Detroit Lions: 5 Returning Players With Roster Spots in Doubt
By Zac Snyder
4. Corey Fuller
Instead of taking a step-forward in his second year on the big squad, Fuller failed to match his catch, receiving yards and touchdown totals in 2015 that he set in 2014. And it’s not even like he was a big part of the offense in 2014, when he had 14 receptions for 212 yards and one touchdown.
That is concerning for Fuller’s chances of making the roster, particularly because he did not perform well on special teams either.
With non-wide receiver options in the passing game like Eric Ebron and Theo Riddick, the Lions will probably cap their wide receiver depth chart at five players once again. That’s bad news for Fuller given his slow development and the addition of Jay Lee – one of the most talked-about undrafted players both locally and nationally.
Fortunately for Fuller’s chances of sticking with the Lions, he stood out in Thursday’s OTA practice opened to the media. Unfortunately for Fuller, Lee also looked good. MLive’s Justin Rogers included both in a note about the wide receiver group:
"The battle for the fifth receiver job, presumably between Corey Fuller and Jay Lee, got off to a hot start. Fuller had an outstanding day, catching everything his way and easily besting his coverage assignments. Lee also showed good route running and strong hands. Another name expected to be in that mix, Quinshad Davis, struggled. He dropped a perfectly placed post pass from rookie Jake Rudock and the receiver appeared out of place on a number of his other routes."
But as is often said, no one will win a roster spot in OTAs and early in the offseason, Fuller should look better than Lee who is just getting his feet wet in an NFL practice setting. The fight for the final one or two spots on the wide receiver depth chart is quickly looking like one of the more intriguing roster battles to watch in training camp.
Next: Number 3