Detroit Lions WR Tom Kennedy reigns supreme — in the preseason

This isn’t your usual Detroit Lions training camp hype story.

I’m not here to extol the virtues of a well-known star who has made yet another amazing circus catch – at a drill where no real hitting or tackling is allowed.

I’m not going to tell you about a non-lawyer guy who’s big and strong and shows super fast — on a day when everyone is in shorts.

This is not a story about tradition and celebrity, or vibes and feelings.

This is a story about Tom Kennedy who has been around since 2019 and really needs no introduction.

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But if you have to have one, you can call the wide receiver the Lions’ preseason King — his 326 receiving yards in the 2019 exhibition season are more than any other Lion. And it’s a number that likely won’t be surpassed, due to the reduction in preseason games and Kennedy’s unique history and relationship with the team.

Although Kennedy has spent part of every season with the Lions since 2019 — when he was an undrafted lacrosse and football player out of tiny Bryant University in Rhode Island — and lights up the preseason stat sheet like a pinball, he has played in just 20 years. regular season games with 14 receptions for 195 yards.

However, he owns a perfect career passer rating of 158.3 thanks to his only career pass: a 75-yard touchdown pass to Kalif Raymond in the 2021 season-ending win over Green Bay. Take that, Jared Goff!

For Kennedy, it was largely a bubble career. He’s 28 and still looking for the day he’ll make it as a roster regular who doesn’t have to audition every year.

Kennedy has always fascinated me because of his will to keep going and his desire to prove himself, even to the coaches and team he knows so well. Kennedy showed a lot of loyalty, he never played for another team. The Lions have shown a similar affinity for Kennedy and have brought him back every year, signing and waiving him so often that even a yo-yo would think the ups and downs are a bit excessive.

So I asked Kennedy after Wednesday’s practice about what has kept him chasing this dream for so long?

“I don’t know,” he said quietly as he searched for an answer. “I feel like it’s like anything else, you know? You want to push yourself all the time, see how great you can be. Control what you can control and that’s really it.”

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The Lions typically start the season with five receivers on the roster, meaning there are two spots up for grabs after the top three go to Amon-Ra St Brown, Jameson Williams and Raymond.

“We’re waiting for somebody to step up,” coach Dan Campbell said Monday.

That means it could be anyone, especially since no receiver stood out in last week’s preseason opener against the NY Giants. But offensive coordinator Ben Johnson said earlier this summer that he would like a bigger receiver to fill the open spot, perhaps to replace the departed Josh Reynolds.

That doesn’t bode well for the 5-foot-10 Kennedy. But something that could help him is Campbell’s description Monday of what he’s looking for: “We’re dying for somebody to step up and say, ‘ Hey man, me”. i’m the guy I’m the guy you can count on. I’m going to be the same consistent player every day and find a way to make the plays that come my way.’ “

Consistency and reliability? That should be in the first sentence of Kennedy’s LinkedIn profile. But don’t take my word for it.

“You know what he brings to the table,” wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El said. “He is consistent, reliable. You have a lot of respect for these guys because these guys, these are the pros, these are the guys we want.”

Kennedy’s biggest problem might be something he certainly can’t control, playing a similar style and position to St. Brown, an All-Pro star.

“I have a lot of respect for Tom Kennedy,” Randle El said, “a ton of respect for guys at that position that, man, I mean they’ve got all the skills, but hey, they get overlooked because you have a guy like St. Brown in the same spot business.”

Football is full of players who had to wait for their chance because they were buried on the depth chart. Guys like Hines Ward, Derrick Henry, Tom Brady and Kurt Warner just to name a few.

I’ve always had a soft spot for Kennedy because he does his job quietly and professionally and doesn’t complain. I didn’t understand how he could be so close to being an average NFL player for so long and not go crazy until he explained the only standard that matters to him.

“I just want to be able to look in the mirror and be happy with the way I played and play the way I know I’m capable of,” he said. “So I’m not too worried about things I can’t control.”

He has no say in his playing time, though he got plenty against the Giants and should get another good look from his coaches in Saturday’s game at Kansas City.

But there is something else about Kennedy’s demeanor that I think is invaluable, if not contagious. It was evident when he helped recover the ball against the Giants when he chased down Tre Herndon and forced a fumble after Herndon intercepted Nate Sudfeld.

“I know what Tom is,” Randle El said, “and I know what he brings to the table, and he’s just got to keep doing that. Because, after all, that’s what we’re after. Which guys are going to be consistent, which guys are going to give us the best chance to win? …

“So when you have a guy like that, the way he’s always been considered, he’s always in the mix on his own. And then his talent in terms of, hey, being able to recover, make the play when the ball comes his way, that keeps him in the mix every year. So every year it’s a tough decision to see where it’s going to be. Can we keep it? Will we keep it? So every year is tough and that’s what you want.”

I doubt Kennedy would have accepted otherwise.

Contact Carlos Monarrez: [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @cmonarrez.

Detroit Lions WR Tom Kennedy reigns supreme — in the preseason

By Matthew. Jr

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