Burning Question: Will Tim Patrick Debut This Week?

Could Lions elevate practice squad wide receiver for team debut against Buccaneers?

Detroit Lions wide receiver Tim Patrick (81). / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Detroit Lions signed a pair of veteran wide receivers to their practice squad in an effort to find another reliable option for Jared Goff.

Outside of Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, the Lions are relatively thin at the wide receiver position. As it stands, there are just two others on roster at the position in Isaiah Williams and Kalif Raymond.

A fifth player, Tom Kennedy, was elevated from the practice squad for Week 1. However, moving forward there is an expectation that one of Tim Patrick, Allen Robinson or Donovan Peoples-Jones could be elevated from the practice squad to help the offense.

When asked if Patrick was on track to debut in the near future, Campbell pointed to the ongoing competition between all the options in an effort to find the best solution for the team's receiver depth.

“All of those guys are competing. When you’re on the vet squad, every day you put in the work and our eyes are open," Campbell said. "I told them all that last week, so we’re paying close attention to him, Robinson as well. All our options are on the table and we’ll just take it as it comes.” 

Patrick was the premier addition to the practice squad, as reports surfaced of his intentions to join the Lions surfaced shortly after cuts were finalized. He has missed each of the last two seasons with significant injuries, but there is optimism that he can be a contributor in the near future.

He may not debut for the Lions this week, but Detroit did clear a spot on the active roster by waiving defensive lineman Chris Smith. The Lions have roster flexibility as a result, and how they decide to use it will be intriguing.

Rodriguez's role

Third-year linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez missed all of the preseason with a hamstring injury, and as a result missed out on valuable reps. However, he has clearly established a level of trust within the coaching staff throughout his first two campaigns.

As a result, he played a role on the defensive side in the Week 1 win with 14 snaps. The Oklahoma State product started 15 games as a rookie in 2022, but played a limited role in 2023 while also getting some action at fullback.

Detroit has established an overall strong linebacking corps, with Alex Anzalone, Derrick Barnes and Jack Campbell leading the way. However, the performance of Rodriguez and Jalen Reeves-Maybin has left Campbell and position coach Kelvin Sheppard feeling confident about playing any of the team's options at any point.

“We have no problem with Rodrigo playing. There’s a lot of trust, now, and faith in him. He’s a smart, conscientious player. We do feel like he improved, even before he had the injury, and then when he came back, the hammy’s good, he picked it up pretty quick for the time that he was able to get back in there. When you trust your guys to go in there and help you, man, that takes a load off. Our linebackers do so much for us, all of them, (Jalen Reeves-Maybin) Germ, Rodrigo, Alex, Barnes, Jack, even (Ben) Niemann."

As a result of the depth, the Lions can keep their options fresh at all points. While Anzalone, Barnes and Campbell are expected to take the majority of the reps, the ability to also utilize Rodriguez, Reeves-Maybin and Niemann without missing a beat can keep everyone healthy through the late parts of the season.

"So with all of those, we spread the load with them because we trust them," Campbell explained. "They can take reps off each other between special teams and defense. That’s how you get production but you’re also, you get down into December, January, I think this is gonna help us out too.”

Notes

Safety Brian Branch had strong moments in the season-opening win, but also had multiple missed tackles and dropped interceptions. The end result saw him finsh among the team's lowest PFF-graded players with a 55.2 overall defensive grade.

While the struggles are by no means indicative of his overall ability, as he is one of the best defensive playmakers on the roster, Branch took accountability for his struggles and told Campbell he would right the wrongs from Sunday's game.

"BB – I already talked about Kerby (Joseph), I thought Kerby did a good job, and BB made a lot of plays, but then one of the first things he says when he’s coming back in the locker room, he’s like, ‘I won’t miss those tackles anymore.’ So, he knows it and he’s really one of our best tacklers in general," Campbell said Monday. "He’s got his first game under his belt. But all in all, just cleaning up some of the communication, but I thought it was promising where our D-backs are at."