The Detroit Lions added some new talent on offense in last week’s NFL draft, and this week parted ways with a wide receiver who struggled with injuries.
The Lions announced on April 29 that they parted ways with Antoine Green, releasing him due to injury. Green struggled to find a consistent role on offense and now will be looking for a new NFL home.
Lions Release Antoine Green After Injury
Green came into the league as a seventh-round pick of the Lions in the 2023 NFL draft. He appeared in nine games that season but played mostly on special teams, making just one reception for two yards.
As Jimmy Liao of USA Today’s Lions Wire noted, Green’s career took an abrupt change when he suffered a preseason concussion, leading the team to release him with an injury designation just a few days later.
“Unfortunately, an injury in the 2024 preseason significantly altered his career,” Liao wrote. “In the first preseason game, Green suffered a reported concussion and was waived with an injury designation just four days later. The waiver was a surprise as most concussions can return-to-play within 2 weeks. For example, Hendon Hooker had a concussion in that same game and returned to play nine days later.”
Green did not play in the 2024 season, but signed a futures contract with the Lions this year. He was expected to compete for a reserve role or spot on the practice squad before his release.
Lions Add Talent to Wide Receiving Corps
Detroit’s wide receiver room got a bit more crowded after the NFL draft, with the team taking Arkansas pass-catcher Isaac TeSlaa in the third round and Georgia receiver Dominic Lovett in the seventh. The team also added two undrafted free agent wide receivers — Syracuse’s Jackson Meeks and Jakobie Keeney-James from UMass.
The Lions made a particularly big investment in TeSlaa, trading up more than 30 spots from pick No. 102 to No. 70 to land him. After the draft, Lions general manager Brad Holmes said TeSlaa was the favorite wide receiver he saw in the draft.
“I do love all of them,” Holmes said, via the Detroit News. “I’ll give you this, though: The pick that was probably the most questioned, I would say, was Isaac TeSlaa. I can say that he was my favorite wide receiver in this draft. I’m not saying he was the best wide receiver in the draft. But favorite wide receiver in the draft? Yes.”
Holmes added that the team got a closer look at TeSlaa at the Senior Bowl, and it was actually his run blocking that first stood out.
“Just saw how he was in the run game in the team periods,” Holmes said, via the team’s official website. “Just his blocking and his size and he was just being a pest, and he was pissing off the DBs and defenders.”
TeSlaa could add some home-run ability to Detroit’s passing game. The 6-foot-4 wide receiver had a knack for big plays at Arkansas, averaging 19.5 yards per reception. TeSlaa made a total of 62 catches for 897 yards in two seasons with the Razorbacks — with no drops.
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