The list of needs for the Detroit Lions this offseason is pretty straightforward. Sorting the needs and ranking them is a little more difficult.
Recently, Andy Benoit of Sports Illustrated took a crack at ranking every team’s top need. Benoit settled upon wide receiver as the top need for the Lions, which caused immediate consternation.
But I’m here to tell you, Benoit is a lot more right than he is wrong in asserting the dire need at wide receiver for the Lions.
It’s pretty simple, really: If you want Matthew Stafford to play better, get him better weapons. You know, guys how can actually get open expediently and catch the ball reliably.
Kenny Golladay does one of those very well. He’s got one of the best set of hands in the game. He needs them, however, because he’s seldom more than an arm’s length away from the man covering him. That’s the kind of receiver Golladay is, and he’s very good at being that guy. But the Lions and Stafford need something more, something different too.
Marvin Jones, when he was healthy, could get some separation down the field and has proven hands. Now he’ll be a 29-year-old coming off a knee injury. He’s still a worthy starter, but the upside is flat.
The rest of the receiving corps?
T.J. Jones and Bruce Ellington are unrestricted free agents. If you consider Ziggy Ansah off the roster already — and you should — you must presume that neither returns to Detroit, whether you want them to or not. They’re no longer on the Lions roster.
Brandon Powell flashed in the finale against a Packers defense playing backups and practice squad refugees. The rest of his rookie season, Powell was invisible. That’s why the 5-8 “speed” receiver who clocked a 4.59 40-yard dash was undrafted…
Andy Jones caught 6 of his 11 career receptions in the same finale where Powell shined. He has all the athletic ability anyone could ask for but remains a raw route runner with iffy hands and a poor sense of blocking. The Lions are his third team in 18 months for a reason.
Chris Lacy has yet to catch a pass in the NFL. He’s been active for one game. Lacy is worth keeping around to see what he can become, but he should be on the practice squad or a weekly inactive until he proves otherwise.
That’s it. That is your current Detroit Lions receiving corps. That’s a bottom-5 overall group even if Jones (fingers crossed) reverts to his old self. Given the tight ends are also bottom 5 (and also a major need), that’s not the way to a balanced offense. This team will not be able to throw the ball reliably unless the weaponry gets significant new additions.
Good luck with that, Mr. Stafford!
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