All summer long, we’ve heard about how the Detroit Lions have been looking for a “big-bodied” wide receiver. They tried to make it work with Donovan Peoples-Jones but that didn’t pan out and he was released.
Now, the Lions are down to three wide receivers with experience on their roster. Those three receivers are Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and Kalif Raymond. Isaiah Williams earned the 4th receiver on the 53-man roster.
It’s unclear if the Lions will carry four or five receivers on the roster now that there is still an opening. Last season, we saw them have five receivers on the roster, but with Josh Reynolds leaving for the Denver Broncos, there’s a void for that “bigger” target.
Certainly, Ben Johnson could identify tight end Sam LaPorta as that bigger target. With that, the Lions coaching staff could be content with just those four receivers I listed. Add in the tight ends they use and the idea of carrying four running backs (David Montgomery, Jahmyr Gibbs, Craig Reynolds and Sione Vaki) and this passing attack may just be okay.
But let’s say the Lions coaching staff wants another receiver. If that’s the case, there are two receivers that were cut today that could be worth looking at for their roster. Those two receivers are Noah Brown and the other is Terrace Marshall Jr.
Starting with Noah Brown, he’s a veteran receiver entering his 7th season in the NFL. Originally drafted as a 7th round pick to the Dallas Cowboys in the 2017 NFL Draft, he hit free agency last year and signed with the Houston Texans.
CJ STROUD TO NOAH BROWN FOR THE 75 YARD TEXANS TD pic.twitter.com/98KHHVMfNG
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulli) November 5, 2023
In his first and only season with the Texans, Brown recorded 33 receptions for 567 yards and two touchdowns. Listed at 6’2″ and 220 pounds, he’s the ideal fit for that bigger X-receiver that the Lions could be looking for on their roster.
As for Terrace Marshall, he’s only 24 years old and was a 2nd-round pick to the Carolina Panthers in the 2021 NFL Draft. It was confirmed by Jeremy Fowler of ESPN that Marshall was released. Primarily having bad quarterback play put some limitations on what Marshall could do in the Panthers offense.
He now seeks a fresh start after recording 767 yards on 64 receptions and a touchdown during his 36 games played. When he was coming out of LSU, he did run the 40-yard dash in 4.40 seconds and checked into the Scouting Combine at 6’2″ and 205 pounds. Playing in a better offense could be exactly what Marshall needs.
https://twitter.com/Panthers/status/1827420135352889367/video/1
We’ve seen them spin the tires on players like this in the past with Denzel Mims and Donovan Peoples-Jones. Despite it not working out for either one of those players, a fresh start in Detroit could be all that’s needed to jump-start the career of Terrace Marshall.
If I had to guess, the Lions would lean more towards Marshall than Brown especially since Brown has been battling through a shoulder injury all summer. It’ll be interesting to see what the Lions do at the wide receiver position. For now, I would consider these two players as the most viable options for the Lions offense.