The Detroit Lions have been active throughout the first few weeks of NFL free agency. Although a lot can be said about the moves that general manager Brad Holmes & Co. made, the transactions that the Lions didn't make also carry noticeable implications.
The Lions' wide receiver room hasn't seen much action so far, with only moves being Tom Kennedy's re-signing and Greg Dortch's arrival. The latter will be reunited with former Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, and the former might not be much more than a depth piece.
That means the Lions truly believe that Isaac TeSlaa can take a big leap in his second year in the league. That's also why the red-zone scoring merchant needs to step up and prove that he's much more than just a freak athlete, now that he might get more opportunities.
Isaac TeSlaa Must Live Up to Lions' Expectations
TeSlaa entered the league as a third-round pick last year, requiring the Lions to trade multiple picks to land him. He was a preseason sensation, and most people expected him to have a featured role alongside Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, and maybe even ahead of tight end Sam LaPorta.
TeSlaa introduced himself to the world with an acrobatic touchdown grab in garbage time in the Week 1 loss vs. the Green Bay Packers. Despite the immediate impact, he was used only sparingly for the remainder of the season.
Even though he only played 312 passing snaps, according to Pro Football Focus, TeSlaa still made the most of his few opportunities by turning 27 targets into 16 receptions for 239 yards and six touchdowns. He was a perennial mismatch in the endzone, and his 14.9 yards per catch were certainly impressive.
That's without mentioning how 37.5% of his grabs were touchdown scores.
That said, TeSlaa only had one game with at least 50 receiving yards last season. He went catchless in eight games, and he only drew five or more targets once. Obviously, that's not on him, but now that the team hasn't added someone else to take his role, he will have to make the most of every opportunity new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing will give him to show that he's worth that type of trust.
TeSlaa's otherworldly athleticism makes him an exciting player to follow, and expectations will be much higher this time around. He didn't drop a single pass as a rookie, had a contested catch rate of 55.6%, and Jared Goff had a passer rating of 115.2 when targeting him, and all but two of his catches resulted in a first down.
St. Brown will obviously continue to be the primary focus of the passing game, but with Williamson's inconsistency and the Lions' desperate need to get back to their old ways on offense, the table is set for TeSlaa to prove why they are right to believe in him.
Needless to say, it's a situation that Detroit fans will be closely monitoring.