Lang: Goff Misses Reynolds, Does Not Yet Trust No. 3 Receiver

Former Lions says Goff's connection with Reynolds is "hard to duplicate."

Detroit Lions wide receiver Josh Reynolds (8) and quarterback Jared Goff (16). / Kirthmon F. Dozier-Imagn Images

The Detroit Lions' passing game has struggled to convert in the clutch throughout the early part of the 2024 NFL season. Though Jared Goff threw for over 300 yards in Week 2, he was held without a touchdown pass as the offense reached the end zone just one time in seven trips inside the opponent's 20-yard line.

While the blame for the red zone struggles could go a number of different ways, one analyst believes that the offense is missing a key piece from year's past.

T.J. Lang, who played the final two years of his 10-year career with the Lions and is now an analyst for the team's radio broadcast, joined 97.1 The Ticket's 'Valenti and Rico Show' and explained that Goff could be missing former Lions' receiver Josh Reynolds through the first two games of the season.

“This isn’t a knock on the other receivers, by any means, but I think Jared Goff personally is missing Josh Reynolds a little bit," Lang said. "I know Lions fans, their last memory of Josh Reynolds was the NFC Championship game with a couple of dropped passes, but he was a big part of this offense on third down and in the red zone and making plays when you had to have them. I don’t think (Goff) has that trust really in the number three receiver right now. But that’s gonna take time, he had years of reps with Josh Reynolds going back to his Rams days.”

Goff and Reynolds had spent time together with the Rams, with Goff being drafted in 2016 and Reynolds in 2017. Goff was traded to the Lions in 2021, and Reynolds would land with Detroit later in that season after being waived by the Tennessee Titans.

Because the two had spent so much time together, they developed strong chemistry. While he has a strong connection with Amon-Ra St. Brown and a budding one with Jameson Williams, Lang believes Goff has been missing a presence like Reynolds' in key junctures.

“I think there were so many times last year in a big third down or even the red zone where, ‘I know the coverage route-leveraged,’ or, ‘Maybe it’s not the ideal formation for what we want to run, but I’ve hit this pass so many times to this guy, I know where he’s gonna be,'" Lang stated. "I’m not saying they’re not doing that right now, but I think when you have four, five, six years of trust and chemistry with a certain guy, that’s hard to duplicate. They’re gonna get there eventually, I just don’t think they’ve been there through the first two games.”

The natural response -- Why didn't the Lions offer Reynolds a new contract that met his value? While the Lions have remained confident in their newcomers at the position, they lack that stable veteran presence that Reynolds provided.

“It’s a good question, and I’m not sitting here saying Josh Reynolds was some All-Pro type guy, but he was the ultimate security blanket for Jared Goff," Lang explained. "Maybe not for — be a key piece you build your offense around. But I think that him and Goff had a certain chemistry that you haven’t been able to duplicate yet. And I’m not saying it’s not gonna happen, but yet with some of these new guys, Tim Patrick, Kalif Raymond’s been the de facto number three receiver. I don’t think they want to put him as the number three receiver, they want to have him more on special teams and have him as a gadget type guy. I don’t think they want to put Kalif out there for 50 snaps a game.”