Tag: Detroit Lions

Detroit Lions face tough decisions when it comes to wide receivers with roster cuts looming

ALLEN PARK — With the roster cutdown deadline at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell and GM Brad Holmes still have work to do.

“A tough 48 hours coming up, but I really appreciate these guys,’’ Campbell said at noon on Monday.

One position where some tough decisions must be made is at wide receiver. The three locks are Amon Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and Kalif Raymond. It’s uncertain how many they will keep.

Undrafted rookie Isaiah Williams, who wears 83,  appears to have earned a roster spot with a consistent, steady showing at training camp.

“You guys know what 83 is, it’s shown up – he’s made plays all camp. He’s really more that slot, he falls into the mode a little bit like Saint (St. Brown), Lif (Raymond) and Tom Kennedy. 

Donovan Peoples-Jones, entering his fifth NFL season, and rookie Daurice Fountain, entering his fourth, are also in the mix. Both are 6-feet-2. 

“They are big guys, they are big receivers, they’ve got length to them and for their size they can run pretty good,’’ Campbell said. “So there’s that element of that – can you play big-boy ball outside, redzone comes into play. So if you don’t have it (size) you do feel a little small. You feel it would be nice to have the size. You wish that would show up a lot more but that’s what those two  guys bring – that’s that type of flavor that we talk about all the time. We would love to have a little bit of everything – you’ve got speed, you’ve got quickness, you’ve got size, gadget.’’

Campbell said he and Holmes have many questions to weigh.

“Have we seen enough out of those guys to where we feel like we can use them or need to use them sooner than later. Or will they provide value depth or role players? The other thing is special teams, how much do they bring on special teams,’’ Campbell said. “I don’t know it’s tough to say. It will all come into play.’’

Detroit Lions Sam LaPorta preps for second-year after finding much success as a rookie

ALLEN PARK — For Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta, what a difference a year makes. 

The 2023 first-round draft pick excelled as a rookie and now he feels much more comfortable on the field less than a week into training camp.

“Personally when I showed up in the springtime (last year) you’re trying to take in as much information as possible. This year I come back in the springtime, I know a lot of the installs obviously so it was a great steppingstone to start off,’’ LaPorta said on Saturday. “Continuity, it’s great right now, we’re clicking right now, it’s early in camp but we have to keep building on it.’’

In LaPorta’s rookie season he had 86 receptions for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also broke the NFL record for receptions by a rookie tight end, along with breaking Lions’ franchise records for receiving yards and touchdowns by a rookie tight end. 

Last season the Lions came up short in the NFC Championship game — one half away from the Super Bowl. While it’s a team game, the offense was key to the playoff run and the 12-5 season.

Quarterback Jared Goff signed a contract extension in the offseason, but not many changes were made to the offense which did lose WR Josh Reynolds.

Wide receiver Jameson Williams is stepping up and put on a show at training camp on Saturday.

“Fast, explosive, he’s getting in and out of his breaks really well. Memorizing his splits, all the little details are really coming along with Jamo and you see that,’’ LaPorta said.

For the tight end, he’s working to refine the details.

“There’s a bunch of guys coming off all-Pro seasons, the top 100 list is coming out, it’s awesome to see so many of our guys on it,’’ LaPorta said. “Just like everybody else, just kind of take small steps forward in a bunch of little aspects in my game. It’s truly what separates the good players from the great players in this league is small increments.’’

He spent a few days in Los Angeles working out with Goff before training camp. 

“It may not be actual results that you see on a day-to-day basis, but then when you look back for months and like a calendar year, like goodness this is how we were operating a year ago and this is where we are now just four days into training camp,’’ LaPorta said.

(UP NEXT: The Lions have Sunday off from training camp. On Monday they will wear pads for the first time since camp started on Wednesday.)

Detroit Lions Jared Goff excited about the possibilities including a bigger role for Jameson Williams

ALLEN PARK — While the Lions defense features more new personnel, quarterback Jared Goff sees a ton of potential on the offensive side of the ball.

“We know the sky is the limit and we’re excited,” Goff said on Friday, the third day of training camp.

Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson remains in charge and has added a few wrinkles to the playbook for his ever-evolving offense. It finished the 2023 season ranked third in the NFL with 6,712 yards of offense.

“Back in the spring there was a ton of stuff, even (stuff) we did last year that we can tweak and get better at, but some new stuff certainly in the spring and into training camp. Stuff we’ll play around with and see if it works and probably use a lot of it,’’ Goff said.

The 29-year-old Goff, who signed a four-year, $212 million contract extension in the spring, said hopefully he’s smack-dab in the middle of his prime. 

“I feel good and confident in the guys around me and they feel confident in me, it’s a good place to be,’’ said Goff, who was married this summer.

Along with most everyone, he expects a bigger role this year for wide receiver Jameson Williams who is entering his third season. Williams has shown flashes early in camp but had an excused absence on Friday.

“He’s a guy who can score on one play and you’ve seen it quite a bit in his career. He continues to get better. It’s exciting and his consistency has raised a ton,’’ Goff said. “He knows what time it is for himself and our team and has come to work really well and has done a good job.’’