Detroit Lions: Offensive X-Factors for each position group

Wide Receivers

Detroit’s receivers are already thought to be the deepest and most proven unit on the team. Going at least six players deep and possibly more, Matthew Stafford was a full stock of playmakers at his disposal.  The trio of Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones Jr., and Danny Amendola should scare most secondaries, with Geronimo Allison, Marvin Hall, and rookie Quintez Cephus poised to step into complementary roles.

X-Factor: Kenny Golladay

The difference between the Lions receiving corps being ‘very good’ or ‘great’ in 2020 comes down to whether Kenny Golladay is ‘very good’ or more than that. Will he ascend to that final level of NFL superstar this year?

Tight Ends

At this spot, there’s a youngster expected to develop into a star, and a veteran looking to climb out of what was easily the least productive season of his career. However, another step behind TJ Hockenson and Jesse James is where a notoriously weak unit the past few years will see what it’s made of.

X-Factor: Hunter Bryant

An undrafted free agent as the X-Factor?  Hear me out… the Lions need a big year from TJ Hockenson, there’s no way around it. However, for the unit as a whole, this particular undrafted free agent pickup could pay off big.

Thought by many to be a second or third round talent, and ranked as Pro Football Focus’s top tight end, Bryant somehow slipped out of the draft entirely. Knee injuries earlier in his career were thought of as an explanation for his slide, but it was still a major head-scratcher for most experts that he went undrafted completely.

If Bryant plays his way onto the team, the 6-2, 250 pound receiver hybrid could be a matchup problem who comes in with a chip on his shoulder and can make up for the free agency whiff on Jesse James.