Lions Attempted Claim of Young Free Agent Wide Receiver

Mack Hollins

Getty Mack Hollins celebrates a touchdown.

The Detroit Lions have struggled in 2019, and as a result, they have had a decent ability to claim some of the better free agents on the market.

This week, the team attempted to claim such a player in former Philadelphia Eagles wideout Mack Hollins. The Eagles released Hollins and the Lions attempted a claim, but were blocked by the Miami Dolphins, who were merely ahead of them in the waiver pecking order according to ESPN’s Field Yates.

Detroit’s wideout group has not been hit with injury that dramatically this season, recently losing deep threat Marvin Hall, but the fact they were going for Hollins shows that they might have been looking to take a shot at a developmental piece who is still fairly young.

Hollins will join the Dolphins for the home stretch, and they will get a closer look at the player and see what he can do for their offense moving forward. It’s not as if the Lions didn’t want that same chance, however.


Mack Hollins Stats

After coming into the league in 2017 as a fourth round pick of the Eagles, Hollins was thought to be one of the brighter potential young stars in the Philadelphia offense. Thus far, Hollins hasn’t delivered in his career to this point in terms of that statistical impact. As a whole, Hollins has only 276 yards and 1 touchdown in his NFL career, and has not been featured a ton in the league to this point even in spite of the fact that he has had a wide open offense with solid quarterbacks with which to operate.

There’s question as it relates to what Hollins can become in the NFL, but he has talent given his speed and ability to catch the ball which he showed throughout his time in college.


Lions Wide Receivers

Detroit has been developing plenty of solid options this season if not elite options. Kenny Golladay has stepped up to become one of the best of the best in the league this season, and Marvin Jones has played a solid No. 2 for the team. Hall has managed to be a deep ball guy, and Danny Amendola has also played well within the slot this season. Detroit’s got some solid options to run with the ball, but the only problem has been nobody has been there to throw it to these players given the injuries at quarterback.

Someone like Hollins would have fit in as a player the team could have looked at for the future at the position, no matter what type of role he would have had with the Lions as a whole. He could have been a player the team could have stashed on the practice squad for 2020, or given a look to earn an intermediate role on the team.

Detroit will be able to get by with what they’ve got on the roster, but Hollins could have offered them a player to build around for the future and another potential hidden gem for Bob Quinn.

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