Wide receiver battle is already at fever pitch in Lions' camp

When determining how the wide receiver depth chart will look for the Detroit Lions going into this season, we can lock in four guys-Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Kalif Raymond and Donovan Peoples-Jones. Peoples-Jones' status could be considered somewhat tenuous, and vulnerable to competition, but it would be a big surprise if he doesn't make the 53-man roster at the end of August.

A big question beyond that is how many wide receivers the Lions will end up keeping on the 53-man roster. It may come down to a numbers game, balanced against how many players are kept at other positions. As confirmed by special teams coach Dave Fipp on Saturday morning, players who fill out the back end of the roster will have to do more than just contribute on special teams. That's the product of having a better and deeper team.

"I tell the players in the old days of like, 'Hey, you're gonna make this team on special teams, that's over." Fipp said Saturday, via Mike Payton of AtoZ Sports. "You really make the team on offense, defense and special teams. And the more you can do in this business, the better off you're gonna be. And it's really good. I mean, it's how it should be. We want to build a good football team and we need a a bunch of guys to do a lot of different thing."

Lions' wide receiver battle is already going strong

Saturday was the fourth day of training camp practice for the Lions. They have a day off on Sunday, then pads will go on for the first time on Monday. Accounts from on the ground at Allen Park point to players itching to put on pads and have some live contact.

In daily recaps thus far, a different wide receiver has seeming been highlighted by reporters every time. Kaden Davis has carried strong work in OTAs into the early days of camp. Undrafted rookies Jalon Calhoun and Isaiah Williams have had moments. Daurice Fountain, who spent last season on the Lions' practice squad, has had some noted highlights so far.

Second-year man Antoine Green has been tabbed as the early favorite for the WR3 role by Colton Pouncy of The Athletic. Peoples-Jones and Raymond will have something to say about that a camp goes on.

On Saturday, Maurice Alexander garnered notable mention from Payton and Tim Twentyman of Lions.com. Alexander's success as a kickoff returner in the USFL, with the new kickoff rules coming to the NFL, may benefit him in the battle for a roster spot. But the sentiment Fipp definitely expressed privately before he said it publicly was clearly heard by Alexander.

It can be, and should be, said that only St. Brown and Williams are locked into their roles in the Lions' wide receiver corps-the WR1 and WR2 respectively. Everything else feels wide open, with multiple options to juice up the competition throughout camp and into preseason games. Before pads have even come on in camp, the wide receiver battle has been intense with multiple guys taking advantage of opportunity.