The idea that the Lions should give up on Antoine Green too soon must be ignored.

The Detroit Lions would not benefit from giving up on a young wide receiver in advance.
With few weaknesses, the Detroit Lions boast one of the finest offenses in the NFL.

In light of this, there can be a tendency to trade based on strength.

Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report has proposed a few fictitious transactions to bring back quarterback-wide receiver tandems. Most of them are reunions of college pairs, with Lions wide receiver Antoine Green being one of them.

Since being selected in the seventh round of the previous year’s draft, Lions wide receiver Antoine Green hasn’t played in many games. The 6’2″, 199-pound pass-catcher has largely been buried on Detroit’s depth chart and played just 106 offensive snaps as a rookie.”

“However, he was far more productive in his final season at North Carolina, a campaign he finished with 43 receptions, 798 yards and seven touchdowns in nine games. Playing alongside quarterback Drake Maye, he earned a reputation as a downfield threat.”


“A year after Green was drafted, the New England Patriots made Maye the third overall pick. If the Lions cannot find a permanent role for Green, the Patriots should see if they can reunite the former North Carolina stars.”

Green played in nine games as a rookie last season, but he only saw two targets with one catch for two yards. A big chunk of his snaps game in a blowout loss to the Ravens.

Antoine Green could see increased role for Lions this year

The Lions are trying to find a way to replace the production lost when Josh Reynolds departed in free agency. Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is assessing the options to fill that void, including Green.

“He (Reynolds) was an explosive play waiting to happen. A number of his receptions were big plays for us, so something we’ve talked about with the skill group (is) those opportunities go elsewhere now and we need guys to step up and rise to the occasion just like he did. It might be someone that didn’t have as much production last year, say an Antoine Green or a (Donovan) Peoples-Jones or some of the guys that we had on the scout team.”

That is precisely the reason this trade would be bad or the Lions. Green just hasn’t had the chance to show what he is made of. This year he should have a better grasp on terminology, and with Johnson mentioning him without being prompted there’s an opportunity out there for him at the very least.

Against the Carolina Panthers in the previous preseason, Green showed off his skills with a 70-yard touchdown pass. Having gained a year of experience, he is expected to contribute more this year. It’s also reasonable to argue that he doesn’t have much trade value, which supports the notion that the Lions ought to (and will) keep holding onto him.