Lions still view Amon-Ra St. Brown as ‘that dude’ despite more competitive receiver room

ALLEN PARK -- The Detroit Lions spent considerable resources upgrading their wide receiver situation this offseason. And while most of the outside attention has focused on the additions of DJ Chark and Jameson Williams, the team isn’t sleeping on second-year wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown.

Chark provides the team with a lanky potential go-to option that should be able to make a living after the catch. The Lions also moved up to take Williams at Pick 12. Much of the talk through their offseason program has concerned when the speedy Alabama wideout will make his on-field debut in Allen Park.

With that said, Antwaan Randle El shot down the idea that St. Brown was being overlooked.

“Nah, not internally. We brought DJ in, we brought Jameson, but Saint’s the guy,” the Lions wide receivers coach said. “That’s the dude, in terms of he gets it, continues to get it, and it’s good to see. Second year, the same focus -- even greater focus. ‘Coach, teach me this.’”

Randle El sits in the camp of believing St. Brown can be even better statistically in Year 2 with all the added help. And that would be quite the feat considering what he did in 2021.

St. Brown impressed coaches from the moment he landed in Allen Park. It might have taken a minute for that to translate to Sundays. But it’s undeniable that he took full advantage of his increased role while looking like a cornerstone piece to the rebuild around these parts.

The fourth-round rookie notched 90 receptions for 912 yards and five touchdowns. Those 912 yards were fourth among rookie receivers, and those 90 catches trailed only Dolphins wideout Jaylen Waddle (104).

St. Brown had 51 catches on 67 targets for 560 yards and five touchdowns through the season’s final six games. Only three wide receivers had more yards than St. Brown in December. Rams receiver Cooper Kupp was the only one with more receptions. St. Brown drew double-digit targets in each game during that span, topping at least 90 receiving yards four times. He became the second rookie in NFL history to catch at least eight balls in four consecutive games. The other was Odell Beckham Jr. Heck, he even added 61 rushing yards and one touchdown with a successful two-point conversion in those six games.

All of that happened without tight end T.J. Hockenson or running back D’Andre Swift distracting defenders. Now, with those two healthy and back for another run paired with the new additions. St. Brown has an opportunity to take his multi-faceted role to another level through the increased breathing room.

Related: Breakout WR Amon-Ra St. Brown believes Detroit Lions have complete offense ahead of Year 2

Related: Detroit Lions’ much-improved receiver depth sets stage for training camp battle for spots

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“Hopefully, we can spread the defenses thin a little bit,” Tanner Engstrand, the team’s passing game coordinator and tight ends coach, said. “They got to cover all the width of the field and all the length of the field. And not perhaps be able to double people as much. Perhaps get T.J. and the other guys into some more one-on-ones. Whether that’s versus linebackers or versus some dropdown safeties.”

St. Brown previously said these additions give the Lions a complete offense. And he echoed his coaches in saying he believes life should be easier across the middle of the field with so many playmakers to cover.

“I think we’re a very diverse group and can do a lot of different things,” St. Brown said. “We each bring different qualities to the table. I think it’s just going to help us in the long run. You got Josh (Reynolds), long body, can go up and get it. DJ, long stride, can run. We just added Jamo. Jameson Williams, obviously speed guy, can take the top off. Me, Kalif, Q(uintez Cephus) -- I mean, we have so many different guys. Swift. T.J. We have so many weapons now. I’m excited to see what Ben (Johnson) does with all of us.

“I don’t think we had too much success last year with the deep ball. That’s an area as an offense that we want to improve on, and adding guys like that is going to help us. Like I said, it’s just going to open up more holes in the middle, so it’s going to be great for us.”

And St. Brown isn’t wrong about that last part. Even when the offense was making strides, there wasn’t much of a vertical component to the passing attack. St. Brown’s yards per target jumped to more than 10 yards in the year’s final two weeks. Still, he averaged only 8.36 yards per look during his breakout six games. His season average of 7.6 yards per target was 76th in the league. Kalif Raymond led the team in that category, mind you, at 5-foot-8, with 8.1 yards per look.

Returning receiver Josh Reynolds brought some of that to life. But quarterback Jared Goff still made his living on accurate passing in the short and intermediate. St. Brown has said he’s focused on better understanding defenses in Year 2. That should allow him to play faster and smoothly make changes on the fly.

“For me, it’s just whenever I get the opportunity to make the most of it, whether that’s five targets a game, whether that’s two, whether that’s 12,” St. Brown previously said. “Each game is different. Each scenario is different. Obviously, the goal is to win the Super Bowl, so if we’re winning games, I’m happy. I’m not complaining. It’s just going out there and doing my part, and whenever I do get that chance to win, make the most of it that I can.”