While the Detroit Lions largely kept their core from last season, they made moves on the margins to revamp the depth in various positions. One of those was the wide receiver room. Even though the top three receivers will remain the same, the Lions brought in Greg Dortch, drafted Kendrick Law, and just signed Cedrick Wilson.
Dortch is expected to be a Kalif Raymond replacement after he signed with the Chicago Bears this offseason. Dortch will likely take on Raymond's return responsibilities and play a role as the WR4.
And he couldn't be more excited about it. In his remarks to Nolan Bianchi of The Detroit News, the former Cardinals receiver revealed how much he is looking forward to this opportunity with the Lions. While doing so, however, he also went off against his former team.
New Lions WR Greg Dortch is highly motivated after leaving the Cardinals
Talking about his five years in Arizona, Dortch discussed how difficult it has been to consistently lose. Being a part of a winning culture in Detroit seems to be what excites the veteran playmaker the most.
Praising the coaching staff in Detroit, Dortch said, "You can just tell right away that [the coaches] take care of their players, they know what the f--- they're talking about, and they're serious." He went on to add that he is excited about being part of something that's serious and takes pride in winning, "Losing is not acceptable here, and I haven't really felt that (before)."
Dortch calling the Cardinals an organization without a winning culture may sound harsh, but he does have a point. Arizona has had one winning season over the last ten years and has been constantly searching for its new franchise quarterback and head coach. The Cardinals finished 3-14 last season, resulting in the ousting of head coach Jonathan Gannon.
Interestingly enough, a part of the Cardinals' culture is following Dortch to Detroit. Drew Petzing, who coached Dortch for three seasons in Arizona, is now his offensive coordinator once again. In fact, one has to assume that he played a large role in the Lions' decision to sign Dortch in free agency.
Even though the Cardinals went 15-36 during Petzing's three seasons as OC, the problem was more on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having Kyler Murray, Joshua Dobbs, and Jacoby Brissett as his primary starters under center in those three years, the Cardinals had a respectable offense under Petzing, finishing as the 19th, 11th, and 19th-best offense in the NFL, respectively.
Dortch was never the top receiver for these groups, but he consistently made plays with his speed and athleticism. In three years under Petzing, he had 90 catches for 828 yards and eight touchdowns. All while he was one of the better return specialists in the league.
The Lions hope to get the same production out of him. He has big shoes to fill in Kalif Raymond, but Dortch seems highly motivated after landing on a team with real Super Bowl aspirations.
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