Getty Quintez Cephus stretches for a ball against Chicago.
The Detroit Lions are dealing with an injury situation with Kenny Golladay which isn’t looking promising for Week 9 and perhaps beyond, so they are going to have to pick things up elsewhere on the roster.
Detroit doesn’t react well without Golladay and are going to have to face time without him in the coming weeks. That’s bad news on one front, but it could be great news on another front in terms of the development of one of their most important young players.
If Golladay is shut down multiple weeks, the chance will be there for Quintez Cephus to step up and prove that he has been in the playbook and has improved the weeks that he has been shut down. That’s just what Chris Burke of The Athletic alluded to when he singled out Golladay as a player who could be set to benefit from Golladay being shut down for an extended period of time.
Cephus, a 5th round pick, hasn’t had the start to his career that many wanted or expected, but often times, all anybody needs is a chance to shine. This injury could be a blessing in disguise as it relates to Cephus showing what he can do.
Lions Wide Receiver Depth
Minus Golladay, someone else is going to have to step up. Detroit is 0-3 when Golladay is on the sidelines injured, so something is going to have to change. Obviously, Marvin Jones is capable of playing a key role for the team, but behind him someone is going to step up. The pressure will be on Danny Amendola, Marvin Hall and others like tight end T.J. Hockenson to step up and deliver some results.
Cephus comes in here as well. He hasn’t gotten a long look this season and has been a healthy scratch most weeks when the Lions have a healthy group, but has shown some flashes when he has played early in the season. If Cephus could rise up and have a good day, it could go a long way for his development within the offense.
Quintez Cephus Stats
In college, Cephus put up a solid 1,496 yards and 9 touchdowns in a run-heavy Wisconsin Badgers offense. He’s a player that has some potential which is obvious given the numbers he put up and his work ethic and body type. So far in the NFL, Cephus has put up 43 yards on 3 career receptions without much run at all. He has been a healthy scratch, but could prove a lot with a good run starting now.
Cephus didn’t have a fast run at the NFL Combine running in the 4.7’s, but improved things during his early pro day with Wisconsin. More than the speed, it’s the ability of Cephus to run good routes and make solid catches which impresses. As a result of that, he could be a solid pro who sticks in the league in time if he is able to take care of his business.
The path to that starts now for Cephus and the Lions, and it will be intriguing to see what he could bring to the mix.
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