And just like that, with the rumored addition of veteran pass-catcher Tim Patrick, the Detroit Lions have strengthened their outlook at wide receiver, particularly outside.
Over the previous two seasons, Patrick has battled with major ailments, such as a torn Achilles tendon the following year and an ACL during training camp. However, during his time on the field? In addition to being a very prolific wideout, Patrick also happens to meet a lot of local needs. From the outside, it’s simple to see or guess that Dan Campbell, before or after making this decision, will phone longtime mentor and current Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton to get the whole story on Patrick’s game and health.
Prior to the league’s cut deadline, the Lions parted ways with Donovan Peoples-Jones, Daurice Fountain, and Kaden Davis, their top internal possibilities for this receiving position. The Broncos were shopping or preparing to release Patrick because of their packed room, according to reports out of Denver that began the week. That’s exactly what transpired on Tuesday afternoon. It should be mentioned that Josh Reynolds, who played this position for the Lions the previous year, joined the Broncos and assisted in Patrick’s departure from Denver.
After missing out on regular season action in 2021, when he caught 53 catches for 734 yards and five scores, 30-year-old wide receiver Patrick stands 6-foot-4. He also made 15 starts in 2020, catching 51 passes for 742 yards and six touchdowns. It should be mentioned that Teddy Bridgewater and rookie quarterback Drew Lock shared the starting position in Denver’s 2020 campaign.
There were just four wide receivers on the Lions’ initial 52-man roster (this is not an error). Their best choices are Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, and Kalif Raymond; undrafted rookie Isaiah Williams worked his way onto the starting squad. Because of his lack of height and the obvious redundancy in those depth places, this offense needed a receiver built and played like Patrick. St. Brown may be lethal from any position on the field, but his slot allows him to deal the most damage.
Raymond is a former All-Pro punt returner who thrives in the slot and as a cunning piece of equipment for this attack. Isaiah Williams, who is a slot receiver as well, is a little too small and inexperienced to contribute right away as an outside receiver. Even though Jameson Williams will have a bigger part to play and a bigger role overall, he is not your usual WR2 or outside presence.
It also doesn’t hurt to have a little more beef and length off the bench, even though anyone can read off heights and weights from the comfort of their own house. As a solid red-zone danger who can high-point a Jared Goff pass, Reynolds flourished in that role and demonstrated that he has more than enough production to go with.
“No, that’s not what I think. When asked if not having size on the outside limits the offense, Lions head coach Dan Campbell responded, “I mean, we will always be able to – with what we have on this roster, (offensive coordinator) Ben (Johnson) does a hell of a job of making sure that we put guys in position to have success and let our guys go win and whatever it takes to allow them to do that.” “Well, no, I wouldn’t say that limits us, but you want to give us everything, just like in any offensive or defensive situation, dude. You can use anything if you can have it everything. No, it won’t restrict what we do, though.
In those one-on-one conversations, it helps to say, “Okay, you’re not—you don’t always have to be in these cut-splits.'” It would be a luxury to have. Man, you just need to go out there. It’s a one-on-one match, so it doesn’t matter if he is pressed if you like the matchup. Your guy will not defeat our guy. And Goff set himself up such that he could play rebound, play big boys in the box, play down on the block, and create a play for you.
