On the roster: Golden Tate, Marvin Jones Jr., Kenny Golladay, TJ Jones, Jace Billingsley, Teo Redding, Deontez Alexander, Dontez Ford, Andy Jones, Chris Lacy, Bradley Marquez, Brandon Powell
Key losses: None
Making the cut: Tate, Marvin Jones, Golladay, TJ Jones
On the bubble: Billingsley, Redding, Alexander, Ford, Andy Jones, Lacy, Marquez and Powell
| Player | Games | Rec | Yards | Avg | Long | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Tate | 16 | 92 | 1,003 | 10.9 | 71 | 5 |
| Marvin Jones Jr. | 16 | 61 | 1,101 | 18.0 | 58 | 9 |
| Kenny Golladay | 11 | 28 | 477 | 17.0 | 54 | 3 |
| TJ Jones | 14 | 30 | 399 | 13.3 | 34 | 1 |
| Jace Billingsley | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Teo Redding* | 11 | 45 | 624 | 13.9 | 75 | 8 |
| Dontez Alexander* | 11 | 50 | 1,137 | 22.7 | 81 | 18 |
| Chris Lacy* | 11 | 20 | 264 | 13.2 | 32 | 0 |
| Brandon Powell* | 11 | 42 | 402 | 9.7 | 31 | 3 |
| Andy Jones | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bradley Marquez | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dontez Ford | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| *college stats |
Best competition: If the Lions keep a fifth receiver, who is it?
The Lions kept five receivers on the initial 53-man roster last season, but there's no guarantee that happens again in 2018.
Tate, Marvin Jones, Golladay and TJ Jones look to be a logical top four. Where it gets interesting is if the Lions do in fact decide to keep a fifth.
Billingsley has mainly been a practice squad player the last two years with limited action on the 53-man roster. However, when Tate wasn't at the Lions' last open OTA practice, it was Billingsley running with the first-team offense in the slot.
Redding, the rookie out of Bowling Green, flashed some playmaking skills in OTAs and minicamp. He has a long frame and a huge vertical, and can go get the ball.
It's up to the receivers to make plays in training camp and the preseason to force the Lions to keep five on the roster.
View photos of the wide receivers competing for roster spots entering training camp.
Detroit Lions wide receiver Golden Tate (15) during an OTA practice at the Detroit Lions training facility on Wednesday, May 30, 2018 in Allen Park, Mich. (Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr. (11) during an minicamp practice at the Detroit Lions training facility on Wednesday, June 6, 2018 in Allen Park, Mich. (Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Deontez Alexander (3) during an minicamp practice at the Detroit Lions training facility on Wednesday, June 6, 2018 in Allen Park, Mich. (Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Bradley Marquez (12) during a minicamp practice at the Detroit Lions training facility on Tuesday, June 5, 2018 in Allen Park, Mich. (Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Kenny Golladay (19) during an minicamp practice at the Detroit Lions training facility on Wednesday, June 6, 2018 in Allen Park, Mich. (Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Jace Billingsley (16) during a minicamp practice at the Detroit Lions training facility on Tuesday, June 5, 2018 in Allen Park, Mich. (Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions wide receiver TJ Jones (13) during an minicamp practice at the Detroit Lions training facility on Wednesday, June 6, 2018 in Allen Park, Mich. (Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Andy Jones (17) during an OTA practice at the Detroit Lions training facility on Thursday, May 24, 2018 in Allen Park, Mich. (Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Dontez Ford (83) during an OTA practice at the Detroit Lions training facility on Wednesday, May 30, 2018 in Allen Park, Mich. (Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Jace Billingsley (16) during voluntary minicamp practice at the Detroit Lions training facility on Tuesday, April 24, 2018 in Allen Park, Mich. (Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Teo Redding (10) during an OTA practice at the Detroit Lions training facility on Thursday, May 24, 2018 in Allen Park, Mich. (Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr. (11) makes a one-handed catch during a minicamp practice at the Detroit Lions training facility on Tuesday, June 5, 2018 in Allen Park, Mich. (Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions wide receiver TJ Jones (13) smiles during voluntary minicamp practice at the Detroit Lions training facility on Tuesday, April 24, 2018 in Allen Park, Mich. (Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Golden Tate (15) during an OTA practice at the Detroit Lions training facility on Wednesday, May 30, 2018 in Allen Park, Mich. (Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Brandon Powell (1) during an OTA practice at the Detroit Lions training facility on Monday, June 11, 2018 in Allen Park, Mich. (Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Chris Lacy (18) during an OTA practice at the Detroit Lions training facility on Tuesday, May 22, 2018 in Allen Park, Mich. (Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Teo Redding (10) during an OTA practice at the Detroit Lions training facility on Tuesday, May 22, 2018 in Allen Park, Mich. (Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Deontez Alexander (3) during an OTA practice at the Detroit Lions training facility on Tuesday, May 22, 2018 in Allen Park, Mich. (Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Kenny Golladay (19) during an OTA practice at the Detroit Lions training facility on Monday, June 11, 2018 in Allen Park, Mich. (Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Dontez Ford (83) during voluntary minicamp practice at the Detroit Lions training facility on Tuesday, April 24, 2018 in Allen Park, Mich. (Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Brandon Powell (1) during rookie minicamp practice at the Detroit Lions training facility on Saturday, May 12, 2018 in Allen Park, Mich. (Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Bradley Marquez (12) during a minicamp practice at the Detroit Lions training facility on Thursday, June 7, 2018 in Allen Park, Mich. (Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Chris Lacy (18) during a minicamp practice at the Detroit Lions training facility on Tuesday, June 5, 2018 in Allen Park, Mich. (Detroit Lions via AP)
Twentyman's take: Can anyone overtake TJ Jones as the No. 4 receiver?
I don't see it. TJ Jones is smart and dependable, and he's coming off his best season as a professional. He can play every receiver spot, and quarterback Matthew Stafford trusts him.
I like the top four on the roster, and would put them up against any receiver corps in the league. It's a good group with a lot of versatility that can attack all three levels of the field in the passing game.
Training camp and the preseason are really going to be important for the fifth receiver to separate himself from the group. We've seen in past seasons (last year with running back Tion Green in Buffalo) how a great performance in the preseason can earn someone a roster spot.
By the numbers:
7: Tate became just the seventh player in NFL history to record 90-plus receptions in four straight seasons. He's had 92, 91, 90 and 99 the last four seasons with the Lions.
15: 25-plus yard receptions last season for Marvin Jones, which were the third most in the NFL.
613: Tate's yards after the catch last season, which ranked fifth in the NFL and first among all receivers. The Lions as a team ranked third in the NFL in total YAC (2,160).
1,000: Marvin Jones (1,101) and Tate (1,003) became just the seventh pair of Lions receivers to each record 1,000 receiving yards in the same season in franchise history.
Quotable: "We have a good group coming back," wide receivers coach Robert Prince said. "But it's a new year and we're all 0-0 and they have to earn it again this year.
"But I do like the group. They're all working hard and hopefully we'll have some good production out of those guys."
