Lions radio analyst acknowledges lingering elephant in the wide receiver room

Through the first two games of the season the Detroit Lions' offense has struggled in the red zone, highlighted by going 1-for-7 in Week 2 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Quarterback Jared Goff has generally not been sharp, for any number of reasons that can be cited.

Lions radio sideline analyst, and former Lions' offensive lineman, T.J. Lang joined 97.1 The Ticket's "Valenti and Rico Show" on Friday to preview Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals. He explored a reason for the struggles Goff and the offense have had so far.

"This isn’t a knock on the other receivers, by any means, but I think Jared Goff personally is missing Josh Reynolds a little bit. I know Lions fans, their last memory of Josh Reynolds was the NFC Championship game with a couple of dropped passes, but he was a big part of this offense on third down and in the red zone and making plays when you had to have them. I don’t think (Goff) has that trust really in the number three receiver right now. But that’s gonna take time, he had years of reps with Josh Reynolds going back to his Rams days.”

When Reynolds was waived by the Tennessee Titans during the 2021 season, his history with Goff from their time with the Rams made him an ideal pickup for the Lions. Over 38 games in a Lions' uniform, Reynolds averaged 14.4 yards per catch with 10 touchdowns. Of his 97 catches, 72 moved the chains.

T.J. Lang not the first to openly acknowledge elephant in Lions' WR room

After losing Reynolds in free agency, the Lions opted to try to replace him with who they already had (Donovan Peoples-Jones, etc.). That did not work out, though there is hope Tim Patrick can emerge off the practice squad and become a trusted target for Goff.

As he called for a wide receiver to assert himself for a second time in quick succession during the preseason, Dan Campbell acknowledged Reynolds by name.

"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."

Reynolds and Goff literally had years of history and rapport that made him a trusted option in critical moments. Which isn't to say the Lions should have re-signed Reynolds automatically. It's just that Goff is starting on the ground floor to build the same rapport with anyone that's stepping in now. Ideally that kind of chemistry building could be avoided, even early in the season, but it's where things are as the Lions' offense tries to get fully on track.