James has 8 receptions on 15 targets for just 64 yards in the Lions’ first 10 games after signing a 4-year, $28.5 million contract
The Detroit Lions signed free agent tight end Jesse James with considerable promise and widespread fan support this past offseason. James was arguably the top tight end on the market, and the Lions desperately needed help at the position; none of the wildly unproductive and underwhelming TE cast from 2018 was returning, and that was a good thing.
Thus far, the Lions are getting precious little return on their 4-year, $28.5 million contract. James has eight receptions on 15 targets, netting 64 yards in the Lions’ first 10 games. He has not shown to be more than an adequate blocker in the run game, either.
Despite the disappointing early results, the Lions coaches refuse to criticize James. Even though he has just one catch for three yards on three targets in the last four weeks, head coach Matt Patricia remains supportive of his tight end.
Patricia very diplomatically waffled away the question about why James has not been more involved.
“Well, you know, I think the tight end room in general – we have some good players in that room,” Patricia said Tuesday. “All of those guys really have certain roles in every game that we’ve needed them to (do) in different facets and jobs that they bring to us.”
The second-year coach was then asked a follow-up more directly about James and if the tight end is being used differently than they envisioned when the Lions signed him.
“I can’t say that, nope,” Patricia responded. “I can’t really say that that would be a factual statement. I think for us, guys in there that really have different skill sets and some skill sets that are not the same, and we try to make sure that we mix those in different ways. Certainly, that they don’t show up in tendencies for our opponents to be able to scout. So we try to keep that moving from that standpoint.”
Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell echoed the same comments. Bevell, in his first year in Detroit, was asked a very similar line of questioning in his Tuesday press conference.
“Well, I think we have a great tight end room,” Bevell stated. “We went and got him, we went and got Logan (Thomas), and then of course we drafted T.J. (Hockenson). I think really, it was one of the best upgraded rooms that we had this offseason, and I think all three of those guys, we’re using them and we’re moving them around. There are a lot of things that tight ends do that really don’t necessarily show up in the stat sheet. We love all three of those guys, we love what they’re doing.”
James does continue to start, sometimes ahead of Hockenson and sometimes with him in a two-TE set. His playing time has diminished since the bye week. James has not played more than 36 percent of the offensive snaps in the last five weeks, including a season-low 15 (23 percent) against the Cowboys.
