Pressers and scrums: Lions' Campbell clarifies Raymond is team's No. 3 receiver

Allen Park — If you’ve been following along in the chat — a bonus function for subscribers — there’s been several questions about why Kalif Raymond isn’t talked about as the Detroit Lions’ No. 3 receiver.

All offseason, up to present day, the discourse has centered around which receiver would step up to win the No. 3 job. But some, self included, wondered why Raymond wasn’t considered that guy.

I think part it goes back to comments made by offensive coordinator Ben Johnson earlier this month. When asked for the blueprint he was looking for at that spot, Johnson started by saying, “smart and reliable.”

Well, that safely describes how the organization feels about Raymond. But then the coordinator added one more line, “If we had to be picky, we want a little bit of length, just so it rounds out those three guys that we’re anticipating entering the season with.”

That left us closely examining whether Donovan Peoples-Jones, Daurice Fountain or Kaden Davis would step up to fill the void created by Josh Reynolds’ departure. But while that trio battled inconsistency, the steady and reliable Raymond has been there all along.

So on Monday, I came to Dan Campbell’s press conference intent on getting clarity, asking the coach directly why Raymond isn’t viewed as the team’s No. 3. The question seemed to surprise Campbell.

“I hope I haven’t been the one who (was saying he wasn’t),” Campbell said. “He is receiver three right now. The idea has always been we love Leaf as a returner and Leaf brings a different skillset to the receiver position. He’s got a little gadgetry, he’s got some quickness underneath, and he’s a returner. To maximize both …he’s 20 plays a game, 25 plays a game.

“We’d rather not play him 65 plays a game, but we will if we have to,” Campbell said. “So yeah, he’s receiver three right now and that’s fine. But that’s why it would be nice to have somebody step up, because that just helps the room, and I think it makes everybody a little more potent. That’s all.”

That’s an endorsement, even if it’s a limited one. But the math does work. The Lions don’t need their third wide receiver to play 65 snaps per week. At that rate, across a 17-game schedule, that would be close to a 95% workload. In reality, the team will have a third receiver on the field closer to 40 snaps, and it won’t be the same guy at that spot in every package.

The last two seasons, Raymond has averaged 26.6 snaps per game. If he maintains that pace, logging around 450 in 2024, there’s a good chance he finishes with the third-biggest workload for a Lions receiver behind Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams.

I did follow up with Campbell, asking whether he felt comfortable with that trio filling the X, Y and Z roles within the scheme.

“Absolutely,” Campbell said. “…There's enough flexibility in those three receivers, between Saint, Jamo, and Leaf, you can do what you need to do. It’s just about, there we go, you just don’t want to overload guys. That’s all.”

● Campbell provided a lot of positive updates on the roster’s injured players, starting with running back Jahmyr Gibbs, who has been sidelined the past week with a hamstring strain.

“Our plan is to get him going next week,” Campbell said. “He’s trending the right way and we’re hoping (he’ll be ready) the day after the Pittsburgh game.”

The Pittsburgh game, of course, is the team’s preseason finale, which will take place Saturday afternoon at Ford Field.

Campbell went on to say the team expected to get a number of injured players back next week, including Sam LaPorta, Malcolm Rodriguez, Kevin Zeitler and Terrion Arnold.

“I think there’s a chance we could get (Arnold) back middle of the week next week,” Campbell said. “He’ll get a practice before the guys are on their break, but he’s trending the right way. I’m not concerned. As of right now, I think there’s a good chance we’re going to have most of our guys ready for Week 1.”

Additionally, Campbell hinted the team might pull defensive tackle DJ Reader off the physically unable to perform list next week. That doesn’t mean he’d be ready for the season opener against the Rams, but by avoiding the PUP list to start the season, he would be eligible to practice and return to action before Week 5, which has been his stated goal.

● One player who doesn’t appear to be as close to returning is rookie guard Christian Mahogany. He’s still getting physically acclimated after missing the first three weeks of camp with an unspecified illness.

“He’s been down there with (director of sports performance) Mike Clark and (head of strength & conditioning) Josh Schuler and those guys, just trying to get his legs back under him — his conditioning, strength level and he’s trending the right way,” Campbell said. “I can’t give you a timetable but he’s doing well. It’s good to have him here.”

Mahogany was spotted working with a trainer during the early portion of Tuesday’s practice, which is another positive step for the sixth-round draft pick.

He is currently on the non-football injury list, and if he starts the regular season with that designation, he would be required to miss the first four games.

● After missing 12 games his first two seasons, defensive lineman Josh Paschal has committed to a Pilates and stretching routine in search of improved durability.

Potentially more important than that proactive alteration to his approach is a change to his mentality. With the help of position coach Terrell Williams, the 2022 second-round draft pick feels he’s discovered his identity as a player.

“I’m a power guy,” Paschal said. “I’m a power rusher. I’m a strong guy, a bigger end and I play with power. I’m that rough, dirty guy.”

Paschal said he was previously trying to be jack of all trades, which left him a master of none. Now, instead of having a skill set that’s a mile wide and an inch deep, he’s leaning into his strengths, hoping it will lead to more consistent production.

“I was just trying to do a little bit of everything,” he said. “I feel like I saw a lot of guys with different speed moves that I tried to incorporate into my game. Of course it’s good to have a little bit of balance, but you have to have something that your identity is. You have to have one thing that you know, for sure, that you can lay back on.

“…I feel like every player has an identity,” Paschal said. “I just had to embrace that. That has gave me the confidence to go out here so far in camp and play with that identity, to be that physical player. I’m just excited for this upcoming season to show that.”

● When discussing players making a push for a roster spot, Campbell specifically highlighted undrafted rookie edge rusher Isaac Ukwu.

“When he got in here in the spring, he was last on the depth chart,” Campbell said. “It was, ‘Well where can this guy play?’ He’s not the biggest guy. He’s not really a SAM. Is he a defensive end?’

“He’s just steadily gotten better, and better, and better, and he plays much bigger than he is,” Campbell said. “He plays longer than his length says. Every time we give him an opportunity, he just shows up. He’s just an example of some guys that we’ve got our eyes on.”

In many ways, it’s remarkable Ukwu has made it this far. Not only did he start his college career at James Madison, but he missed large chunks of consecutive seasons after tearing each of his ACLs.

“My thing was if I came back and I sucked, yeah, I would have gave it up,” Ukwu said about whether he considered quitting. “But I felt like I could still play, so I didn't give it up. If I had come back and been trash, I would have probably hung it up.”

After signing with the Lions, Ukwu tried to watch the team’s appearance on ‘Hard Knocks’ from last season, but couldn’t find it in HBO’s archives. That means he didn’t get a chance to watch how next week’s roster cutdown day might look. Still, he has a pretty good idea, and he’s not going to lose sleep over it.

“All I can do is go out there and play and go my hardest, try and make plays on the field, and if I make it, that's great,” he said. “If I don't make it, at least I can know I gave it my all and I have no regrets.”

● The Lions placed two more veterans on injured reserve Tuesday, ending the chances linebacker Malik Jefferson or wide receiver Tre’Quan Smith play for the team in 2024.

To add some linebacker depth, the team signed Joel Iyiegbuniwe, a former fourth-round pick for the Chicago Bears who most recently played for the San Antonio Brahmas of the UFL.