By all accounts, based on what has not been done to add someone, the Detroit Lions seem perfectly content to replace Josh Reynolds from within. Jameson Williams is being counted on to emerge in his third season, but he's the Lions' No. 2 wide receiver and we're talking replacing Reynolds as the No. 3 guy.
We looked at the best internal options for the Lions to replace Reynolds. Since then, part of what head coach Dan Campbell (via SI.com) had to say about one of those options, second-year man Antoine Green, didn't shine a great light on him.
"He (Green) had a little bit of an injury last week, so we didn’t get to really see him. He’ll be back up doing a little bit of individual and stuff, so it’s hard to say. That progress is on hold because we weren’t able to get him out there last week. But certainly, we like the player and there’s enough – let’s see what happens in camp. He’s another guy, let him go compete.”
That's hardly a complete indictment of Green, who is simply an unknown quantity after not playing much as a rookie last year. But Campbell's comments do reflect the broader question marks around every Lions' wide receiver not named Amon-Ra St. Brown. Yes, there are questions about Williams until we see him get it done consistently in games.
The Lions don't seem overly compelled to make a notable addition at wide receiver. On a national scale plenty of outlets feel like the lack of proven depth at the position could hold them back, and that's not necessarily the wrong idea
So, on the flip side of the internal options to replace Reynolds, of which there may only really be two good ones, let's rank some potential external options.
Ranking potential external options for the Lions to replace Josh Reynolds
5. Russell Gage
Gage missed all of last season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after suffering a knee injury around this time last year. The Buccaneers had reworked his contract to make 2024 an option, which they did not pick up and he remains a free agent.
During his first year in Tampa, 2022, Gage had 51 catches and five touchdowns in 13 games. The previous two seasons, with the Atlanta Falcons, he had 72 (2020) and 66 catches (2021) respectively. If he's healthy, now 28 years old, some of that ability should still exist.
Gage is in no position to be choosy with where he signs, should any opportunities come. If the Lions did call to bring him in for a look in training camp, which is a huge 'if', there's a non-zero chance he shows enough to stick.