After Injury Setback, Lions Want Antoine Green to 'Go Compete'

Lions saw growth in Antoine Green throughout 2023 season.

Detroit Lions wide receiver Antoine Green / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

The competition at wide receiver behind Amon-Ra St. Brown has the potential to benefit several young players on the Detroit Lions roster.

Among them is Antoine Green, who is entering his second season in the NFL.

Last season, the seventh-round pick showed development in Ben Johnson's offense, but did not have much of an opportunity on the field, as he was not targeted often when given a chance to play towards the end of the regular season.

Jameson Williams expects Green to have a solid sophomore campaign, as he expressed at OTAs that the speedy wideout showed development in his game at a faster rate than he did in some areas.

After an injury forced Green to miss OTA practice, the coaching staff is expecting his growth to continue throughout the offseason and training camp.

“I think that’s another one of those, like you asked about (safety Brandon Joseph) B-Jo. I would say AG was another guy that by the end of the year, we felt improvement. There was a noticeable difference from the time he walked in here to the end of the season, just what he was doing on scout teams for us," said Dan Campbell. "He played a little bit at the end of year, but those targets were going other places. But we saw significant growth."

Green has the potential to be the team's No. 3 receiver behind St. Brown and Williams, given he continues to showcase his speed and knowledge of the offense.

"We saw speed. We saw speed on the releases. He’s a smart football player, knew the offense. Really having high hopes came in early this camp," Campbell said. "He had a little bit of an injury last week, so we didn’t get to really see him. He’ll be back up doing a little bit of individual and stuff, so it’s hard to say. That progress is on hold because we weren’t able to get him out there last week. But certainly, we like the player and there’s enough – let’s see what happens in camp. He’s another guy, let him go compete.”

Additional reading

1.) Anzalone: Lions' Defense Can Be More 'Aggressive'

2.) Amik Robertson Is 'Feisty' Competitor, Can Do It All

3.) Montgomery: Lions Plan to Take Run Game 'Up a Notch'

4.) Minicamp Observations: Jack Campbell Intercepts Goff Twice