Right as Isaac TeSlaa gained separation from his defender on a post route in a 7-on-7 period midway through Detroit's minicamp practice Tuesday, quarterback Jared Goff hit him perfectly in stride and TeSlaa was off to the races for a big gain.
Detroit is expecting much more of that this season from their talented second-year wide receiver out of Arkansas. Playing a special teams and mostly fourth receiver role as a rookie last season, TeSlaa impressed when given an opportunity to play on offense. He showed terrific hands and great body control, registering six touchdowns and 16 receptions on just 27 targets.
TeSlaa enters his second season as Detroit's No. 3 wide receiver behind Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams and is expected to play a much bigger role in Drew Petzing's offense in 2026.
"I almost wish we could have gotten TeSlaa some more touches than he did get (last year)," head coach Dan Campbell said Tuesday when asked about TeSlaa. "But, it wasn't because of him, his growth took off, and he did, he got a little bit better every week, he became a guy – would tell you by the end of the year we had a lot of trust in."
Consistency is a word coaches use a lot when talking about goals for young players.
"He is just steady, he's steady, he is consistent for a young guy, he doesn't get frazzled," Campbell said. "I mean this as a compliment, what he's done out here in the spring, Phase II, OTAs and all of that, it is just been very – there's been nothing like flashy about it and that is a good thing.
"I mean he is just consistent and where we expected him to be at this point this time for Year 2 is exactly where we want him and I would say probably even a little bit more, you are impressed, he feels like a veteran right now."
That's one of the best compliments a young player like TeSlaa can receive from his head coach. He's not only building trust among the coaches but also among his quarterback and teammates as he's been a consistent playmaker all spring for this offense.
TeSlaa has a long frame (6-4) with a big catch radius and some of the best hands on the team. He worked this offseason on building more quickness into his game which should help him get off the line of scrimmage cleaner and create more separation at the top of his route.
"I'm just a lot more comfortable and able to play faster," TeSlaa said after practice. "Doing a lot less thinking this year."
TeSlaa is particularly excited about the potential of playing a bigger role in this offense with dynamic skill weapons that make it tough to double team any one player.
"It's exciting for me and exciting for the whole offense. With the weapons we have, I don't know how you're going to (cover) all our skill weapon positions," TeSlaa said. "I feel like if people want to double a guy, then you're just leaving another extremely skilled person wide open.
"So, I think it's a great opportunity for the whole offense. They have to worry about a lot of guys and we're excited to punish them."
TeSlaa might benefit the most from Detroit's plethora of skill weapons, at least early on. Between All-Pro St. Brown, back-to-back 1,000-yard receiver and one of the fastest players in the league Williams, record-setting tight end Sam LaPorta and all-everything running back Jahmyr Gibbs, TeSlaa might be toward the bottom of the list when opposing defensive coordinators sit down and start game planning for Detroit. That could lead to a ton of one-on-one opportunities for him.
TeSlaa has had a good offseason and though he declined Tuesday to share some of the personal goals he's set for himself heading into Year 2, he admitted those goals are 'pretty lofty.'
"He's done a good job of going and getting the football since he's been here," Associate head coach/wide receivers coach Scottie Montgomery said of TeSlaa Tuesday. "Now the top of his breaks are so much cleaner. He's so much stronger. We look forward to him really, really growing."
