Detroit Lions: 53-man roster projection prior to preseason finale
Wide Receivers
In: (6) Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones, Danny Amendola, Chris Lacy, Travis Fulgham, Brandon Powell
Out: Andy Jones, Jordan Lasley, Jonathan Duhart, Tommylee Lewis, Tom Kennedy
IR: Jermaine Kearse
Rationale: The top three are set, and their performance will be a major factor in determining the Lions’ fortunes this year. After that trio is a a large group of pass catchers with varying levels of experience, none of whom have done much to separate themselves.
The Lions want nothing more than to avoid the hardships endured late last year when an injury to Marvin Jones and a trade of star receiver Golden Tate to the Philadelphia Eagles left this unit depleted. Injuries are inevitable, and the fourth member of this group must be able to provide some stability and production should one of the starters be sidelined.
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Andy Jones has simply missed to much time this summer, as has Lewis. Powell makes it thanks to his return skills, and his ability to back up Amendola in the slot. Lewis has a similar profile to Powell, but a training camp injury set him too far back, with not enough time to catch up this close to the start of the regular season.
Lacy has made some noise in practice, but has yet to make any splashy plays in the preseason. Still, he has great size and athleticism, and can contribute on special teams, essentially a prerequisite for depth receivers. He gets the nod.
Fulgham has also shown some flashes, and Quinn abhors cutting rookie draft picks. There’s no doubt that he has a ways to go, and likely won’t play much this season, but he clearly offers the most upside out of the remaining choices, so he sticks around.
With an army of players scheduled to be out of work on Saturday, this is a position that the Lions could sift through this weekend in case they aren’t satisfied with what they have on the back end. Also, in the unlikely event that they decide to keep more than six receivers, it would likely mean shorting the next position in this analysis.