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The Detroit Lions large reception hall is undergoing reconstruction and that means most seats are up for grabs.
Tyrell Williams, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Kalif Raymond have all been strong in the camp and appear to have an internal lead for the key roles on this list. Breshad Perriman was selected for a starting role but struggled to stand out and a hip injury put his role in jeopardy. Quintez Cephus has also been reliable throughout the offseason and could complete the squad if the team decides to keep just five receivers, as I predicted in my last screening of 53 players.
Things are far from settled and there are still a few key questions surrounding the group, like, will the Lions keep a sixth receiver? Or, are any of the five above vulnerable for not making the list, opening up a spot for someone else?
If the answer is yes to either of these questions, then this will be a huge opportunity for third-year wide receiver Tom Kennedy.
“He just makes plays,” coach Dan Campbell said of Kennedy. “I feel like – I’m going to drive this into the ground, but now we’re getting to a place where it’s like you want to find some guys you trust.” At the end of the day, we can wrap it up in this package of “He’s doing it right. Blah Blah Blah. ‘ But ultimately, from where I’m sitting and my coordinators and coaches, you want guys you can trust. We trust Tom Kennedy right now.
Over the course of two preseason games, Kennedy proved to be very trustworthy and led the team in receiving and receiving yards in every game. His eight collective receptions for 107 yards is more than double that of any other Lions offensive player.
“He’s another guy doing what he’s supposed to do when he’s supposed to do it, he knows where to go, he can play all three spots and he makes plays,” Campbell continued. “When we need a game he makes games and he just showed up. Again, it’s hard to ignore it, that’s right.
Previously, Kennedy was primarily a slot machine-only receiver for the two years under the previous regime, but this offseason he has expanded his game to include time away from home. Plus, Kennedy tried his hand at different spots on special teams, which he absolutely should do to be on the roster.
“’Is there another place we can see it besides the comeback or other things,” said Campbell said as he and his staff have thought about it? “This is where he would be just a limited tick. Not for lack of effort or anything in that regard, but, “What do we do with him?” Where do we put him where he can be an asset to us or at least help us in special teams? ‘ This is something that we will be fine-tuning this week.
If Kennedy can carve out a role on the special teams this week, and then continue to prove his worth in this weekend’s final preseason game, he’ll have a legitimate chance at being part of the 53-man roster.
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