The Detroit Lions have added veteran wide receiver Jermaine Kearse to their roster. His presence should help their offensive transition.
The Detroit Lions needed more talent within their wide receiver corps. Especially considering their top two wideouts, Marvin Jones and Kenny Golladay, have been sidelined due to injuries this offseason. While both are expected to be ready for training camp this summer, the Lions are in the midst of trying to install a new offense.
Enter in former New York Jets wide receiver Jermaine Kearse, who according to the team’s official website, has signed an undisclosed contract to join the Lions on Thursday. Kearse was originally an undrafted rookie out of Washington in 2012 and landed with the Seattle Seahawks. His offensive coordinator at the time was Darrell Bevell, who currently holds that same position in Motown.
Undoubtedly Kearse’s presence in the Motor City has a lot to do with the fact the 29-year old receiver spent five seasons in Bevell’s offensive system and the two help bring a Super Bowl championship to the Emerald City in 2013.
After starting his career in Seattle, Kearse was traded under Bevell’s watch (along with a future second-round selection) to the New York Jets in September of 2017. The Seahawks received defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson in exchange. The Jets packaged Seattle’s draft pick along with others to trade up in the 2018 NFL Draft to nab USC quarterback Sam Darnold third overall.
As for Kearse, he would post the best season of his seven-year career with the Jets in 2017. The veteran wideout would record 65 receptions for 810 yards and five scores. Yet, New York would finish the season a disappointing 5-11.
Last season, the Jets wouldn’t fare much better with a rookie quarterback under center, posting a worse 4-12 record. And Kearse found himself slipping down the depth chart despite having had a breakout performance the year before. He’d post a total of 37 catches for 371 yards and a single score in 2018.
Having played mostly out of the slot last season, the 6-foot-1, 209 pound Kearse should be able to be a versatile piece for the Detroit Lions, adding some much-needed depth to a thin positional group. And the fact the veteran knows the offensive scheme already should fast track himself as well as others around him in implementing the new system.