Detroit Lions fans may have been expecting second-year wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa to pick right back up where he left off in 2025. In the Lions' final three games of last season, TeSlaa hauled in eight grabs for 119 yards and two touchdowns.
But, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press described TeSlaa's camp as "bland." TeSlaa's drop in the Lions' first preseason game at the Cincinnati Bengals resulted in Luke Altmyer's pass being intercepted.
Despite the lack of production in camp and an underwhelming pair of preseason performances, Lions wide receiver coach Scottie Montgomery isn't worried about the third-round draft choice.
“I'm not too concerned,” Montgomery told Birkett and the Free Press last week. “I do want our guys making every single
play. And we did hold him accountable for some of the things that went on, and that’s the difference in being in the room and being outside of the room.”
As the solidified No. 3 receiver in Detroit's passing game, TeSlaa is expected to take on a more prominent role. That's why the offensive coaching staff deliberately increased the level of difficulty for TeSlaa during training camp.
"The one thing that I like about this year, though, he's been going against No. 1 corners. Last year, you get hidden at the No. 3, No. 3/4 spot. The top guys are not coming out there every time. So you're beating rookies or you're beating the three or four corners. Not this spring. Our goal was to put him against D.J. Reed and to put him against 2-3 (Rock Ya-Sin), it was to put him against all of the guys, whether it was (Nick) Whiteside. We wanted to see him go against this competition, and he had to work through it."
Montgomery said that he's optimistic that the ups and downs of TeSlaa's time in Detroit so far can serve him well moving forward.
"One of the things that I really loved is that he went through that dip when everybody, 'No one loves me anymore,' and he had to come back and see what that was like. When you come into this league and you're the poster boy and everybody gives you everything, sometimes you forget the grind that got you where you are. Not saying that he did, but what he did realize is that it's day to day. They can love you today, they can hate you tomorrow, they can love you again the day after that. So it's about putting in the work," Montgomery said.
The Lions kept only four receivers on their initial 53-man roster. This decision put heightened importance on TeSlaa's development. Tay Martin projects at the No. 4 WR, while both Tom Kennedy and Lucky Jackson signed to the practice squad.
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This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Lions unconcerned about Isaac TeSlaa's quiet camp, preseason
