Expectations were high for Detroit Lions wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa to take a huge step forward in his second season in the NFL. So, when he had a target and zero catches in Week 1, concern were raised about the former third-round pick.
Head coach Dan Campbell made it clear that despite the poor performance, he is still firmly in the mix to get more opportunties in the offense. Campbell called into 97.1 The Ticket on Tuesday and made it clear they would like to get TeSlaa going.
“Yeah, we’d like to get him going a little bit, we’d like to get him a couple more opportunities here,” Dan Campbell said. “Especially, man, he did so much dirty work the other day, 50 plays, and he’s blocking his rear off the whole game. He doesn’t ever complain or bitch about anything. So he’s earned that right to get a couple throws here. Yeah, he’s on our mind. We’d like to have him a part of this thing in the pass game. Yeah, we see him, we get it.”
TeSlaa played 52 offensive snaps. He ran 32 routes with just one target. However, he had 20 run-blocking snaps to go with that.
Detroit Lions Looking to Get Isaac TeSlaa More Involved
The Lions surprised many when they traded up for TeSlaa and took him with the 70th pick in the third round. His rookie season was up and down. Overall, he played 438 snaps and started to increase his snap count around Week 10.
While he produced more, he went from 7.2 yards per game to 21.8 yards per game. It was a significant jump, but he was not quite a true role player in the offense yet. He did score an impressive six touchdowns, including four touchdowns after Week 10.
The arrow was pointing up on TeSlaa entering his second season, and many saw him as a potential breakout candidate now that he is fully installed in the offense.
Lions Need More From TeSlaa
Unfortunately, TeSlaa struggled in the preseason. He had a bad drop and did not catch any of his three targets. It is easy to brush off the preseason, but TeSlaa now turned that into a less-than-impressive Week 1 performance.
The offense seems to be consolidated to four players. Quarterback Jared Goff threw 39 passes, and 36 of those went to Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Sam LaPorta.
All four are so good, and with the share being split between the four of them, it is easy for the fifth skill player to be left out. That is typically either TeSlaa or Brock Wright, who is a blocking tight end.
They lean on the fifth skill player to do the dirty work and get the other four open looks. So, Campbell and the new offensive coordinator have to find ways to reward them from time to time. Look for TeSlaa to be more involved in the next couple of weeks.
Dan Campbell Makes Plans Clear on Lions Breakout Candidate