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Former Detroit Lions wide receiver Josh Reynolds could be looking for a new football home.
The Denver Broncos announced on Dec. 3 that they had waived Reynolds, who had been on injured reserve since Week 5 and needed to be cut or activated to Denver’s active roster before Wednesday. Reynolds had struggled with injuries and inconsistent play since joining the Broncos in the offseason, failing to match his production during the last two seasons with the Lions.
No Return to Detroit Expected for Josh Reynolds
Reynolds will now be subject to waivers and would become a free agent if he clears, though SI.com’s John Maakaron believes there is no return to Detroit in his future. He noted that Reynolds ended his tenure in Detroit on a low note, making several costly drops in the NFC Championship game loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
Reynolds spent parts of the last three seasons in Detroit, making 97 catches for 1393 yards and scoring 10 touchdowns in 38 games. Though he was the team’s No. 2 receiver beyond Amon-Ra St. Brown last season, the Lions have since moved on and given bigger roles to other players.
As Maakaron wrote, this makes it even more unlikely that the Lions would have an interest in bringing him back.
“Meanwhile, former Broncos wideout Tim Patrick has had success in Detroit’s offense this season, and has been increasingly growing a connection with the 30-year-old Goff,” Maakaron wrote.
The Broncos are coming off a win over the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football and are fighting for a playoff spot behind strong play from rookie quarterback Bo Nix. Though Reynolds was once seen as a key addition to the offense, the veteran failed to establish a foothold in the offense and struggled with injuries.
New Rising Star in Detroit
The Lions have continued to move on after Reynolds left in free agency, also giving an expanded role to third-year wide receiver Jameson Williams. The speedy receiver has turned in the most productive season of his career to date with 34 catches for 630 yards and four touchdowns.
Though Williams has still struggled with some maturity issues — having been handed a two-game suspension for violating the league’s rules against performance-enhancing drugs — he has the faith of head coach Dan Campbell.
After Williams returned from this year’s suspension, Campbell said he was confident the former first-round pick had learned from it. Campbell praised Williams for his ability to lock in after returning to the team.
“I think any time you don’t get to play this game, I think you’ll always reflect, and it helps you look at it (from) a different vantage point. It hurts, man, it hurts not to play,” Campbell said, via SI.com. “When you don’t have anybody to blame but yourself, it makes you look at yourself a little bit harder. And so, he’ll be fine, I really believe that, and I do believe he’ll learn from it. He was just out there at our walkthrough we had, man, he’s locked in, ready to go. I think he’s gonna come right out of this, on top.”
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Ex-Lions WR Waived by New Team Amid Disappointing Season