The Detroit Lions are one of the top teams in the NFC heading into the 2024 NFL campaign, but they do have a bit of uncertainty at wide receiver.
Obviously, the Lions have Amon-Ra St. Brown, who is one of the best wide outs in football, but beyond him, there isn’t much stability at the position.
Detroit lost No. 2 receiver Josh Reynolds in free agency, leaving the largely unproven Jameson Williams to man the role going into next season.
Williams is teeming with potential and was selected by the Lions in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, but a gambling suspension and injuries have limited him to just 18 games over his first two years.
Even if Williams has a good season, the Lions still lack depth at receiver, meaning they could try and add another pass-catcher at some point.
In a piece where Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon makes bold predictions for the NFL trade deadline, he has Detroit attempting to acquire a wide receiver by early November.
Who could potentially be available for the Lions?
Gagnon names Cleveland Browns star Amari Cooper and Cincinnati Bengals stud Tee Higgins as two names that could potentially be up for grabs midway through the season.
Both receivers are heading into contract years, so if one of the Browns or the Bengals (or both clubs) appear to be out of it on Nov. 5, it stands to reason that Cooper and Higgins could be available.
If the Lions were able to add either of those two wide outs, it would instantly give them one of the best receiver tandems in football. Imagine one of Cooper or Higgins alongside of St. Brown? It sounds tantalizing, to say the least.
Of course, it’s rare that star playmakers get moved midseason, so the chances of this happening seem relatively slim. Plus, both Cleveland and Cincinnati figure to be, at the very least, solid teams and will probably both be in contention at that point.
That doesn’t change the fact that Detroit may be in the market for a wide receiver, however.
Perhaps the Lions would be able to pick up a nice auxiliary option. For example, maybe the New York Giants make Darius Slayton available if they are out of contention by the deadline?
Regardless, it’s probably way too early to be speculating about any of this.
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