If the Detroit Lions still intend to overhaul their wide receiver room, they have a lot of work to do in next month’s draft.
The Lions agreed to a two-year contract with Kalif Raymond on Tuesday, ensuring their top seven pass catchers from last season are under contract for 2022.
Raymond set career highs with 48 catches for 576 yards last season, when he also served as the Lions’ primary kick and punt returner.
The Lions have stayed mostly out of the veteran free agent market this week, choosing instead to re-sign their own players.
Along with Raymond, they agreed to deals with Tracy Walker, Charles Harris, Alex Anzalone and Tim Boyle, plus restricted free agents C.J. Moore and Evan Brown in recent days.
Last week, the Lions re-signed receiver Josh Reynolds to a two-year deal.
Reynolds and Raymond were key passing options in a Lions offense that finished 24th in yards per pass attempt last season but improved significantly in the second half of the year. Amon-Ra St. Brown led the Lions with 90 catches for 912 yards as a rookie, and Raymond and Reynolds ranked second and third in both categories among receivers.
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Lions receivers coach Antwaan Randle El said at the Senior Bowl he hoped to add three new receivers to his room this offseason, including one who could play the outside X receiver spot.
Early Tuesday, the Lions agreed to a one-year contract with veteran D.J. Chark to handle that role. Chark, 6 feet 4, is a red zone and vertical threat who made the Pro Bowl in 2019 but missed 13 games with a fractured ankle last season.
Along with St. Brown, Reynolds and Raymond, the Lions return top pass catchers tight end T.J. Hockenson, receiver Quintez Cephus and running backs D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams in 2022.
“I’m excited about our competition going into next year, especially if we’re able to bring Josh back and bring Kalif back,” Randle El said last month. “It’ll be some real competition, which we need. And I told them all, I said you guys are leaving, I think we’re leaving with nine guys. I said I’m trying to draft two and bring in one, ’cause it’s going to be some competition. I want it to be competition. That’s the only thing that makes them better. So they’re expecting that. And they know it and that’s part of the game.”
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.