Jared Goff did not know anything about Kalif Raymond when the Detroit Lions signed the wide receiver to a one-year deal this offseason.
Now that the two have worked together for seven months, Goff said Raymond reminds him of one of his favorite receivers with the Los Angeles Rams — and one of the best receivers in football — Cooper Kupp.
“I think I’ve been lucky to work with some really good receivers who practice hard and that’s the main thing,” Goff said Wednesday. “He practices hard. Cooper Kupp was the same. Robert Woods was the same. Brandin Cooks was the same. And Kalif is the same in that way where you know where he’s going to be, you can trust him, you can rely on him and he’s accountable. And that’s all you can ask for as a quarterback.”
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In the absence of a true No. 1 receiver, Raymond has emerged as Goff’s most dependable weapon in the Lions’ low-voltage passing attack.
He has 26 catches for 334 yards through seven weeks; it’s a far cry from Kupp’s league-leading 56 catches and 809 yards but more than every Lion but running back D’Andre Swift and T.J. Hockenson.
Lions offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn said Thursday he viewed Raymond as a backup receiver and return man in free agency, but that Raymond quickly proved capable of a bigger role.
“He’s impressed us from the first day he got here,” Lynn said. “We were like, ‘Why are the Titans letting him out of there?’ But he’s done nothing but just make the most out of his opportunities.”
For Raymond, opportunities were hard to come by in his first five NFL seasons, when he caught 19 passes while playing for four different teams.
He settled in as the Tennessee Titans’ primary return man midway through 2019, played well in that role last year and was initially ticketed for similar duties in Detroit.
But the Lions cut free agent disappointment Breshad Perriman in training camp, and when Tyrell Williams (concussion) and Quintez Cephus (broken collarbone) suffered injuries early in the regular season, Raymond emerged as a capable replacement.
“I think he’s surprised everyone with the way he practices, and he kind of sets the standard for that receiver room of, ‘I’m going to return punts. I’m going to play special teams and then I’m going to run every route at full speed,’” Goff said. “And that’s how you get better.’”
The Lions (0-7) have not scored more than 19 points in a game since their Week 1 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, and they rank near the bottom of the NFL at 5.1 yards per play in part because of deficiencies in their deep passing game.
Raymond, despite standing just 5 feet 8, has been the team’s best deep threat.
He has six catches of 20-plus yards, most on the team, and has made a handful of diving grabs this season, including an impressive 20-yard haul during a two-minute drive last week against the Rams that Goff said was “not a regular receiver play.”
Raymond, who along with rookie Amon-Ra St. Brown catches about 200 balls off a JUGS machine every day after practice, said that catch, and some of his other highlight plays, are a sign of the trust he shares with Goff.
“I tell J.G. all the time, there’s some times in practice where he’s feeling something and I’ll be thinking something and, like, his mind is just right there,” Raymond said. “He’s pretty spot on with, like, just making adjustments, stuff like that. It’s just pretty cool to have that.”
For a Lions team that gets its offense in fits and spurts, it’s been more than cool, it’s been invaluable.
“He was a dang good pickup for us in the spring and ‘Lif really embodies everything that we’re about, just everything that he’s made up of,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “He came through with some critical plays, some explosive catches (against the Rams), and here’s what probably doesn’t always show up to the naked eye is, man, that dude blocks every play. Like, he is blocking somebody every play, the safety, support player in these runs. And teammate catches the ball, he’s looking for a block. And on top of that, he’s a good returner so I’m glad we got him. And he is, he’s dependable is what he is.”
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.