Brad Holmes has dedicated the offseason to positioning the Detroit Lions for significant progress. His efforts included acquiring Carlton Davis III and Terrion Arnold at cornerback and adding D.J. Reader to the defensive line.
However, the fourth-year general manager has yet to address the team’s need for a wide receiver, a gap that has grown larger with the departure of Josh Reynolds, who had been a reliable target for Jared Goff over the past two-and-a-half years in Detroit. Goff and Reynolds, who were also teammates with the L.A. Rams from 2017 to 2020, connected 40 times for 608 yards and five touchdowns in 2023.
Without Reynolds, the Lions have a clear need for depth at wide receiver behind All-Pro Amon-Ra St. Brown and third-year pro Jameson Williams.
If Holmes decides to address this gap in the coming weeks, Houston Texans’ Robert Woods – a former teammate of Goff’s with the Rams – would be a solid option. Woods may be expendable in Houston due to their deep receivers room, which includes returning players Nico Collins and Tank Dell, as well as offseason acquisition and four-time Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs.
Goff and Woods were teammates in Los Angeles for four seasons (2017-2020). In three of those seasons (2018-2020), they connected for over 85 catches and 930 yards each year. Woods, a second-round pick by the Buffalo Bills in 2013, recorded his only two 1,000-yard seasons with Goff and the Rams (2018 and 2019).
Although Woods, now 32, has seen a decline in his performance, recording just 40 receptions for 426 yards and one touchdown last season in Houston, he would still be an upgrade at the No. 3 receiver spot over Kalif Raymond and Donovan Peoples-Jones.
Moreover, the Lions would likely only need to part with a Day 3 draft pick to acquire Woods, who will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2024 season. If I were Holmes and learned that a fifth-round pick would be sufficient, I would make the trade for Woods.
