The Detroit Lions are going to need their wide receivers to step up in 2024 after the departure of Josh Reynolds, who finished second among receivers in yards in 2023 before leaving for the Denver Broncos in free agency this offseason.
Knowing that, it stands to reason that the Lions could have a breakout performance from one of their other receivers not named Amon-Ra St. Brown, who has already established himself and gotten the bag.
According to Pro Football Focus' Bradley Locker, wide receiver Kalif Raymond is the one to watch in terms of a breakout candidate for Detroit. Here's what he said about that before we get to why he's wrong.
With Josh Reynolds heading to Denver, the Lions’ receivers behind Amon-Ra St. Brown all received a boost in the pecking order. The fact that Detroit didn’t add a wideout in the draft means Brad Holmes trusts guys like Raymond to replace Reynolds’ ability to move the chains. Raymond ranked third on the Lions in receiving grade last year, and the eight-year vet should be in for a career-high target share in an offense that loves distributing the ball.
The omission of 2022 first-round pick Jameson Williams is glaring here. After all, he is going to be the No. 2 wide receiver behind St. Brown, and no worse than the No. 3 option in the passing game when you include emerging star tight end Sam LaPorta. That in and of itself will give him more snaps and opportunities than Raymond.
Admittedly, the jury is still very much out on Williams after two lackluster seasons to start his career, but he's also had to deal with coming back from injury and a gambling suspension in those two campaigns.
Looking ahead to 2024, he's is in a great position to break out now that Reynolds is gone, and he should see no shortage of one-on-one matchups on the outside with LaPorta and St. Brown terrorizing opposing defenses over the middle.
Raymond could very well have a career year in 2024, as he stands to be the No. 3 receiver on the depth chart. But Williams' breakout potential is simply greater.
