69 total (min 85 slot targets).”
Former Lions quarterback turned ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky tweeted a video after the Amendola signing, stating, “I really like the news” and “one of the best routes Amendola runs is this crossing route. One of the best routes Matthew Stafford throw is this crossing route. So, I love that combination, that marriage of receiver and quarterback.”
Amendola will most likely see the field in three-receiver sets and should help stabilize the receiving corps for now but at 33-years old the Lions will need to have a plan in place for the future and to guard against injury.
Outside of Stafford, the player on the roster most likely to benefit from the Amendola signing is Brandon Powell, who showed a glimpse of his potential last year in Week 17. Amendola should be able to further Powell’s career as a slot receiver by mentoring him throughout the season.
This move will also likely take the Lions out of the receiver market in free agency and allow them to spend money elsewhere on the roster. This does not mean the Lions are done adding to the position as this move should not preclude the Lions for adding a player through the draft. However, it does allow the team to have patience when looking for value and not forcing them to target or reach early for a receiver.
So while this signing won’t move the needle for a lot of Lions’ fans, Amendola brings veteran leadership to the slot, reliable hands/routes and gives the team options to find the best value when adding to the position for the future.
