Detroit Lions: Receiver Chris Lacy primed for bigger role

With the injury suffered by wide receiver Jermaine Kearse, it appears the Detroit Lions have earmarked Chris Lacy to have a much bigger role.

The Detroit Lions suffered some major injuries during their first preseason game last week. It resulted in two players being placed on the Injured Reserve list, wide receiver Jermaine Kearse and defensive tackle Darius Kilgo.

Kearse spent his first five seasons as a member of the Seattle Seahawks under offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell. The two helped the Seahawks win their first Super Bowl championship in 2013. So when Bevell was hired this offseason to become the offensive coordinator in Detroit, a reunion with the free-agent wide receiver made sense.

Unfortunately, Kearse suffered a broken leg in his preseason debut against the New England Patriots last week, leaving a void at his position. And it appears a former Pat has now been earmarked to become his successor on the Lions’ wide receiver depth chart.

Here’s one of Dave Birkett’s observations from Lions’ training camp that he wrote about late Saturday night via the Detroit Free Press.

"” … Chris Lacy got first-team reps as the Lions’ third receiver alongside Kenny Golladay and Danny Amendola. Lacy did have one drop on a ball that was a little high, but I think he has the inside track at one of those final two receiver spots for now (along with, probably, rookie sixth-round pick Travis Fulgham) because of his size and strong camp.”"

During his final two seasons at Oklahoma State, Lacy recorded a total of 51 receptions for 756 yards and three touchdowns. Undrafted in 2018, he initially landed in New England. But that stint lasted a mere seven days before he was released.

The Lions would claim the 6-foot-3, 205-pound Lacy off waivers in May of 2018. And in the preseason, he’d post three catches for 17 yards and a score in four games. Lacy would spend most of his rookie year on Detroit’s practice squad before being promoted to the active roster late in December.

In June, ESPN’s Michael Rothstein named Chris Lacy as his biggest offseason surprise due to his unique size and speed combination. Against the Patriots last week, he was targeted just once, completing the catch for 10 yards. But with Kearse now on IR, Lacy seems to be primed for a much bigger role on Detroit’s offense as a primary backup to starters Marvin Jones, Kenny Golladay, and Danny Amendola.