The Detroit Lions have fire power on offense, but will that translate to multiple 1000-yard receivers in 2024?
The Detroit Lions have been making history of late. With an offense slated to be among the league’s best, is there a chance they achieve one of the rarer feats in NFL history?
In the modern NFL, a decent offense typically finishes with one 1000-yard receiver, more so as a byproduct of explosive passing numbers compared to yesteryears. Some of the best offenses have two 1000-yard receivers, illustrating a diverse and deadly passing attack. Four teams achieved this mark in 2023: the Miami Dolphins (Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle), the Philadelphia Eagles (A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith), the San Francisco 49ers (Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle), and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Mike Evans and Chris Godwin).
The Lions did not hit this mark last season, but they came close. Sam LaPorta’s 889 receiving yards left him just short of joining Amon-Ra St. Brown (1515 yards) with 1000 yards. Surely two 1000-yard targets should be a realistic ceiling in 2024, right? Yet with the pass catchers they are slated to have next season, the rare 1000-yard trio is not out of the question for the Lions.
In NFL history, there have been a mere five trios with 1000 yards apiece. The latest to do it were the Arizona Cardinals and the receiving corps of Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, and Steve Breaston in 2008. Despite the increase in passing offenses since then, the feat has not been matched. The 2019 Los Angeles Chargers came close, with running back Austin Ekeler falling just seven yards shy of joining receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams in the 1000-yard club.
The Lions have no shortage of potential targets capable of hitting the 1000 mark, nor do they lack the offense needed to supply such a feat. St. Brown is the obvious candidate to hit 1000 yards—anything less would likely be due to injury. Though tight ends rarely hit 1000 yards, LaPorta is certainly a candidate to do so in 2024. Jameson Williams has yet to top 400 yards in a season, but it isn’t out of the question for him to take a significant jump after essentially redshirting his rookie season and missing valuable growth opportunities due to a gambling suspension in year two. He will also be relatively unchallenged as the WR2 in the offense, and if he can provide more plays like this , his ceiling goes well beyond 1000 yards. Meanwhile, Jahmyr Gibbs has the skillset to hit a 1000/1000 yard rushing and receiving season similar to what Ekeler nearly achieved in 2019.
With plenty of talented players on offense, and how many 1000 yard receivers could the Jared Goff-led passing attack produce?
Today’s Question of the Day is:
How many 1000-yard pass catchers will the Lions have in 2024?
My answer: I think the Lions will have two 1000-yard pass catchers.
As previously mentioned, St. Brown should be a lock to hit that benchmark if he stays healthy. I also believe that LaPorta is Goff’s next-best safety net on offense, and he will lean on him early and often during games.
Williams is an interesting case because the talent does not match his current production, but 2024 should be the year he takes a step forward. That being said, he might not receive the volume necessary to hit 1000 yards. In 2023, the Lions’ third pass catcher was Josh Reynolds with 608 receiving yards. I think Williams can top that mark in his expanded role, but there are a lot of other touches to go around.
Gibbs, for one, should be able to exceed his receiving total of 316 yards—utilizing him more as a pass catcher would be wise. I also believe that Donovan Peoples-Jones or Antoine Green could see increased looks as tertiary options on offense, while Kalif Raymond should not be discounted either. Goff threw for 4575 yards last season, and I think that is a reasonable expectation for 2024 as well. If you assume around 1500 yards for St. Brown, 1000 for LaPorta, 800 for Williams, and 600 for Gibbs, that leaves approximately 600 yards to split between Peoples-Jones, Green, Raymond, and other pass catchers like David Montgomery, Brock Wright, and Sione Vaki.
The Lions have the talent to support multiple 1000-yard receivers, but that also works against them—with so many capable options, it makes sense to spread the ball around.
How many Lions pass catchers will hit the 1000-yard mark in 2024? Let us know in the comments below.