5 cheap free agent wide receivers Detroit Lions could replace Josh Reynolds with

2. Jamal Agnew

Agnew is another former Lion (2017-2020), and he holds the distinction of being the last Lion to return a kickoff for a touchdown. And that's where he might fit perfectly now. The league has reshaped the kickoff for the 2024 season, at least, and the Lions are fully embracing the idea of the kickoff return coming back into the NFL game.

Agnew earned a Pro Bowl selection as return man with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2022, and last season he had the eighth-most kickoff return yards in the league (391; 26.1 yards per return).

Agnew is more of a gadget-piece than a pure wide receiver, so his value (now naturally increased with the new kickoff format) rests on his return game prowess. His did suffer a fractured lower leg in Week 17 last season, which any interested team will check out, but the Lions could have some real interest here now.

1. Michael Gallup

The Dallas Cowboys allowed Gallup to pursue a trade before ultimately just cutting him. Reported visits with the Baltimore Ravens and Carolina Panthers have not yielded a deal, so the idea the Lions could pursue him as a replacement for Reynolds when/if the latter was gone still stands.

A torn ACL late in the 2021 season, as he was approaching free agency, was a negative turning point for Gallup. The Cowboys brought him back on a noticeable contract (five years, $57.5 million) despite the injury recovery, then proceeded to try to replace him as their WR2. Last season, he set career-lows in every notable category.

In a deeper look at Gallup as a free agent fit for another team, ESPN's Bill Barnwell (subscription required) dispelled the idea he has lost a step after his ACL tear.

"It's easy to look at the decline in Gallup's yards per catch and assume he has slowed down since the injury, but NFL Next Gen Stats tracking data suggests there has only been a slight decline. In 2021, his last season before the injury, his median speed on routes was 14.3 miles per hour....
"This past season, post-injury, Gallup's median speed was close to identical at 14.1 mph, and he topped 20 mph three times on 373 routes. That's a small step backward -- and it might not tell the whole story of what Gallup's speed and quickness looks like after suffering a traumatic knee injury -- but it also hints his speed hasn't fallen off quite as significantly as it seemed."

Gallup is not in a position to demand much of anything in a new contract, and it's pretty clear his market has not bloomed like he/his agent thought it might. That means there's a possible buying opportunity here for the Lions, if they want it.