The Detroit Lions have been adding reinforcements to their receiver room, which was extremely productive under now Chicago Bears coach, Ben Johnson, last season. The Lions added former San Francisco 49ers receiver Ronnie Bell in January and officially joined the 53-man squad when the new league year began.
Bell may never get the chance to play with the Lions after they picked up receivers Isaac TeSlaa and Dominic Lovett in the NFL Draft. Bell had an up-and-down start to the NFL with the 49ers. He was drafted in 2023 in the seventh round and immediately looked like a steal for San Francisco.
He played in all 17 games in his rookie season, scoring three touchdowns. In 2024, he wasn’t as effective. The 49ers ended up cutting Bell and signing him to the practice squad, where he spent the majority of the season. The Lions provided an opportunity for him to regain his 2023 form, but it looks like the Lions may be overlooking him.
The Detroit Lions are adding a lot of receivers with very little room to keep them all
Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams were key pieces to an offense that obliterated teams in 2024. They’ll most likely be around, but the Lions have been busy adding as many potential weapons as they can this offseason.
Bell was a notable one, but picking up two more receivers in the draft created a logjam in the receiver room. So what exactly is the Lions’ plan moving forward? There was a lot of speculation that the Lions would potentially be using Williams as trade bait.
Those rumors have since dissipated and now the Lions have a lot of role players and little room to keep them all. If Williams is staying put in Detroit — which is the smart decision, mind you — then where does that leave everyone else? Bell is probably the odd man out for now.
Bell not staying on the 53-man squad in San Francisco last year didn’t help his case and the Lions essentially added him as depth, not knowing what the draft would hold. The Lions drafting TeSlaa and Lovett is proof Bell is probably closer to the practice squad than the opening day roster.
As for Lovett and TeSlaa, well they’re likely fighting for one final spot. Kalif Raymond has been the Lions’ return specialist and a great option to go to outside of the two star receivers. Though Sam LaPorta is probably the third option for the Lions’ offense, another receiver could go a long way.
Maybe the Lions have room for two more receivers and take five onto the 53-man squad. That still leaves Bell on the outskirts of making the roster. I think had Bell had a better 2024, it would have given the Lions more comfort.