Detroit Lions' wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa has already been making a name for himself with his leaping circus catches throughout his rookie season. Now, he has an opening to leap into the Lions' WR3 spot.
On Tuesday, WR and All-Pro return man Kalif Raymond agreed to a one-year, $5.1 million deal with the Chicago Bears, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo.
A relatively cheap one-year deal with a division rival stings. Raymond's been a fixture with the Lions since the start of the Dan Campbell era in 2021, as one of general manager Brad Holmes' first free agent signings with the team. The Lions could've still matched the Bears' offer, right?
However, doing so would've maintained a logjam at the WR position behind Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams. That would greatly limit the opportunities for TeSlaa at WR or for guys like Tom Kennedy or Jackson Meeks in the return game.
For TeSlaa, he made the most of his opportunities during his rookie year. He was only targeted 27 times, catching 16 of those passes for 239 yards. Many of those catches were highlight reel catches that caught the attention of football fans everywhere. On top of that, his six touchdown catches were tied for second among rookies.
Despite limited opportunities, it was still a solid rookie season for the third-round WR. Yet, the Lions need to ask for even more out of him in 2026.
TeSlaa's time is now to prove Brad Holmes right
By letting Raymond walk, the Lions have opened the door for TeSlaa to seize the WR3 role and possibly even compete with Williams for WR2. Both Holmes and Campbell will be watching closely, as the Lions gave up three third-round draft picks to move up in the draft to take him.
With a shaky past two drafts, Holmes is searching for a big win. Second-rounder Tate Ratledge staying at guard after the Cade Mays signing absolutely helps, but the TeSlaa selection was the subject of much ire, given how little he was utilized considering his draft cost. TeSlaa panning out would help Holmes regain some lost confidence among anxious fans.
READ MORE: Amon-Ra St. Brown had a sad reaction to Kalif Raymond's free agency departure
Campbell has already sung TeSlaa's praises this offseason, during the NFL Combine, saying, "There’s nothing that would tell me he won’t take a step in camp this year."
The expectations are set for TeSlaa to "take a step" at training camp heading into the WR3 battle. Given everything we've seen out of him so far, he'll take more than just a step. He'll take a leap.