The Detroit Lions did not draft a wide receiver this year, despite the broad perception there was a void to fill after the departure of Josh Reynolds. The two undrafted rookie receivers (Isaiah Williams and Jalon Calhoun) they have agreed to terms with may be able to come in and win a roster spot, but it's a coin-flip proposition that either will do so.
So it's easy to point toward the need to sign a veteran receiver, and it feels very possible if a fit can be found.
There has been an idea out there over the course of free agency that Odell Beckham Jr. is a fit for the Lions. But that idea leaves aside, or outright forgets, that Beckham Jr. would need a personality transplant to be a good culture fit in Detroit. The Lions value their culture and how players fit into it as much as, if not more than, a player's talent.
Beckham did seem to embrace a less-significant role last year with the Ravens, and he was somewhat effective at times (a career-best 16.1 yards per catch, a top-35 overall grade from Pro Football Focus).
But let's move the conversation to free agent wide receivers who make better sense for the Lions than Beckham.
5 free agent wide receivers who actually make sense for the Detroit Lions
5. Allen Robinson
Approaching 31 years old (Aug. 24), Robinson is a shell of what he once was with the Chicago Bears and Jacksonville Jaguars. Last season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he had just 34 catches for 280 yards despite playing all 17 games and 72 percent of their offensive snaps. With the chance to clear a notable chunk of cap space, he was a no-brainer offseason cut.
Robinson was noted as a veteran leader in the Steelers' locker room, and that's an obvious role he can serve in for the Lions. It's also fair to assume a lesser on-field role would suit him better, and that kind of role is what's available in Detroit. His overall Pro Football Focus grades in 2021 and 2022 were actually a little better than Josh Reynolds'.
Robinson is also a Detroit native, so absent opportunities to have a bigger role somewhere else (which are not coming) a return home may appeal to him.
4. Marquez Valdes-Scantling
Valdez-Scantling has topped 40 catches just once in six NFL seasons, as he has never quite put it all together catching passes from two future Hall of Fame quarterbacks (Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes).
But Valdes-Scantling is a certified downfield threat (17 yards per catch in his career) with good size (6-foot-4, 206 pounds). The surface numbers are backed by a career of his best Pro Football Focus grades coming on the furthest downfield passes (20-plus yards). His PFF grades on throws 10-19 yards downfield have routinely been pretty good too.
Valdes-Scantling makes sense as a cheap flier to fill a specific role as a deep threat for the Lions. It would not be surprising if they have some level of interest after the draft.
3. DJ Chark
In 2022, the Lions signed Chark to a one-year deal with visions he would be the "X" receiver their offense sorely needed. It took a little longer than expected, largely due to the recurrence of a previous ankle injury that cost him six games in the middle of the season. But late in that season he delivered, averaging 0.8 yards per catch with three 90-plus yard games from Week 13-17. It's not necessarily a coincidence the Lions won a lot of games when he was back in action late in the 2022 season.
Chark signed with the Carolina Panthers, and did not put up great numbers mostly catching passes from an overmatched rookie quarterback in Bryce Young. He also missed a little time due to injury again, leaving him available after the draft with one known free agent visit.
There's a building sentiment from fans that the Lions should bring Chark back. It makes sense, as someone who they know and knows their system. If there are no sour grapes on his end, it's not as if he has a lot of options. But he is easy to see as a nice fit.
Update: According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Chark signed a one-year deal worth "up to" $5 million with the Los Angeles Chargers.
2. Zay Jones
The Jaguars have re-shaped their wide receiver corps a bit this offseason, and with depth in place they released Jones earlier this week; two years into a three-year, $24 million deal. He set career-highs in catches (82) and yards (823) during his first season in Jacksonville, but last season was marred by injury (nine games played) and he was arrested on a misdemeanor domestic battery charge in December.
Jones has never quite gotten to the level suggested by his being a second-round pick. But he does have the size (6-foot-2, 200 pounds) and speed combo the Lions could (should?) be looking for to fill out their receiving corps, and when he's been healthy with a good quarterback he has put up noteworthy numbers.
1. Tyler Boyd
Boyd clearly stands as the best free agent wide receiver available, and perhaps the best free agent still available at any position. The Lions reportedly had some early interest in him, but reports of a high asking price ($9 million per year?) may have turned them off, as it seems to have turned off a lot of teams.
Cincinnati's additions of Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase in back-to-back drafts (2020 and 2021) naturally reduced Boyd's opportunities and his numbers dropped after back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2018 and 2019. But he still topped 750 yards with more than 90 targets in three of the last four seasons. He has failed to top 600 yards just once in eight NFL seasons.
It's easy, too easy, to pigeonhole Boyd as a slot receiver based on his primary deployment with the Bengals. But he has good size (6-foot-2) and contested catch ability. Even if he were to sign with the Lions and remain the slot a lot, the overlap with Amon-Ra St. Brown would not be as strong as is easy to perceive.
At this point, Boyd is line to have to settle for a fairly cheap one-year deal with potential landing spots narrowing even further after the draft. Until he signs somewhere, the Lions should have some level of (renewed) interest.