As the Detroit Lions descend on Allen Park for training camp, there aren't many holes, concerns, shortages, etc. on the roster. There are a couple that are easy to point to be or be concerned about, and wide receiver is a prominent one that's hard to ignore right now.
Amon-Ra St. Brown is the top guy for the Lions at wide receiver. After him, the Lions are putting a lot of faith in Jameson Williams putting it all together this year. Kalif Raymond is a solid player, with Donovan Peoples-Jones and second-year man Antoine Green also set to compete for a role.
For many national analysts, it's baffling that the Lions did not add a wide receiver of note after losing Josh Reynolds in free agency. Wild ideas about trading for Brandon Aiyuk don't make sense, and prominent remaining free agent possibilities (Michael Thomas, Hunter Renfrow) feel like a stretch too.
Pro Football Focus suggested acquiring outside wide receiver help as the the move the Lions should make before training camp, while mentioning Aiyuk, Tee Higgins and Davante Adams as possible options.
"Still, Detroit needs a true outside receiver. The free-agent market doesn’t offer much in that archetype, but could the Lions be a potential landing spot for Brandon Aiyuk, Tee Higgins or Davante Adams?"
-Pro Football Focus
Grade the trade proposal: Lions add a wide receiver
Dallas Robinson of Pro Football Network has offered a list of 10 potential training camp trades. On the list is the following proposal involving the Lions.
Lions acquire: WR Darius Slayton
Giants acquire: 2025 sixth-round pick
"Darius Slayton would be an upgrade over Kalif Raymond at Detroit’s other outside WR spot. He’s spent most of his career on the perimeter, which would allow St. Brown to stay in the slot in 11 personnel. He’s hardly a star, but Slayton has posted 700 receiving yards in four of his five NFL seasons."
"New York might be willing to trade Slayton after using the sixth overall pick on WR Malik Nabers in April. While Big Blue placated Slayton by adding new incentives to his contract in May, moving him would open new opportunities for younger receivers like Wan’Dale Robinson and Jalin Hyatt."
Slayton got a contract adjustment from the Giants after he didn't show up for voluntary offseason work this spring. That absence fueled a little trade speculation. A connection to the Lions has been easy to offer, within the idea the cost in a trade would be cheap.
Slayton's has largely overcome the ineptitude of the offense and quarterback play around him in New York. He has topped 720 yards in four of five seasons, while averaging at least 15 yards per catch in those same four campaigns. Last season, he accounted for 25 percent of the Giants' touchdown receptions (four).
Slayton has untapped upside if he were ever in a consistently good offense. If it came to it, a sixth-round pick to get him is a cost several teams should be in on. He'd also be a very realistic addition to the Lions' wide receiver group compared to other options who are being put out there.
Grade the trade: A-