3 free agent wide receivers the Detroit Lions could look to add

3. WR Andre Roberts

If the Lions want to add someone with experience returning kicks/on special teams, Roberts could be on the radar. Yes, he's 35 years old and coming off missing most of last season with the Carolina Panthers. But in 2021 (split between two teams) he was still one of the better kickoff returners in the league, leading the NFL in raw kickoff return yards while averaging 27.3 yards per run back.

The Lions are (most likely) not looking to add a receiver who will come in and be expected to command a huge share of targets in their offense. But veteran leadership and accepting a role might as well have Roberts' picture next to them in the football dictionary, so he could be a fit.

2. James Washington

Washington was recently released by the New Orleans Saints. He spent much of last season on IR with the Dallas Cowboys, before finishing the season on the New York Giants practice squad.

Washington was a second-round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers out of Oklahoma State in 2018. While he never lived up to that draft status, he did catch eight touchdowns over the 2019 and 2020 seasons and finished top-10 in the NFL in yards per catch (16.7) during the 2019 campaign.

In theory, the 27-year old Washington still has the latent skills he flashed in Pittsburgh before being phased out. As long as he's healthy, and the Saints did not let him go with an injury designation, the Lions should have him on their list of options to look at. Campbell still knows some coaches on the staff in New Orleans who could give him insight.