Fact or Fiction: Lions' No. 3 WR Battle Is Most Competitive

Donovan Peoples-Jones, Kalif Raymond and Antoine Green are all expected to compete for No. 3 WR job.

Donovan Peoples-Jones / Jamie Sabau, USA TODAY Sports

If competition truly brings out the best in people, Detroit's wide receivers group should be ultra productive during minicamp this week and throughout the summer.

While Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams are absolute locks to be the Lions’ top two receivers, the team's WR depth chart behind the two of them is rather unclear. 

Donovan Peoples-Jones, Kalif Raymond and Antoine Green are all expected to duke it out for the No. 3 receiver job in the Motor City. 

From all accounts, Peoples-Jones, a trade deadline acquisition of Lions general manager Brad Holmes last season, has the inside track to claim the position. Yet, it is far from a foregone conclusion. 

Peoples-Jones has been productive in his career before, with two consecutive 590-plus yard receiving campaigns with the Cleveland Browns in 2021 and 2022. However, in 15 total games a season ago (with the Browns and the Lions), the Detroit Cass Tech High School product secured just 13 receptions for 155 yards, including a measly five catches for 58 yards with Detroit.

Unlike last year, though, “DPJ” has a full offseason of reps with the Lions at his disposal, which should mean a bigger role for the fifth-year receiver with his hometown team in 2024. 

Now, if the Michigan native doesn't capture the No. 3 receiver job, Raymond should be the next in line to secure it.

Raymond, who has spent the last three seasons with the Lions, caught at least 47 balls and amassed at least 576 receiving yards in 2021 and 2022. He wasn't as productive this past season, but still managed to secure 35 receptions for 489 yards. Along with that, he's been an effective punt returner, with 70 returns for 831 yards and a score in three seasons with Detroit.

There's also a chance the Lions opt to give the job to second-year pro Antoine Green. 

Green, a seventh-round pick of the Lions in 2023, had a very minimal role with the team during his rookie season, and caught a lone ball for two yards in nine games. However, he was seen running with the starters in OTAs last week, and the Lions evidently are high on his potential as an NFL wideout.

The battle for the No. 3 receiving job in Motown appears to be wide open, and I believe there's a long way to go, with training camp still to come, until it's resolved. 

Now, there are other intriguing position battles facing the Lions as they get ready for the 2024 season, most notably at defensive end. 

Detroit is still searching for a reliable EDGE complement to standout pass-rusher Aidan Hutchinson. And, defensive ends Marcus Davenport, Josh Paschal, John Cominsky, James Houston and Mathieu Betts are all expected to get a chance to prove their worth during camp season. Among that group of players, it should be fun to watch who rises to the top of the DE depth chart over the course of the summer.

Yet, for my liking, there won't be a more interesting and competitive position battle in camp this summer than the one for the No. 3 WR job.

Peoples-Jones is currently the favorite in the clubhouse to secure the job. However, as stated above, Raymond and even Green, as unlikely as it may sound, have a fighter's shot to win the gig, too. It'll be intriguing to see how it plays out the next few months.