Detroit Lions: Top Five Free Agent Wide Receivers they should Consider
By Bob Heyrman
One of the positions the Detroit Lions lack depth is in their receiving corps. That depth recently saw a huge blow last Thursday evening when veteran wide-out Jermaine Kearse suffered a broken leg in the teams’ first preseason game.
It didn’t take long into the preseason before the Detroit Lions suffered a significant injury. Veteran wide receiver Jermaine Kearse sustained a broken leg. It was supposed to be a bounce-back season for the former Seattle Seahawks receiver. Kearse played for Lions newly appointed offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell in Seattle.
The Detroit Lions brought in Kearse because he is familiar with the offense and Bevell’s terminology. Also, the Lions lack depth at wide receiver. The drop off after Marvin Jones and Kenny Golladay is notable. While Danny Amendola is an excellent third receiver, that’s his high water mark, working the mid-range level across the middle of the field.
Entering his eighth-year, Kearse was primarily a backup to either Jones or Golladay doing most of his work lining up outside of the numbers. He’d also play as the fourth wide-out if spread formation sets. With the severe injury he suffered in the preseason opener the Detroit Lions have to evaluate their options. Should the team try and fill the void within? Should the team opt to bring in another veteran?
The Detroit Lions were already in the midst of a heated receiver battle for the fifth spot. Brandon Powell, Travis Fulgham, Tommylee Lewis, and Chris Lacy all biding for a roster spot. So with Kearse out of the picture should the Lions feel comfortable with Powell and Fulgham as the teams’ fourth & fifth option? If one of the starters happened to be injured, these young, unproven players would need to be elevated potentially into a situation they aren’t quite prepared for.
The Lions would be wise to scour the free-agent market rather than trade a mid or late-round draft pick to someone looking to dump a depth receiver. It’s beneficial to keep as many draft picks as possible, especially when there are capable pass-catchers on the market.
In this article we take a look at a few WR’s the Detroit Lions should sign as a fourth option, replacing the injured Kearse on the depth chart.