Heading into the 2021 season, it was pretty apparent that the Detroit Lions were going to have one of the worst wide receiver units in the league and by the time the season was over, WRs coach Antwaan Randle El knew he needed ‘a guy.’
“You always want to have ‘a guy,’ so to speak,” Randle El said at the time. “Like that guy, we’re throwing to him and we don’t care who’s covering what. We know he can go up and get it. And my guys know we haven’t had that guy yet, so it’s nothing new from them. It’s not a slap to them or a jab to them in any way, but that’s what we need to be able to complement (the guys we have).”
Well, Lions GM Brad Holmes heard the request of Randle El and he not only got him one “guy” but he got him two.
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Detroit Lions WRs coach Antwaan Randle El wanted ‘a guy’ and he got two
Antwaan Randle El wanted ‘a guy’ but during the offseason, Brad Holmes went out shopping and he got him two wide receivers to help the cause.
The first toy Holmes got for Randle El and the Lions’ offense was free-agent wide receiver DJ Chark.
“Let me say this: I’m (done) opening my mouth and giving you guys stuff to write about,” Randle El joked before the Lions’ final open practice of organized team activities on Monday. “No, but we did a good job in terms of the picks that we made and going out and getting Chark, so we’re well on our way and enjoying it and made our room much more competitive, for sure.”
The second toy Randle El received was Jameson Williams, who the Lions traded up to get with the No. 12 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
“Smart kid in the classroom, knows ball and gets excited about ball every day,” Randle El said. “You can just talk about how the clouds look and the trees and all that, he’s just kind of looking at you like you’re crazy but the minute you get to talking about football he kind of sits up in his seat and wants to know, like wants more. Give me more, give me more. And that’s the kind of excitement you get from veterans who’ve been in the league for a while. You’re getting it from a rookie and it’s good to see.”
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Randle El noted that the Lions’ wide receiver room “is much more competitive” than it was a year ago and that is a good thing.
“And that’s what you want,” he said. “You want your room to be competitive. That’s one of the things I spoke about in the offseason I probably shouldn’t have, but competitiveness is what you want cause it’s a bone. Let’s go get it. Who’s going to come out on top? And not just about going up and catching the ball, but who’s getting the right blocks and running the right routes to free another guy open, so all that stuff ties in together.”
If Jameson Williams can come back at 100%, DJ Chark stays healthy, and Amon-Ra St. Brown takes another step forward, coupled with TE T.J. Hockenson and RB D’Andre Swift catching passes out of the backfield, the Lions’ offense could be dangerous in 2022.