TJ Jones

Jones enters the 2017 season clearly buried on the depth chart behind the established Golden Tate and Marvin Jones, not to mention the ascending 2017 third-rounder, Kenny Golladay. However, Jones is capable of playing both out wide and in the slot, making him the next man up should injuries strike any of the receivers ahead of him. While Jones and Tate have combined to miss only one game over the last four years, Golladay missed five games as a rookie in 2017. Jones should be ready to capitalize if Golladay misses any more time. With that said, injuries tend to be fickle in nature, making it far from a guarantee that Jones will surpass the career-high 400 offensive snaps he logged a season ago.

After posting a 10/132/1 receiving line across 10 games in 2015, Jones failed to make the Lions roster out of training camp last season but eventually found his way back after re-signing in December. He enters the 2017 campaign firmly behind Golden Tate and Marvin Jones on the depth chart and will face strong competition from third-round rookie Kenny Golladay for the No. 3 job.

Entering his second season, Jones is also in the mix of receivers who hope to see more targets with the promise of a more balanced distribution of targets in the Lions' offense this year. He caught 10 passes in 2016, with nine coming in the last five games. Jones is likely to compete with offseason signing Jeremy Kerley for a role in three receiver sets.

Jones' primary contribution in 2015 will be as a returner, sitting atop the depth chart as both a kick and punt returner. As his 64-yard touchdown reception in the preseason finale exhibited, however, he can also serve as an explosive target in the passing game. Jones missed his entire rookie 2014 season due to a shoulder injury dating back to college. He was productive in his senior season at Notre Dame, hauling in 70 passes for 1,108 yards and nine scores, earning himself a sixth round selection at the hands of the Lions.

Jones' sharp routes, good hands and decent speed should eventually make him an effective slot receiver in the NFL, but targets could be hard to come by behind Calvin Johnson even if Jones does seize the job right out of the gate.