Veteran receiver obviously tabbed with falling stock for Detroit Lions after Week 1
By Max DeMara
The Detroit Lions had questions at wide receiver coming into the season, and some may have been answered in Week 1 against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Amon-Ra St. Brown went for 71 yards and a touchdown against the Chiefs, while Josh Reynolds chipped in 80 yards with a couple clutch catches. But Marvin Jones did not have nearly as good a showing.
Jones got six targets against Kansas City, but he only had two receptions. After one of the catches, he had a fumble in the red zone--albeit on a nice play by the Chiefs' defender. This could put him in a precarious position for a consistent role moving forward.
ESPN's Eric Woodyard looked at risers and fallers for the Lions heading into Week 2. Jones was identified as the player whose stock is plummeting.
"The veteran dropped a pass and coughed up the first fumble of his 12-year career during the second quarter on a scoring opportunity on his 563rd career touch."
- Eric Woodyard
Dan Campbell was impressed by Josh Reynolds' Week 1 showing
With Jones doing little to help the offense the Lions turned to Reynolds, who stepped up and made impactful catches in the fourth quarter.
On Detroit's late scoring drive, Reynolds hauled in an 18-yard pass on a key third down. He followed that up with a 33-yard grab, rumbling deep into Kansas City territory. After the game, Dan Campbell praised Reynolds' effort.
"Boy, he showed up. He showed up when we needed it most. We knew they were going to try to take (Amon-Ra) St. Brown out of some stuff and we needed somebody to step up and Reynolds did that in a big way. It was outstanding to see from him. He was big for us."
- Dan Campbell
On Monday, Campbell praised Reynolds again.
Reynolds' stepping up, combined with Jones taking a step back, the Lions' wide receiver pecking order could be getting established. It's only been one game, but Jones' stock is undeniably down and he has work to do to to swing it back in a positive direction.