One of the biggest question marks in the Detroit Lions' current offense is where rookie receiver Isaac TeSlaa fits in. There is no denying the first-year pro's talent to pull off the jaw-dropping catches; however, his opportunities have been limited. That trend continued during Sunday's loss to the Los Angeles Rams, as TeSlaa had one lone target in Sunday's loss after seeing five combined in the two previous games.
Taking this a step further, it isn't as if the attempts aren't there. Quarterback Jared Goff targeted the Lions' receivers 29 times in Week 15, with 27 of these targets going to Jameson Williams and Amon-Ra St. Brown. Clearly, Goff felt more comfortable with targeting his veteran playmakers, leaving TeSlaa without a catch for the eighth time in 14 games this season.
Week 16 is almost here and it's never been clearer that the Lions still don't know how to effectively use their third-round receiver.
Isaac TeSlaa's Spot in Lions' Offense Is Uncertain at Best
Leading to an incredibly interesting note provided by Pride of Detroit's Al Karsten, pointing out that since head coach Dan Campbell took over play-calling, the Lions have the second-best offensive success rate (50.9%) and fifth-best passing success (50.0%) when TeSlaa is off the field compared to ranking 29th (40.5%) and 23rd (39.8%), respectively, when he's playing.
This is incredibly damaging and obviously confusing to consider.
TeSlaa had touchdowns in back-to-back games before Week 15 and appeared to be on the cusp of a breakout run. Instead, it seems that when the season was on the line, he's been relegated to an afterthought. That makes sense given the numbers that Karsten pointed out.
With that said, it is hard to square these numbers with the big-play ability that TeSlaa has flashed in his short Detroit tenure. It seems at least worth allowing him occasional touches to see if the early magic can be recaptured. The rookie has 120 yards on the season, with half of his season total in catches being touchdowns, having scored four times in the 2025 season.
Still, it is understandable that with the season quickly falling out of control, the Lions want to keep their best playmakers on the field. Opting not to take any risks and put the ball in the hands of a rookie whose advanced numbers are saying the offense is better when he's on the sideline makes sense.
For TeSlaa, it is still just year one with plenty of time to turn things around and become a valued contributor. All he can do is keep his head down and wait for his next opportunity. If he can capitalize on that, the Lions might have no choice but to get him the ball more often.