Story by
Detroit Lions 'unsung hero' Josh Reynolds keeps making big plays despite painful injury
- Story by
- Detroit Lions 'unsung hero' Josh Reynolds keeps making big plays despite painful injury
Josh Reynolds is on pace to set career-highs in receiving yards and touchdowns, and he has done it while playing through a painful injury.
Reynolds told the Free Press last week he tore an adductor muscle in his groin around the time of the Detroit Lions ' Week 3 win over the Atlanta Falcons . The injury has since healed, and with extra time off Reynolds should return healthy after this week's bye.
Advertisement
But he has played nearly three-quarters of the Lions' offensive snaps and made some of the season's most important catches while dealing with an injury that has further endeared him to Lions coach Dan Campbell.
"Since 2021, he's been one of the best additions we could've had," Campbell said last week. "I mean, he is – he's perfect for what we are because he's – man, the reliability factor, the hands, the route tree that he's able to run, man, it goes a long way."
[ MUST LISTEN: Catch the "Carlos and Shawn" podcast each Thursday on demand on freep.com/podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts ( Apple Podcasts , Spotify ) ]
Reynolds, now 28, got off to a fast start last season, catching six or more passes with 80-plus receiving yards in three straight early season games before a cascade of injuries limited him in the second half of the year.
Advertisement
He set out this offseason to strengthen his legs and saw the dividends of that investment early on, before his groin injury flared up in late September.
Detroit Lions wide receiver Josh Reynolds makes a catch against Carolina Panthers cornerback D'Shawn Jamison during the first half at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023.
The injury got better, Reynolds said, after his adductor tore off the bone, all while it limited his ability "to pretty much do everything."
"I wasn't as explosive off the ball, I didn't feel great getting in and out of my routes," Reynolds said. "Like I was still able to do it, but I wasn't as effective as I wanted to be with it. Just kind of got to get through that thing."
Reynolds said he was able to avoid surgery because the injury was to the smallest of the three adductor muscles. He played 77% of the Lions' offensive snaps against the Falcons, but did not catch a pass or have a ball thrown his way for the only time this season.
Advertisement
"It wasn't as bad as last year," Reynolds said. "But it was still, anything kind of dealing with the legs for me, these are my moneymakers, I need them. So it was tough for about two, three weeks, but as of right now, shoot, I'm feeling good."
TRENDING: It's time to give some credit to the real reason for this Detroit Lions turnaround
Lions wide receiver Josh Reynolds catches a pass against Raiders cornerback Marcus Peters during the first half on Monday, Oct. 30, 2023, at Ford Field.
Reynolds has been one of the most valuable and unheralded players this year on a Lions team that ranks second in the NFL in total offense, eighth in scoring offense and fifth in passing yards.
He has 22 catches for 397 yards and three touchdowns through eight games, and 20 of his 22 catches have gone for first downs. He had a game-high 80 yards receiving in the Lions' Week 1 win over the Kansas City Chiefs , when he caught two big passes for first downs on the Lions' go-ahead touchdown drive. And he has emerged as one of quarterback Jared Goff 's favorite targets on third down.
Advertisement
Reynolds downplayed his role as a go-to player in a passing game where Amon-Ra St. Brown has more than twice as many catches (57) as any other receiver, and where rookies Sam LaPorta and Jahmyr Gibbs remain heavily involved.
"I'm thinking it's more because Saint is the primary third (down option) and so teams are realizing that and they're trying to take him away on the third, and at that point it's go through your keys and then I'm sometimes that next guy up," Reynolds said.
Baltimore Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith (0) breaks up a pass in the endzone intended for Detroit Lions wide receiver Josh Reynolds during the second half at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023.
But Campbell and Lions assistants Ben Johnson and Tanner Engstrand championed the value Reynolds brings beyond the stat sheet.
Advertisement
Johnson brought Reynolds' name up unprompted last week, saying he's someone "we don't mention enough."
DAVE BIRKETT: NFL power rankings: Final thoughts on Detroit Lions at trade deadline
"This guy's playing lights out and I'd be remiss not bringing him up," Johnson said. "It's like every time we throw him the ball, it's a big play almost."
Reynolds, who joined the Lions midway through the 2021 season after being released by the Tennessee Titans , is averaging a career-high 18 yards per catch, third most in the league. And Campbell said his ability to play every position in the receiving corps has helped the Lions stay afloat on offense while missing St. Brown, Gibbs, David Montgomery and Jameson Williams for one or more games.
Advertisement
"He does all the dirty work," Campbell said. "He's been an explosive receiver for us and he is very reliable, so he's a guy, you're calling plays like Ben or you're myself, there's a huge comfort level in having that guy cause he's been a clutch receiver for us. He's kind of been an unsung hero for us because he does so many different jobs."
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com . Follow him @davebirkett .
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions 'unsung hero' Josh Reynolds keeps making big plays
