The Detroit Lions have more than a few questions to answer with just 10 days remaining before the season opener against the New Orleans Saints, but one of the most pressing involves how the team is going to fill out its understaffed wide receiver room.
Detroit had just four wideouts on its 53-man roster as of September 2, including Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Isaac TeSlaa and Tay Martin. The circumstances prompted reporters attending general manager Brad Holmes‘ press conference on Wednesday to ask for clarity on the matter.
“Brad Holmes said 4 WRs is a little light,” Jeremy Reisman of Pride of Detroit reported on X. “Says that just ‘where we’re at right now today, currently.'”
Holmes’ response clearly hints at the Lions’ recognition of the pass-catching deficiency on their roster and implies an intent to change that before Week 1.
However, the method by which Detroit will do so remains unclear, as does the identity of the player(s) the team will acquire to address its need.
Lions’ Decision to Cut Wide Receiver Greg Dortch Now Even More Puzzling
The situation is more puzzling because the Lions chose to cut Greg Dortch over the weekend in an effort to get the roster down to 53 players, though that decision left the position group woefully short of viable options.
Dortch, the former Arizona Cardinals wide receiver, quickly landed with the Buffalo Bills’ practice squad and is no longer available to the Lions.
“Look, when you add as much competition as possible — it was fierce competition — it adds more discomfort, and it also entails harder decisions. That’s really all it was,” Holmes said Wednesday. “[Dortch] was just part of that competition, and unfortunately it just didn’t work out. So, that’s why we made the move we made.”
Dortch has played six seasons in the league, appearing in 68 games and earning 17 starts. He has tallied 145 catches for 1,310 yards and 10 TDs over that span. Dortch has also returned 99 punts for 886 yards as well as 75 kickoffs for 1,773 yards.
He will play the upcoming campaign at 28 years old.
Lions Have Limited Options in Free Agency to Add to Wide Receiver Room
A handful of recognizable names remain available in free agency, led by former Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins wideout Tyreek Hill. However, recent reports indicate that Hill is not yet recovered enough from a gruesome leg injury in early 2025 to immediately contribute to an NFL team.
Per Sharp Analysis, other options on the market as of Wednesday evening included Brandin Cooks, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Curtis Samuel, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Gabe Davis, Van Jefferson, Sterling Shepard, Mecole Hardman and Zay Jones.
None of those players will necessarily inspire a great deal of excitement among the Detroit fanbase, but all of them should be available at a league-minimum salary or something close to it.
The Lions could also consider a trade, though there aren’t any difference-makers at the WR position on the market at present — or at least none that are being widely advertised by their current teams.
At this point, Detroit needs to simply round out its roster to protect against injury before perhaps making a stronger move for a more obvious playmaker further down the line of the season.
Lions GM Brad Holmes Hints at Big Roster Addition Coming Soon