2020 Lions Wide Receiver Depth Chart
The Detroit Lions return a majority of their receiving corps from a year ago.
With Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones and Danny Amendola, the top of the Lions' wide receiver depth chart is pretty straightforward.
However, considering these three wideouts are all in the last year of their contracts, the future is a bit uncertain.
Behind the starting trio, there are a few new faces and a couple of younger players who will be fighting for only a couple remaining roster spots.
Most notably, you have free-agent acquisition Geronimo Allison, fifth-round draft pick Quintez Cephus and last year’s deep-ball specialist in Marvin Hall.
A couple of dark horses to make the roster who all saw some regular season action in 2019 include Travis Fulgham, Chris Lacy and slot receiver Tom Kennedy.
Lastly, both Victor Bolden and Geremy Davis are considered longshots.
Every single wide receiver who caught a pass for the Lions last season is currently on the roster.
Here are the 2019 receiving stats from every wideout who made at least one catch on the season:
Kenny Golladay
- 16 games
- 116 targets
- 65 receptions
- 1,190 yards
- 11 TDs
Marvin Jones
- 13 games
- 91 targets
- 62 receptions
- 779 yards
- Nine TDs
Danny Amendola
- 15 games
- 97 targets
- 62 receptions
- 678 yards
- One TD
Marvin Hall
- Nine games
- 11 targets
- Seven receptions
- 261 yards
- One TD
Chris Lacy
- Seven games
- 10 targets
- Three receptions
- 60 yards
- Zero TDs
The biggest question mark will be how many receivers the Lions keep on the roster and which players will fill the reserve roles.
Considering Cephus was a fifth-round selection in this year's draft, you would assume he has a leg up on the competition to find a roster spot.
He provides plenty of versatility to play both from the slot and out wide.
Maybe his spot on the team is not as secure as some might think, though.
Fulgham was selected a round later than Cephus in the 2019 draft, and he only appeared in three games -- games that came in the last three weeks of the season.
Important to note, Cephus could be considered more NFL-ready in year one than Fulgham was coming out of Old Dominion.
If the Lions want to keep a true burner at the position, Hall is another slot guy they should keep around.
With his limited opportunities, Hall amassed an unreal 37.3 yards per reception -- the highest average in the NFL in 2019 for anybody with more than three catches.
With Golladay, Jones, Amendola, Cephus and Hall, there might not be many openings at the position for guys like Allison, Lacy and Fulgham.
Typically, the Lions have only kept five receivers on the roster.
One wildcard in this equation is undrafted rookie free-agent tight end Hunter Bryant.
Many draft analysts had Bryant in their top-five top prospects list at the tight end position due to his athleticism and ability to stretch the field.
Bryant disappointed at the NFL combine by only running in the mid-4.7s for his 40-yard dash -- possibly due to a 10-pound weight gain from his listed playing weight at Washington.
Considering Bryant falls into the category of a “move” tight end or a “big slot” type of player, he is a de facto receiver. He is far from a traditional inline type of player, and is more in the mold of a Jordan Reed or Evan Engram.
It wouldn’t be wise to ask Bryant to block defensive ends or linebackers.
Perhaps the biggest factor the Lions may look at for their backups is how impactful each individual can be on special teams.
Usually, depth players are the core of the special teams units, and Quinn heavily emphasizes the third aspect of the game.
When it’s all said and done, the Lions have three definitive roster locks and a second tier of nice options behind them.
Here is the current projected WR depth chart:
1.) Kenny Golladay
2.) Marvin Jones Jr.
3.) Danny Amendola
4.) Quintez Cephus
5.) Marvin Hall
6.) Geronimo Allison
7.) Chris Lacy
8.) Travis Fulgham
9.) Tom Kennedy
10.) Victor Bolden
11.) Geremy Davis
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