Lions WR Tim Patrick’s role to increase after ‘positive’ showing vs. Bucs

On Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Detroit Lions receiver Tim Patrick had a sizable role in his team debut. He played 33 offensive snaps—more than Kalif Raymond—and was the target of three Jared Goff passes. For a player who was added less than three weeks ago, that’s a significant start.

While Patrick only caught two passes for 12 yards, coach Dan Campbell came away from his Lions debut impressed with what the 6-foot-5 receiver had to offer.

“We liked him,” Campbell said Monday. “It was good to see. I would say it was a positive showing. To be able to get him out there and implement him in some of what we were doing.”

Patrick currently remains on the team’s practice squad, with only two elevations left for the Lions to use. But by the sounds of Campbell’s endorsement of his Week 2 performance, it sounds like it will only be a matter of time before Patrick is not only on the 53-man roster, but a core piece of their offense.

“It’d be nice to get him a little bit more (playing time),” Campbell said. “But I think that’s what we’ll do moving forward. I think the idea is to see if we can open this up a little bit and use him a little more. But, man, he’s big, he’s physical, (and) his catch radius is pretty enormous. So there’s a place for him here, and I see us using him moving forward.”

On Sunday, the Lions were moving the ball well between the 20s, but struggled mightily in the red zone, converting seven trips into just a single touchdown. Patrick’s size and aforementioned catch radius could be a valued asset in those situations. In his last two full seasons, he caught a combined 11 touchdowns, eight of which were in the red zone.

But Patrick’s increased involvement will have to come at the disposal of some current players’ snaps. Jameson Williams played a career-high 92 percent of offensive snaps against the Buccaneers, but it sounds like both his playing time—and that of Raymond—will slide a bit going forward.

“You take a little bit off of Jamo, you take a little bit off of Leaf,” Campbell said. “That’s probably where most of it comes from, to be honest with you, and you just kinda roll those guys through.”

This shouldn’t be viewed as a demotion for Williams, though. Detroit rarely uses their No. 2 receiver that often in their offense. Detroit rarely uses their No. 2 receiver at 90% volume in their offense. Last year, Josh Reynolds played more than 80 percent of snaps just four times. Campbell wants a little more balance in the snap distribution to make sure their players are fresh.

“That’s a lot of reps. You’re going to need to give your guys a rest every once in a while, and I think that’s where Tim can help out there, as well as other spots,” Campbell said.

Simply put, the Lions want a wider variety of weapons, and Patrick gives them a big-bodied, physical weapon that they had previously lacked.