Wide receiver Kalif Raymond signed with the Chicago Bears this offseason, and not only did it sting to see him join a rival, but it meant the Detroit Lions needed a new punt returner. Raymond recorded at least 29 punt returns each of the past three seasons, so nobody else had seen significant reps there for Detroit.
The only other Lion to return a punt in 2025 was wide receiver Tom Kennedy (3), and he averaged a solid 16.7 yards. In 2024, Kennedy returned just one punt, while wide receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown (2) and Maurice Alexander (4) handled the other non-Raymond reps.
Alexander is now with the Bears, and St. Brown is simply too valuable to have as a consistent returner. So, who will be the guy in 2026? It might come down to the Lions' preseason game against the Washington Commanders at noon on Saturday in Detroit.
Lions' punt returner battle down to two wide receivers, running backs could handle kick returns
Although he has experience returning punts in the Honolulu blue, Kennedy doesn't have a smooth path to starting. The Lions signed wide receiver Greg Dortch to a one-year deal this offseason, and his name is firmly in the hat.
"You have the returner position with Kennedy and Dortch, and (Dominic) Lovett fitting into that a little bit, but really it's Kennedy and Dortch right now in my opinion," Lions special teams coordinator Dave Fipp said Wednesday.
Dortch has much more experience as a return man, recording 99 punt returns for 886 yards (8.9-yard average) over his career. Undrafted out of Wake Forest, Dortch has also been a serviceable receiver over his past few seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. Drew Petzing, the new offensive coordinator for the Lions, spent the past three seasons as the OC in Arizona.
Unfortunately for Dortch, his relationship with Petzing won't help him get on the field as a returner. Dortch is listed at 5-foot-7, and it could hurt him in the battle to start against Kennedy (5-foot-10).
"If you were asking me (about my) preference, I would say I like a bigger, stronger guy on kickoff return," Fipp said. "Most of that is just durability. I mean, those guys take some shots. I would say there's a little bit more contact with those guys. It's a little bit more like a run play than it is ball out in space. That's a little bit more like a punt return."
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With that logic, Kennedy will likely be returning kicks, and Dortch will be the new punt returner. Most of the time, there are two players back to receive a kickoff, however. Enter second-year running back Jacob Saylors, who returned 33 kickoffs as a rookie last season for 897 yards (27-yard average).
Saylors and Kennedy could be returning kicks in week one, but another running back might join the party later in the season.
"In that conversation, I know he's not out there right now, but does (Isaiah) Pacheco figure into that?" Fipp said of the possibility of Pacheco returning kicks. "Now maybe you could have Pacheco and whoever that other running back is back there, and you get two running back bodies, and you don't play the punt returner back there."
As a rookie with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2022, Pacheco returned 29 kickoffs for 597 yards, good for a 20.5-yard average. Before Pacheco gets healthy, the Lions could also put running back Sione Vaki or Lovett back to receive a kickoff. The starting returners could be decided in the upcoming game against the Commanders, and if not, Fipp will have one more regular season game to make his move.
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