While the Detroit Lions haven’t been hit anywhere near as hard by the injury bug on offense as they have on defense, they are shorthanded at wide receiver with Kalif Raymond on injured reserve.
But there could be a potential option to help fill the void hitting the market soon, as the Denver Broncos decided to waive wide receiver Josh Reynolds in the first year of his two-year, $9 million deal. In all, Reynolds had 12 catches for 183 yards and one touchdown over five games.
Reynolds was designated to return from injured reserve a few weeks back and was set to have his 21-day practice window expire Wednesday. The Broncos decided to waive him instead and opted to stick with their younger wide receivers, according to Jeff Legwold of ESPN.
Reynolds will go to waivers, although it’s very possible he goes unclaimed because teams may not be willing to pick up his deal. If Reynolds goes unclaimed, he’ll be free to sign with any team, and he’ll likely only cost the prorated amount of the veteran’s minimum.
Of course, the Lions are quite familiar with Reynolds already, as he spent two-plus seasons with the team and was Detroit’s No. 2 wide receiver in 2023.
Reynolds’ tenure didn’t end well, though, as he had critical drops in the NFC title game against the San Francisco 49ers. The Lions reportedly made Reynolds a below-market offer in free agency, which led to him leaving for Denver.
In 2024, Jameson Williams has stepped up and become the No. 2 wide receiver in the offense, and Tim Patrick, who was cut by the Broncos before the start of the season, has done a great job in the No. 3 role.
Beyond those two and Amon-Ra St. Brown, the Lions have question marks at wide receiver. Reynolds would be one heck of a No. 4 option in the room and would give Detroit ridiculous depth at the position if Raymond gets back.
The Lions are last in the waiver wire priority in Week 14, so it doesn’t really make sense to put in a claim for him. But if the veteran wide receiver goes unclaimed and hits the open market, he’d be a strong low-risk, high-reward signing for Detroit.
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