As free agency came and went the Detroit Lions were left staring at a void out wide, as their three starting wide receivers from last season all departed the motor city.
And as the Lions head towards training camp no clear answer has emerged at the position. And that has left a rather large question mark in terms of the outlook for the season. Who will catch the ball?
Tyrell Williams figures to be penciled in as the top target, and rookie Amon-Ra St. Brown should see a decent number of targets.
However there isn’t anyone in that room that jumps out at you as of now, and it looks targeting a wide receiver would be the third-best option for Jared Goff, as pro-bowl tight end T.J. Hockenson heads into his third season, and running backs D’andre Swift and Jamaal Williams have been garnering attention for their work at OTAs.
So what will this passing attack look like? Because we know that Jared Goff isn’t that great under pressure, it would make sense to prioritize concepts that allow Goff to get the ball out quickly despite having a good offensive line. And utilizing play-action relatively often as well, and letting the receivers use their speed and quickness.
Additionally, using their running backs for more than screens and underneath routes, both Swift and Williams have the skill sets to cause some major mismatches for opposing defenses and it is imperative that the coaching staff use their talents effectively.
Speaking of the coaching staff, that is another piece of the puzzle that remains unsolved. We don’t really know how all these new coaches will mesh and how much they will succeed in conforming these players to a new scheme. Everything sounds good right now, but that is another situation that is more wait-and-see.
Unfortunately, we won’t really have an answer on what this portion of the offense will look like until they take the field. While there are many unknowns, the waiting game continues as everyone outside of Allen Park awaits answers on what this new-look Lions passing attack will look like.