Isaac TeSlaa has been pretty quiet with the Detroit Lions so far in his rookie season. While he showed an immense amount of promise in the preseason, his regular season has been him mostly acting as a blocker and special teams member. As is life for a neophyte fighting for a role while also doing what's asked of him by the staff.
TeSlaa, against the Cincinnati Bengals, finally got a bit of a role in the offense after Kalif Raymond went down with a scary neck injury to begin the contest. He managed to act as an excellent run blocker for most of the game, and for that, he was nicely rewarded down the stretch by Jared Goff.
Isaac TeSlaa has three NFL catches.
— NFL (@NFL) October 5, 2025
Two have been for TDs
DETvsCIN on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXnxV pic.twitter.com/hbF8Scvy9L
What was special about this touchdown for TeSlaa, which is his second of the season, is that he finally caught one with two hands instead of just one. And here we thought, TeSlaa could only bring a pass down in the coolest fashion imaginable. Finally, he provided a very normal touchdown reception with the Lions.
In a world of Odell Beckham Jr.'s, TeSlaa decided to get back to the classics.
TeSlaa's touchdown reception was so surprising given his previous work that even the Lions' social media team had to make an alert post regarding the catch. It came at a very key moment in the game, as well, with TeSlaa making the grab as the Bengals were threatening to make a comeback with just over five minutes left in the game.
The rookie might end up getting a bit more involved in Week 6 against the Kansas City Chiefs if Kalif Raymond ends up needing more time to recover from his scary neck injury. At WR3, TeSlaa would just be asked to do the dirty work for the Lions' offense around the edges and to make the touch grabs for short yardage that they need to keep the chains moving. That's Raymond's role, and it's one he excels in.
The Chiefs are still considered a contender despite some struggles to begin the year, so this is going to be another test akin to their Baltimore Ravens game that the Lions have to trudge through to prove they're the team to beat in the NFL, and not just the NFC. TeSlaa might need to step up in a big way depending on Raymond's availability.
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