news-engine

One of the more competitive position battles developing at Detroit Lions training camp through 13 practices and one preseason contest is in a very deep wide receiver room. "That room right now is interesting," Lions head coach Dan Campbell said recently. Behind Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Isaac TeSlaa and Greg Dortch are a slew of veterans and youngsters with varying skill sets trying to latch on to that fifth or sixth receiver spot when the Lions put their initial 53-man roster together in a little over three weeks. Players like Tay Martin, Tom Kennedy, Tarik Black and Cedrick Wilson Jr. have made their share of plays throughout the start of camp, and that continued into Thursday's preseason opener in Cincinnati. "Martin showed up again, blocking, made a one-on-one catch separated, special teams. He forced a penalty and that was just one play on special teams. He made more than that," Campbell said. "In the return units and the cover units, I thought Black showed up, made some plays. He's intriguing. "We got (Wilson) back. He kind of had that little hip flexor. He gets it. Smart dude, can play all the positions, goes up there and makes play for us. And he'll mix it up and block. And he's played teams before. We know Kennedy, reliable, steady. So, I mean, those guys, that room right now, it's an all-out right now. So, it's pretty exciting." Second-year wide receiver Dominic Lovett is also in the mix along with Malik Cunningham and Lucky Jackson. Wilson is probably the most accomplished of the group having seven NFL seasons with 126 receptions and 12 touchdowns on his resume in stops in Dallas, Miami and New Orleans. Martin has been impressive the last couple weeks and even worked his way into first-team reps during Sunday's practice as Williams did not participate. "It's great to get out there with the ones and get a chance to go against the one defense and get some reps with Jared (Goff)," Martin said after practice Sunday. "It's just a great opportunity to get my feet wet and play some ball and move fast with those guys." Martin said he has tried being like a horse with blinders on just focusing on the task at hand when asked if he's heard some of Campbell's recent praise of his playmaking. Martin (6-3, 185) spent time between the active roster and practice squad in Washington, Tennessee and San Francisco the last four years. He caught 42 passes for 483 yards and a couple touchdowns for the Columbus Aviators of the UFL this past spring. There was a lot of talk heading into training camp about competitions at right tackle, left guard, edge rusher and cornerback, but the final receiver spots and what that room ultimately looks like heading into Week 1 of the regular season has been one of the most competitive battles in camp so far. HONEST EVALUATIONS Campbell remembers what it's like being a player in this league. He has a unique perspective as a head coach knowing how a lot of the bubble players feel as we creep closer to roster cut-down day and practice squad assembly at the beginning of September. Campbell appreciated coaches shooting it straight with him when he was a player, and he believes in the same approach as a head coach. "We make that very clear to our players what we expect and where we think they should be and kind of where they stand with the other players to an extent," he said. "Because I want to make sure some of these guys know, 'Look, you're not in right now. You may think you're in, you're not in and this is why you're not in, this is what we need.' "Because it's not fair to them if you don't give it to them. And it doesn't make it easy, but it's the right thing to do. And tell them where they can improve, what they can do, and where they stand. And that's all you can ask for because you may not like it, but you can respect it." ROSTER MOVES The Lions waived (injured) running Kye Robichaux and defensive back Loren Strickland and signed running back Trayveon Williams and cornerback Ekow Boye-Doe. Both Robichaux and Strickland were injured in the preseason opener. They could still return to the roster or practice squad once their injury settlement time expires, like what happened with Ahmed Hassanein last season. Williams is a seven-year veteran who's played in 75 games with Cincinnati, Los Angeles (Chargers) and Cleveland. He has a career 4.8 yards rushing average on 72 carries. Boye-Doe played six games with Kansas City in 2023 and was on the practice squads in New York (Giants) and Arizona the last two seasons.