Lions must ignore suggestion to prematurely give up on Antoine Green

The Detroit Lions have one of the best offenses in the NFL, with few holes.

With that in mind, there could be a temptation to make a trade from strength.

Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox has offered up some hypothetical trades to reunite quarterback-wide receiver duos. They are mostly reunions of college duos, including one involving Lions' wide receiver Antoine Green.

"Lions wide receiver Antoine Green hasn't seen much game action since being a seventh-round pick in last year's draft. The 6'2", 199-pound pass-catcher has largely been buried on Detroit's depth chart and played just 106 offensive snaps as a rookie."


"However, he was far more productive in his final season at North Carolina, a campaign he finished with 43 receptions, 798 yards and seven touchdowns in nine games. Playing alongside quarterback Drake Maye, he earned a reputation as a downfield threat."


"A year after Green was drafted, the New England Patriots made Maye the third overall pick. If the Lions cannot find a permanent role for Green, the Patriots should see if they can reunite the former North Carolina stars."

Green played in nine games as a rookie last season, but he only saw two targets with one catch for two yards. A big chunk of his snaps game in a blowout loss to the Ravens.

Antoine Green could see increased role for Lions this year

The Lions are trying to find a way to replace the production lost when Josh Reynolds departed in free agency. Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is assessing the options to fill that void, including Green.

"He (Reynolds) was an explosive play waiting to happen. A number of his receptions were big plays for us, so something we've talked about with the skill group (is) those opportunities go elsewhere now and we need guys to step up and rise to the occasion just like he did. It might be someone that didn't have as much production last year, say an Antoine Green or a (Donovan) Peoples-Jones or some of the guys that we had on the scout team."

That is precisely the reason this trade would be bad or the Lions. Green just hasn't had the chance to show what he is made of. This year he should have a better grasp on terminology, and with Johnson mentioning him without being prompted there's an opportunity out there for him at the very least.

Green offered a glimpse of what he can do last preseason, with a 70 yard touchdown against the Carolina Panthers. With a year of experience under, he could be counted on more this year. It's also fair to say his trade value isn't great, further bolstering the idea the Lions should (and will) just hang onto him.