When the Detroit Lions dealt for former Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones, the move served as a beneficial one for both organizations.
Peoples-Jones gives the Lions' offense another weapon for Ben Johnson to utiize. He possesses the necessary size to make an impact down the field, while also having solid speed that allows him to fly by defenders.
"Just making plays. We've got a lot of guys who can make plays. Not just in the receiving room but on offense in general," the wideout said. "So just doing my part in that and making plays for the team."
A familiar face in Detroit, he's no stranger to Ford Field. In addition to a game played there between the Browns and Buffalo Bills last year as the result of a storm, he also played numerous games at the Lions' home field while at Cass Tech High School.
As a result, his friends and family were excited with the news of him returning to his home town.
Peoples-Jones fits a need for Detroit's offense with his combination of size and speed.
"I just think I'm unique. It's definitely a special group," Peoples-Jones explained. "I like everybody so far, I like everything that's going on so far. Love coach Randle El, so I'm blessed to be here. Definitely think I bring a unique skill set to the group."
Additionally, offensive coordinator Ben Johnson recalled being impressed with what he saw when Peoples-Jones was entering the league out of Michigan.
“I remember when he was coming out of Michigan, I really liked his tape coming out of there," Johnson said. "I actually thought he fell a little farther in the Draft than a guy of his skill-set might. You’re talking about 6-foot-2, 210 and can run under a 4.5 (40-yard dash). So those guys don’t grow on trees. So far, what we’ve seen from him is exactly that. Really fluid route runner, strong hands, big catch radius and I think he can work both outside and inside. Probably, even better than that at least from my perspective, everybody talks about how smart he is. So that’s something that we really need in that room. We ask a lot of our guys, lining up in different areas and being very detailed. So I think he’ll fit in very nicely.”
Peoples-Jones enjoyed a career year last season with the Browns, hauling in 61 passes for 839 yards and three touchdowns. However, his targets, and subsequently his numbers, fell off through seven games this season.
His final stat line with the Browns this season included just eight catches for 97 yards on 18 total targets.
Rather than reflect on what went wrong, though, the Detroit native has shifted his focus to his new opportunity.
"I'm here," Peoples-Jones stated. "I'm focused on Detroit and moving forward."
The Lions wide receiving corps has endured questions about its depth throughout the season. With the addition of the Michigan product, though, Detroit has gotten another piece to its offense's complex puzzle.
"We're trying to keep this thing going, man. Another addition, a great football player," said Jameson Williams. "He's from Detroit, so he can help us around the city. Just another great football player added to the team, so we can keep going and push this thing."
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