NFL Spin Zone
Fansided

Detroit Lions: Mega-Replacements?

By Russell S. Baxter

Dec 27, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson (81) turns with the ball during the fourth quarter as San Francisco 49ers inside linebacker NaVorro Bowman (53) looks on at Ford Field. Lions win 32-17. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 27, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson (81) turns with the ball during the fourth quarter as San Francisco 49ers inside linebacker NaVorro Bowman (53) looks on at Ford Field. Lions win 32-17. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

With great players come great responsibilities (or something like that). So what players have the Detroit Lions recruited to take the place of their mega-departure?

The numbers are daunting. But when you are the second overall pick in any NFL draft, there are high expectations.

Although he has opted to call it a career this offseason, former Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson lived up to his lofty billing despite the lack of success by the franchise.

Related Story: San Francisco 49ers: Good, Bad and More in 2016

In nine seasons and a total of 135 regular-season contests, the former Georgia Tech product amassed 731 receptions for an impressive 11,619 yards (15.9 yards per catch) and 83 scoring grabs. Four times in his nine-year career, he caught at least 12 touchdown passes. In 2012, he set the single-season NFL record with 1,964 receiving yards, totaling 122 catches. The six-time Pro Bowler and three-time First-Team All-Pro has been mega-productive, to say the least.

Jan 3, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) directs his offense against the Chicago Bears during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 3, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) directs his offense against the Chicago Bears during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports /

So how do the Lions fill that void this fall? Quarterback Matthew Stafford will miss Johnson – who comes off a season in which he finished second on the club with 88 receptions (topped by Golden Tate’s 90 catches) but led the team with 1,214 receiving yards and nine scores.

Yes, Stafford got good use out of running back Theo Riddick (80-697-3 TD) and tight end Eric Ebron (47-537-5 TD) last season. But we’re talking about help opposite Tate, who despite six touchdown grabs averaged a paltry 9.0 yards per catch in 2015.

New general manager Bob Quinn wasted little time in free agency securing the services of former Cincinnati Bengals wideout Marvin Jones. In 2013, he totaled 51 receptions for 712 yards and 10 scores. This past year, he rebounded from a lost season (knee injury) and finished with 65 catches for 816 yards and four touchdowns.

Quinn wasn’t done recruiting experienced help at the position. The Lions inked New York Jets’ castoff Jeremy Kerley, released by the Green and White this offseason. He was the team’s main pass-catcher until the likes of Eric Decker and Brandon Marshall joined the club in recent years. Detroit also took a flyer on Andrew Caldwell, late of the Denver Broncos. And earlier this month, Quinn added Andre Roberts, cut loose by the Washington Redskins after a few seasons.

It’s also very interesting to note that while the Lions had 10 draft choices at their disposal, not one went to selecting a wide receivers. Granted the team had used sixth-round draft choices in recent years for Corey Fuller (2013) and T.J. Jones (2014). But it’s worth noting that the arrival of Roberts perhaps signals that the club isn’t quite secure at the position.

Dec 13, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Marvin Jones (82) avoids a tackle by Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker Jarvis Jones (95) in the second half at Paul Brown Stadium. The Steelers won 33-20. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 13, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Marvin Jones (82) avoids a tackle by Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker Jarvis Jones (95) in the second half at Paul Brown Stadium. The Steelers won 33-20. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /

What can we expect? Perhaps a lack of patience on a lot of people’s parts. And that includes fielding questions about who is no longer in the Motor City. “We still are a strength. You see the players we have,” said Marvin Jones to Larry Lage of the Associated Press in late May. “People have seen me play. That’s why I’m here, because I did what I did.”

Lage reported that both of the Joneses, Marvin and T.J., along with Kerley, were Matthew Stafford’s top targets at OTAs last month (Tate was absent). He also had quite the response when asked by reporters about getting over the absence of Johnson.

“Apparently, a lot quicker than you guys.”

More nfl spin zone: NFL: 5 Players on Bargain Contracts in 2016

Regardless of who emerges as the frontrunner to start opposite Tate (and that’s likely Jones), it will take plenty of contributions from the team’s new-look wideout corps to fill the void left by the departure of 6’7”, 230-pound pass-catching behemoth.

Home/Detroit Lions