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The Detroit Lions are looking for help in multiple different spots of their roster for the 2022 season, and one of the biggest spots the team could look to improve is on offense.
Detroit struggled with finding big plays most of the year, and that result could lead them to wanting to find some major weapons in order to break into the end zone more in 2022. When free agency comes, a wide receiver could end up being a major focal point for the team as a result of this, and that’s just what many are starting to predict will play out.
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Recently, Pro Football Focus took an updated look at where they predict some of the top free agents will land in March. Writer Arjun Menon predicts the Lions won’t be as active, and will not land one of the top 15 names set to hit the market. Instead, he believes the team will land a more moderately priced player in Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Gallup. Gallup tore his ACL last season, which could complicate his free agency and is ranked in the 28 spot for the site. Menon believes the Lions, though, could represent the perfect fit.
In terms of why, Menon wrote he believes the recovering Gallup would essentially be able to take his time in recovering since “he won’t be pressured to produce like an alpha receiver right away.”
The Lions might need an alpha receiver, but if the team thinks what they have on the roster is good enough and they plan on drafting a target early, a player like Gallup could make plenty of sense. That is what PFF believes ahead of the offseason.
Gallup’s Stats & Highlights
After entering into the league in 2018 as a third-round pick of the Cowboys out of Colorado State, Gallup has become a name wideout in the NFL by making some big plays for his offense. With the Rams in college, Gallup was a productive receiver racking up 2,690 yards and 21 touchdowns. Since coming to the NFL, he hasn’t slowed down with the big plays in the least bit, piling up 2,092 yards and 15 touchdowns as an explosive deep threat.
Providing he was healthy, Gallup would offer the Lions an intriguing player to place into the offense. He can stretch the field and take the top off of a defense. He would give the Lions an immediate weapon to help them in finding a consistent offensive attack and an injection of big plays.
Wideout Will Be a Top Offseason Target for Lions
It should not be a surprise to see the Lions rumored to be in the mix for any wideouts this offseason because the position is a huge need for the team moving forward. The Lions didn’t make a splash signing in the 2021 offseason at the spot, and that hurt them at times on the field. Jared Goff needs a bit more help at receiver to feel good about what the Lions’ offense can become, and taking a big swing on a free agent or a high draft pick would be an easy way to perhaps change the narrative ahead of 2022. Far too often, the Detroit offense lacked big plays, which culminated in the 18th rated passing attack in the league.
The good news? There are some options already on the roster. In Amon-Ra St. Brown, the Lions have a potential young stud developing. The team has also witnessed Kalif Raymond become a late-season force, and since signing off waivers, Josh Reynolds has become a major difference-maker for the team and a player who could be in the mix for a consistent role moving forward in Detroit. Add in the development of Trinity Benson and KhaDarel Hodge and the Lions do have some youngsters capable of making plays at the spot providing they continue to grow and develop. The Lions also have Quintez Cephus coming back from injury.
All of this could allow the team to chase a player like Gallup, who could provide a nice boost to the roster at a thin spot.
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