Heading toward the second preseason game this weekend, wide receiver depth is clearly a concern for the Detroit Lions. In truth, it could have been seen as one going back months. It's only Wednesday this week, and head coach Dan Campbell has spoken about it twice.
Before Monday night's practice, here's what Campbell said about the wide receiver battle.
"It’s still the same as where it’s at. We’re waiting for any one of those guys to step forward,” Campbell expressed. “DPJ (Peoples-Jones), I felt like, has been, since the game, much better. He’s playing faster and I notice it, we all notice it, so that’s encouraging. But, Fountain and Tre’Quan (Smith) and Kaden Davis, somebody, we’re dying for somebody to step up and say, ‘Hey, man, I’m the guy. I’m the guy you can depend on. I’ll be the same, consistent player every day, find a way to make the plays that come my way.’”
Before Wednesday morning's practice, Campbell was asked about the WR3 spot in the scope of the Lions' offense during an appearance on 97.1 The Ticket.
'Honestly, what it is, is we just need a reliable staple, you know? Like, that's what Reynolds was for us. Josh Reynolds was the reliable guy we could count on he was gonna be where he's supposed to be when he was supposed to be there to play any spot, and he'd make a critical catch for you" "You need a steady reliable, when the ball needs to find you because coverage dictates it, and that's the guy we need to find. Who is that guy? That is important now. That being said, we don't want to just keep a guy because he's receiver 3,4,5..."
That's a clear warning to Donovan Peoples-Jones, Daurice Fountain, Tre'Quan Smith, etc. in the battle for spots filling out the Lions' wide receiver depth chart. It's also conveys a strong sentiment of "if these guys don't step up, we'll find someone who can."
Campbell's mention of Josh Reynolds says a lot here.
Reynolds left a sour taste in the mouths of Lions' fans with two drops in the NFC Championship Game loss to the 49ers. But over two-plus seasons he was a reliable option Jared Goff could trust. To this point the Lions have been resigned to filling that void internally, but Campbell's recent tone could reflect a looming change in that plan if it becomes necessary.
There's an argument that a change in that plan is necessary right now. Before too long, but perhaps not until after Saturday's preseason game sheds more light, trading for someone could be in play.
On that note, here are five wide receivers the Lions could trade for to curb Campbell's concern.
5 wide receivers the Detroit Lions could trade for to curb WR concern
5. David Bell, Cleveland Browns
Bell suffered a quad injury in the Browns' preseason opener, which head coach Kevin Stefanski said will sideline him for a week or two. That will not help in his quest to secure a roster spot, as he looks like a cut candidate.
Over his two seasons since Cleveland took him 99th overall in 2022, Bell has played 31 games. But he has only played 733 offensive snaps, including just 217 last year in 15 games. He simply hasn't had a lot of opportunity, and 52 of his snaps last season came in the regular season finale (4 catches for 68 yards, two touchdowns).
Bell was a reception machine at Purdue, with 232 grabs for 2,946 yards and 21 touchdowns over three seasons (29 games).