Despite failing to surpass 500 yards in six NFL seasons and signing a one-year, $1.4M deal in free agency this offseason, Detroit Lions wide receiver Greg Dortch is considered one of the best backup players in the NFL at his position.
Bill Barnwell of ESPN created the All-Backup team, which assembled an entire team composed of at least one backup player per roster. The Lions’ selection was Dortch. Barnwell explained the choice by noting that the roster needed all types of players to fill it out.
“We’re also going to need to take some shots on nontraditional players,” wrote Barnwell. “The 5-foot-7 Dortch wasn’t able to persuade the Cardinals to put him on the field for significant stretches of time, but he has been a reliable pair of hands out of the slot, dropping just three of his 142 targets over the past four seasons. Dortch can also back up Chimere Dike on punt and kick returns, providing some much-needed depth at returner.”
Either the Lions did not have a stronger option to represent the team, or the wide receiver room was not the strongest for depth in the NFL.
The Detroit Lions Signed a Strong Backup Wide Receiver in Greg Dortch
GettyWide receiver Greg Dortch.
This can definitely be an indictment of the Lions’ roster. They missed on a couple of recent draft classes, and the team is not quite as deep as they used to be. Isaiah Pacheco is coming off of the worst year of his career, and while Brock Wright is also a needed piece of any roster, there are a lot of quality backup tight ends.
It would be Teddy Bridgewater representing the team at quarterback, and they are very thin at tackle. On offense, the only position that can compete is interior offensive line. Juice Scruggs has experience at both center and guard and would have been a fine selection. Even Miles Frazier might have deserved a shout-out before Dortch.
On defense, whoever is deemed the third edge rusher between Derrick Moore and D.J. Wonnum, and then whoever is the third interior lineman between Levi Onwuzurike and Tyleik Williams, could be considered a strong depth piece.
Jimmy Rolder is just a rookie, but could step in at linebacker behind Malcolm Rodriguez soon. Meanwhile, the secondary is so banged up that most of the best depth pieces are actually starting.
Greg Dortch Does Not Stack Up Well With Backup Wide Receivers
The other players that Barnwell had on the team include DeMario Douglas, Chimere Dike, Olamide Zaccheaus, Cedric Tillman, and Ashton Dulin. Of them, only Dulin had fewer yards. Like Dortch, Barnwell noted filling out the roster and special teams value when discussing Dulin.
Dike is a better returner than Dortch, and he had 423 yards as a rookie. Dortch had 206 yards last year. Douglas had 447 yards, which was the most of the backup wide receivers. Zaccheaus had 313, and Tillman had 270.
So, Dulin is a better special teams option overall, and Dike is a better return man. The other four are better pass catchers. It is tough to find a great fit for the Lions, but choosing Dortch feels like a bit of a miss.
With Danny Pinter and Pat Coogan being on the team along the interior offensive line, the better choice for the Lions was probably Scruggs. One of the rookies that the Ravens drafted this year could have stepped in for Pinter. Coogan was on the Titans. who already had a representative. A different receiver could have made the team.
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