The Detroit Lions have one elite wide receiver in All-Pro Amon-Ra St. Brown. They have a promising, though still unproven No. 2 wideout in Jameson Williams. Veteran Kalif Raymond is an undersized but speedy and physically strong No. 3 with years of experience in offensive coordinator Ben Johnson’s system.
After that?
It’s an important training camp battle that nobody seems to want to win. At least that’s head coach Dan Campbell’s take on the wide receiver room ahead of the Lions’ second preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
“We’re waiting for somebody to step forward. We’re waiting for any one of those guys to step forward,” Campbell said before a recent practice. He then challenged a few of the top contenders by name,
“(Daurice) Fountain and Tre’Quan (Smith) and Kaden Davis, we’re dying for somebody to step up and say, ‘Hey man, I’m the guy. I’m the guy you can depend on. I’ll be the same consistent player every day and find a way to make the plays that come my way.”
There are several candidates to step up, even after the team lost second-year wideout Antoine Green to an injury.
Donovan Peoples-Jones
Peoples-Jones was brought back this offseason with the seeming intent of being the direct replacement for Josh Reynolds, who left in free agency for Denver. It has not played out that way, though Campbell was encouraged by what he has seen in the last couple of days.
“DPJ I felt like has been, since the game, much better. He’s playing faster and I notice it, we all notice it. So that’s encouraging,” Campbell said of Peoples-Jones, referring to him by his initials.
Peoples-Jones offers size and productive experience. As a full-time WR2 (to Amari Cooper as the No. 1) with the Browns in 2022, the 6-foot-2 Michigan grad caught 61 passes for 839 yards and three TDs. That’s almost exactly half of DPJ’s career production in four seasons, and it sure seems like the outlier instead of the expected norm.
Daurice Fountain
Fountain has been around a long time, even if he’s still relatively unfamiliar to many fans. A fifth-round pick by the Colts in 2018, injuries nearly pushed the 6-foot-2, 210-pounder from Northern Iowa out of football. He spent last season on Detroit’s practice squad, getting notice from coaches and teammates for catching everything thrown near him and his physical style.
Fountain played his way into considerable first-team reps in minicamp and early in training camp. As a big target who blocked well and had some long-striding speed, he was a seemingly strong fit into the old Josh Reynolds role. And at times Fountain looked like The Man for the job…
…and a little too often, Fountain just didn’t flow as expected. The consistency coach Campbell covets often runs dry for Fountain and his bouts of drops, long-legged routes that don’t always have the requisite quickness, and too-tall blocking in the run game.
Tre’Quan Smith
Smith was something of an afterthought as a free agent signing earlier this offseason. His career with the Saints never really materialized as hoped when New Orleans drafted him in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
Much like Fountain, injuries have dogged Smith. He does have a more polished and experienced résumé , including time playing with Dan Campbell on the Saints staff and Drew Brees as his quarterback. Smith started 35 games and caught 18 TD passes among his 131 career receptions as a mid-range threat with some size and physicality after the catch.
The consistency has been lacking throughout his career, and that’s also been true of Smith’s first training camp in Detroit. As was the case in New Orleans, the precision to his route running and burst off the line aren’t great, but they’re good enough that defenses still have to take him seriously. When given consistent second-team offense reps in training camp, Smith has connected nicely with Nate Sudfeld and Hendon Hooker; first-team reps, which have fluctuated, have not been as solid for Smith connecting with Jared Goff. A lack of proven ability on special teams doesn’t help Smith’s case.
Kaden Davis
Davis is in his third summer of trying to make an NFL team, starting with the Broncos in 2022 and the Cardinals in 2023. The 5-foot-10 Davis has stuck on practice squads, but hasn’t yet climbed the ladder into a spot on the active roster.
Davis offers impressive quickness off the line and better agility and footwork than any of the players he’s competing against. While he has a smallish catch radius, Davis has shown sticky hands and a quick ability to transition from receiver to runner. He has shown he can run effective routes from the slot and working outside, though he’s been more effective working inside-out in training camp.
The biggest questions with Davis are play strength in contested catch situations and his ability to catch the ball away from his body. Davis has short arms and small hands, even for his relatively smallish height. He’s had some solid special teams reps, notably on coverage units, and that could be a deciding factor in Davis’ favor.
Isaiah Williams
An undrafted rookie from Illinois, Williams has come on strongly in the last couple of weeks. He’s taken consistent reps as the second-team slot receiver and might be the best of the candidates here at running after the catch.
A former quarterback, Williams tends to run smart routes and understands how to leverage the coverage nicely. He’s got fast feet but they don’t always gain a lot of progress, something that hinders No. 83 as a route runner. Williams stands a better chance of making it as a return specialist than as a wideout, and that’s a very real chance based on how camp has played out.
Maurice Alexander
The equation is pretty simple for Alexander, now in his third season with the Lions. The 175-pounder needs to win the punt return or kick return job to make the team. He’s got some juice as a faster-than-quick slot receiver who has shown ability on screens and quick slants.
Alexander does a good job of looking the ball all the way into his hands and he can turn it up quickly as a receiver. His lack of strength and versatility to do much more than quick-hit, short passes really limit Alexander’s upside as a receiver, which is why it’s all about return specialist for No. 1. And yes, he can win one of the two kick return spots. A terrible preseason opener against the Giants, when he put the first two punts on the ground, might have ended any realistic shot for Alexander.
Tom Kennedy
Kennedy has earned renown for his prolific, proud training camp performances. He’s had a few shots with Detroit on the active roster since joining the team in 2019, playing in 20 total games and catching 14 passes.
A tough slot receiver, Kennedy’s lacrosse background is easy to see. He’s small but plucky and might have the fastest feet on the entire roster. The issue for Kennedy is that he is effectively the exact same guy he has been in each of the last five years, and that’s a player who is always bridging between being the No. 6 WR or on the practice squad. He’s now 28 and the upside just isn’t so high anymore. Yet at the same time, Kennedy is perhaps the most known commodity; he’ll give you everything he’s got out of the slot and on special teams on every play.
Jalon Calhoun
An undrafted rookie from Duke, Calhoun has had his moments in camp. Calhoun has strong hands and can reliably block on the outside. He’s not a dynamic athlete on the field, and No. 80 is far more realistically competing for a spot on the practice squad than making the active roster as a UDFA.
