The Detroit Lions might end up using their final wide receiver spot on a name few people saw coming.
Undrafted UFL standout Tay Martin has been one of the more intriguing players in camp, and head coach Dan Campbell made it clear why the Lions are paying attention.
"(Martin) makes plays every day,” Campbell said. “He's intriguing on offense, but he makes special teams plays every day, and that's important to us.”
If Detroit decides to keep six receivers, Martin’s path gets easier. But if the team goes with five, the battle likely comes down to Martin and second-year receiver Dominic Lovett, with Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Isaac TeSlaa and Greg Dortch all firmly in place.
That fifth spot could hinge on special teams value. Lovett made the roster last year as a seventh-round pick and played 15% of the team’s special teams snaps, but he didn’t make much of a dent there and didn’t record a tackle. Injuries to Kendrick Law and Cedrick WIlson have opened the door a bit wider, but Martin has kept pushing himself into the conversation.
Martin’s case is built on more than just camp buzz. He joined Detroit from the UFL’s Columbus Aviators after finishing third in the league with 42 catches and seventh with 483 receiving yards. He also added four special teams tackles in the UFL, a detail that fits neatly with what the Lions want from the back end of the roster.
“I kind of always had that physical edge to me, that physical side to me. On (special) teams, you've got to be physical," Martin said via the Detroit News.
"Each play is just who wants it more. It's a whole lot of effort and just being where you need to be."
The on-field work has backed that up. In Detroit’s preseason game against the Washington Commanders, Martin caught one pass for 11 yards and delivered a key block on Josh Dobbs’ 50-yard touchdown run. He also stood out in the preseason opener against the Cincinnati Bengals, where he was Detroit’s highest-graded special teamer and posted a 78.3 run blocking grade per PFF.
That kind of detail work has a way of sticking with Campbell and the Lions.
“Man, he does all the dirty work,” Campbell said after the Commanders game. “He's pretty smart, and there again, special teams, he created another penalty.
I mean he just continues to do good things, man, as a receiver and special teams. So yeah, I think it's hard to ignore him."
Detroit has until Sunday, the day after its final preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts, to trim the roster to 53. Campbell knows the process is going to be tough.
"We're gonna have to let go of some guys that are going to be able to go to other rosters and make some waves,” Campbell said. That could happen, that's real, that's hard to do. This is gonna be hard, man, on Sunday."
Martin has done enough to make this one worth watching.
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