Getty Donovan Peoples-Jones greets Dan Campbell during a Detroit Lions game.
The Detroit Lions may have a difficult decision to make at wide receiver, with one insider predicting the team will keep a lean squad this year and leave one veteran out of the mix.
In his final prediction on the team’s 53-man roster, John Maakaron of SI.com wrote that the team will use just four wide receivers and release former trade-deadline acquisition Donovan Peoples-Jones.
Maakaron wrote that Peoples-Jones didn’t do enough to stand out during the team’s training camp and preseason, suggesting that the team may need to look elsewhere for its “X” wide receiver.
“Detroit’s ‘X’ receiver is simply not on the roster,” Maakaron wrote. “While many will have Donovan Peoples-Jones on their initial 53-man roster, it is hard to justify the spot, especially since the former Michigan Wolverines wideout did not stand out against the Steelers.”
In the Lions’ final preseason game, a 24-17 win over Pittsburgh on August 24, Peoples-Jones was targeted three times but came away with no receptions.
Donovan Peoples-Jones Played Meaningful Role Last Season
Peoples-Jones first came to the Lions in a deal completed just minutes before the trade deadline last season, with Detroit sending a 2025 sixth-round pick to the Cleveland Browns to pull off the deal.
The veteran receiver moved into a meaningful role, filling the spot vacated when Marvin Jones Jr. left the team due to personal reasons. Peoples-Jones earned one start in eight appearances, making five catches for 58 yards.
Others are joining Maakaron in predicting that Peoples-Jones will miss the final roster cuts in Detroit. Jeff Risdon of USA Today’s Lions Wire also suggested the Lions will keep just four wide receivers, leaving Peoples-Jones outside the bubble.
This was a nice slant route by Donovan Peoples-Jones
But Risdon noted that Peoples-Jones earned some praise from head coach Dan Campbell in the final days of the preseason.
“DPJ I felt like has been, since the game, much better. He’s playing faster and I notice it, we all notice it. So that’s encouraging,” Campbell said.
Undrafted Rookie WR Could Grab Roster Spot
Risdon predicted that one of the team’s four spots at wide receiver will go to Isaiah Williams, an undrafted rookie free agent who turned in some impressive performances in the final weeks of the preseason.
“He’s taken consistent reps as the second-team slot receiver and might be the best of the candidates here at running after the catch,” Risdon wrote.
Risdon added that Williams is a former quarterback who “tends to run smart routes and understands how to leverage the coverage nicely.”
“He’s got fast feet, but they don’t always gain a lot of progress, something that hinders No. 83 as a route runner,” Risdon added. “Williams stands a better chance of making it as a return specialist than as a wideout, and that’s a very real chance based on how camp has played out.”
The Lions are also expected to hand a bigger role to third-year receiver Jameson Williams, who has impressed coaches after a slow start to his NFL career. Williams missed most of his rookie season while rehabbing a torn ACL, then was suspended the first four games of his second season after being handed a gambling suspension by the NFL.
Williams finished the season strong and scored 2 touchdowns in the team’s loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC championship game. Campbell has shared praise for Williams this offseason, saying in spring practices that he is the team’s most improved player.
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Lions Predicted to Release Veteran WR After Trading for Him in 2023