The Detroit Lions wide receivers connected for offseason workouts away from the team, but apparently, one player from the position was not invited to join the group.
Jared Goff worked with a gathering of Lions receivers in California back in March, and wasted no time including the likes of DJ Chark, who had only signed with the team weeks prior. According to Trinity Benson, a member of the team who had already worked with Goff in 2021, he wasn’t invited to the get-together.
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Speaking to the media after practice on Wednesday, June 8, Benson was asked about the offseason work his teammates did informally together. As he explained to the media, he wasn’t invited to the session with Goff.
“No I didn’t get the opportunity (to join them). The invite didn’t come,” Benson told the media when asked bluntly.
After the fact, though, Benson has been motivated and said he looks to make a play any time he gets the chance while on the field in practice.
“Every time the ball comes my way I’m looking at is an opportunity. Every time I’m out there on the field, it’s an opportunity to make a play. So I just make the most of every opportunity,” he said.
So far, so good for Benson proving he belongs and making the most of things. The wideout has caught attention pretty much every day the team has been working out in front of the media, proving there are multiple ways a player can get ready for the season no matter who he’s working with.
Regardless, this is a potential small bump in the chemistry the Lions are building. The hope for the team is the issue works itself out in the long run and doesn’t end up mattering whatsoever.
Other Lions Wideouts Worked With Goff
Photos from the workouts surfaced and placed several Lions throwing with Goff this spring. In March, Twitter user JonJon spotted a snap on Instagram of Chark working with Goff and Amon-Ra St. Brown and shared it, aptly pointing out that the wideout had wasted little time getting in work with what the team hopes is the big trio for their roster in 2022. Here’s a look at what he showed:
Notable was defensive lineman Michael Brockers loving the interaction between teammates, saying “Yessir, love to see it!” within the comment section. Another post identified wideout Josh Reynolds as being in the mix in California, as well. Like Benson, Reynolds was with the Lions in 2021-22. Unlike Benson, he didn’t start the year with Goff.
Benson was not pictured, and whether thanks to a schedule conflict, oversight or miscommunication, it may have led to a few hurt feelings. It will be on Goff to patch things up moving forward for the relationship to continue to grow as hoped within Detroit’s new-look offense under Ben Johnson. An offense depends on timing and cohesion no matter the age or league status of any player, and Benson could have gained an additional advantage had he gotten a chance to work with his teammates earlier.
So far, it doesn’t seem as if Benson is taking the slight personally, but he could be using it as major motivation.
Benson Earning Consistent Praise During Lions Workouts
Perhaps motivated to show his stuff to Goff, Benson has arguably been the most impressive wideout on the field thus far in Detroit. He’s been catching the attention of the coaching staff easily. While the wideout struggled making a statistical impact through his first season in Detroit to the tune of just 10 receptions for 103 yards, Dan Campbell seems to believe that was merely a product of him getting adjusted and comfortable.
Dan Campbell on Trinity Benson’s potential: “Speed, speed, speed. That’s what’s really showing. You didn’t always feel it (last year) because he was feeling his way through it, he wasn’t always confident. … I think his confidence is up and the speed is what’s really showing.”
“Dan Campbell on Trinity Benson’s potential: “Speed, speed, speed. That’s what’s really showing. You didn’t always feel it (last year) because he was feeling his way through it, he wasn’t always confident. … I think his confidence is up and the speed is what’s really showing,” Burke tweeted after hearing Campbell.
If Benson ends up making a big impact on the field, he will soon become impossible to overlook. At that point, it seems as if that could be his goal with the team.
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‘Invite Didn’t Come:’ Trinity Benson Reveals Possible Jared Goff Snub