A day after they passed on Odell Beckham Jr., the Detroit Lions found help for their middling receiving corps on the waiver wire Wednesday.
The Lions, with top waiver priority, claimed ex-Tennessee Titans receiver Josh Reynolds on waivers and placed defensive lineman Jashon Cornell on the reserve/non-football illness list.
Reynolds played his first four NFL seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, where he caught passes from current Lions quarterback Jared Goff.
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Asked about the possibility of a reuniting with his old teammate Wednesday, Goff called Reynolds “a great player.”
“Saw he’s available,” Goff said. “Obviously up to Brad and (Lions coach) Dan (Campbell) on (whether we do) that. But I’m a fan of Josh’s, and wherever he lands I’m sure he’ll be great.”
Campbell said before practice he and Holmes had not discussed Reynolds’ availability, as they did with Beckham when he was waived by the Cleveland Browns earlier this week.
Holmes spent eight seasons as college scouting director with the Rams, and was with the team when it drafted Reynolds in the fourth round in 2017.
“I know they looked,” Campbell said. “He looks at all of it, sees all of it. And we did Josh when he was a free agent coming out (this spring). We talked about it. We know the player well. Certainly, Brad knows him even better than I do.”
Reynolds caught 113 passes for 1,450 yards while playing primarily as a backup with the Rams in 2017-20.
He signed a one-year, $1.75 million deal with the Titans this spring, when many expected the Lions to pursue him in free agency, and then managed only 10 catches for 90 yards in five games before being cut Tuesday.
The Lions (0-8) have one of the least productive passing games in the NFL and have lacked a true vertical threat much of the season.
Projected No. 1 receiver Tyrell Williams suffered a brain injury in the Lions’ season-opening loss to the San Francisco 49ers and was waived from injured reserve last week, and projected No. 2 receiver Breshad Perriman was released after a disappointing preseason.
Goff has relied heavily on tight end T.J. Hockenson (48 catches, 448 yards) and running back D’Andre Swift (47-415) in the passing game this season. Rookie Amon-Ra St. Brown leads all Lions receivers with 27 catches for 250 yards.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.