Who Should Be Matthew Stafford's No. 2 Receiving Option in 2020?
The Lions are equipped with an elite No. 1 wideout for longtime franchise passer Matthew Stafford in the form of fourth-year receiver Kenny Golladay.
Golladay earned his first Pro Bowl trip a year ago by accumulating an NFL-high 11 touchdown receptions and a career-high 1,190 yards.
So, the big question for the franchise is whether or not it possesses a reliable enough No. 2 receiver for Stafford.
The top two contenders for that role going into 2020 are veteran wideout Marvin Jones Jr. and second-year tight end T.J. Hockenson.
Jones recorded nine TD receptions in 2019 for the second time in three years, but did also post his lowest yards per catch average since 2015 (12.6).
Meanwhile, Hockenson exploded in Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals for a touchdown catch and the most receiving yards by a tight end in his first career game (131).
However, his production after his mightily impressive NFL debut fell off significantly.
In 11 additional games, he finished with just 236 more yards and one more score.
While I see "Hock" being more involved in Detroit's air attack in 2020, I still believe Jones should and will be Stafford's second-favorite target.
The reason why: Lions offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell's preference for throwing the ball down the field.
A season ago, Stafford threw the deep ball a league-leading 19.2 percent of the time, according to Pro Football Focus.
And the Lions, as a team, kept throwing the deep ball even after Stafford injured his back in Week 9 against the Oakland Raiders and proceeded to miss the final eight games of the regular season.
In fact, per PFF, the Lions threw the deep pass 15.4 percent of the time last year -- the fourth-highest rate in the NFL.
Enter in Jones, a threat to go deep every time he lines up on the outside.
As recent as 2018, he gained 157 yards on deep passes (throws of 20 yards or more downfield), ranking 29th out of over 100 qualifying receivers, per PFF. Additionally, he hauled in three touchdowns on deep passes, tying for the sixth-most in the NFL for the season.
Jones' deep pass-catching ability puts him ahead of Hockenson and will allow him to keep his No. 2 receiver status heading into 2020.
Yet, Hockenson should be featured more often, and I predict that will be an initiative of Bevell's this upcoming season.
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