Detroit Lions: Matthew Stafford has his most complete set of weapons

Wide Receivers

I’m not going to throw around any hyperbole about having the ‘best’ or ‘deepest’ set of receivers in comparison to other teams, but I will say this: I like what the Lions have. Golladay is the headliner of course, looking for his third consecutive 1,000 yard season and potentially his first Pro Bowl selection.

Marvin Jones Jr. is forever slept on, even by me, but has over 3,000 yards and 27 touchdown catches in his four years in Detroit. Danny Amendola surprised me a year ago with how much he still had left  and how well he worked with Stafford as a security blanket, posting up for short to mid-range catches regularly.

Moving down the list, the receivers feel a little more injury-proof than in years past as well. Marvin Hall doesn’t catch many balls, but sure had a knack for 40+ yard bombs a year ago. Geronimo Allison comes over from Green Bay to add depth as well.

Allison is unlikely to miraculously become a star after four nondescript years as a Packer, but he’s at least a seasoned pro with size and the ability to catch passes across the middle. Another result from the bizarre fifth round of draft selections from the Lions is Quintez Cephus, who according to Jeff Okudah, was the best receiver he faced while in college (for what it’s worth, he did say it before they became teammates).

The X Factor

Everything above is a long way of saying that unlike most years, where one injury or underperforming player can throw the entire offense out of whack (remember Kris Durham’s season as the number two receiver?), the Lions offensive attack feels too complete and too varied to suffer a similar fate this year*.

If this high-potential offense is going to really take off though, T.J. Hockenson remains a player who needs to play better in his second pro season. As I’ve said previously, even 700+ yards and five or six touchdowns from Hockenson would open up a lot of other avenues for the Lions offense to soar.

*The exception, of course, is Matthew Stafford.