During the 2025 season, no young player on the Detroit Lions made as much of an immediate impact as wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa. From the first game on, TeSlaa made his mark with highlight reel catches.
Even though TeSlaa burst on the scene, there was still a notion that he didn't enjoy as good of a season as he could have. In spite of six touchdowns and 239 yards, TeSlaa didn't figure in with Detroit's offensive plan nearly enough last season.
After all his learning, this offseason, TeSlaa is looking better than ever within the Lions offense. He has turned heads during camp with his consistency, and is quickly becoming one of the players the coaching staff is most excited about.
Dan Campbell was asked about TeSlaa heading into this season, and it's clear he is excited for the future while acknowledging the fact that the wideout could have been even more involved last year as a rookie.
"We wanted to get him more involved...when you step back and look, there's so much more meat on the bone. I wish we could have gotten (Isaac)TeSlaa more touches than he did. His growth took off (and) he got a little bit better every week. We had a lot of trust that he could do a lot of jobs. He's steady, he's consistent for a young guy, doesn't get frazzled. What he's done out here in the spring, there's been nothing flashy about it and that's a good thing. Very consistent. Where we expected him to be in Year 2, he is exactly where we've wanted him. He's exactly like a veteran right now."
It felt as if the Lions needed to get more out of TeSlaa most of last season, but it's clear they were allowing him to grow at his own pace with the team and learn the league at his own speed. That fact could serve him well this season, and could help elongate his career. There was no reason to rush what TeSlaa can do in Detroit.
Now, it seems that the Lions patience could soon pay off. TeSlaa is operating with even more confidence than he has in the past and opening plenty of eyes. That will benefit an offense in need of more big plays in the passing game.
Drew Petzing looks forward to fitting TeSlaa in with his new offense
The coach who will be in charge of figuring out how best to use TeSlaa is Petzing, and it's clear he is very excited to see what he can do within Detroit's offense. Moving forward, TeSlaa's biggest goal will be to find consistency and a role in the Lions' wide receiver room.
As Petzing explained, he expects more fantastic plays from TeSlaa this coming season on the highlight reel, and also believes he will carve out a role with the Lions that allows him to have a fantastic season in 2026.
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"I think (in) the best scenario, those highlight plays are going to show up. I think the consistency that he pushes for every day of getting in and out of his breaks, using his body and his size to his advantage, because it's certainly one of the things that separates him from a number of players in this league. Just carve out any role you can. I think that's everybody's job is figure out what you do well, do it at a really high level and then it's our job as coaches to make sure you're put in that position to go help us win."
Most of last season, TeSlaa was learning the league as well as what he could do. With a clearer idea on all of those fronts, 2026 could be a year to remember for the wide receiver. It's obvious he is already making a major impact on the decision makers.
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