Lions training camp battles: Detroit’s receiver lineup is wide open

Detroit Lions training camp is right around the corner. Starting next week everything will be in full swing. With that in mind, it’s time to start going over some of the Lions top camp battles that we’ll be witnessing this summer.

We’ll start it off with the spot that has more openings than any other spot on the team right now and that’s receiver. Right now there’s just one guy that we know will be in place at the number one spot and that’s Amon-Ra St. Brown. After him, there’s nothing but questions.

WR2

Jameson Williams is expected to play a much bigger role in 2024 and the chances that he does are very good, but we still need to actually see him do it. While it seems that he’s written into that number two spot with ink, it’s really more like pencil at that this time.

That’s not saying that we don’t think he can do it. He absolutely can and should. But again, we need to see it happen to be totally sure.

WR3

The battle is really open here. Kalif Raymond has sort of been the assumption here, but we saw last season that the Lions looked to use Raymond more often on special teams and trick plays. They went away from using him as a regular receiver like they had in 2021 and 2022. Will that change back in 2024?

Donovan Peoples-Jones has a lot of the same attributes that Josh Reynolds had, so there’s some thought that he can just fill into the spot that Reynolds left behind when the Broncos signed him. If he actually can give the Lions what Reynolds did, he could have a big career season.

Antoine Green is another guy that could be in the mix here. The Lions took him with their seventh round draft pick last year and then kept him stashed on the 53-man roster all year. We don’t really know what to expect from him, but the physical and athletic traits are there. If he can have a big camp and work his way up the roster, there’s a chance he could be a major part of this offense in 2024.

WR Depth

You have to figure that he Lions will carry at least six receivers into the season this year. That leaves some spots open and there’s going to be some really interesting battles to watch here.

First there’s Tre’Quan Smith. He sort of feels like he’s being written off, but this is a guy that Dan Campbell spent years with in New Orleans and Smith was a solid depth guy that entire time. He has a real shot of making this roster and getting some playing time.

Daurice Fountain is another name to watch. He’s impressed at camp and preseason with some of his big catch ability, but he has yet to really get some regular season time during his career. The Lions have had him since last year and by now they know what to expect. He’s someone that, like Green, could potentially shock everyone this summer.

The Lions need a return man and Maurice Alexander has shown in the NFL that he can hit big on returns. He also has experience with the league’s new kickoff format since he worked in it while he was in the USFL.

Tom Kennedy aways has a shot to make the roster, but he’s going to have a hard time fighting off Isaiah Williams, Kaden Davis and Jalon Calhoun. Williams is going to be the tough one to look past with his yards after the catch ability. Kaden Davis was the star of OTAs and minicamp. Can he bring that into the summer time?