4 Detroit Lions players who could lose their job to a rookie

4. WR Josh Reynolds

Reynolds made a bit of a difference when he was brought in off waivers by the Lions in 2021, averaging 16.1 yards a catch in seven games. Last year wasn't quite as good, as he averaged 12.6 yards a catch in 14 games.

The Lions brought Marvin Jones back in free agency, and when Jameson Williams is back from his six-game suspension he'll be given every chance to step into a prominent role. While Reynolds' role and target share is vulnerable to/dependent on what Jones does and Williams hitting the ground running when he can play some vulnerability could be seen right now outside of those two players.

Rookie seventh-round pick Antoine Green has been tabbed as a late-round rookie who could make an immediate impact, noting Williams' suspension however obviously, and he wants to be more than simply a downfield threat.

"I wanna be able to do it all. Our offense at UNC, I was a vertical threat for that offense, mainly,” Green said. “I just wanna show that I can do everything else outside of running that deep ball."

Reynolds' history and chemistry with Jared Goff has to be noted, still. But that will not promise him anything, and as the Lions WR3/WR4 Green is a real threat to take that role away. Training camp and preseason games, when Green should get plenty of run, could tip the scales toward an enticing rookie over a middling veteran.