The Lions left a hole in their receiving corp with the trade of Golden Tate this week, and are now looking for help. The team is expected to feature T.J. Jones and Brandon Powell more, but also brought in free agent Jeremy Kerley in for a workout, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN (Twitter link).
Kerley was with the Lions in 2016, so the two sides have some familiarity. Kerley signed a one-year deal with Detroit, but was traded to the 49ers the week before the regular season started, so he never ended up playing a regular season game for the Lions. Kerley has had a few workouts, recently auditioning for the Patriots, but has been unable to find a home.
He was with the Bills earlier this year, but Buffalo surprisingly cut him after Week 1 despite their dire situation at receiver. In his one appearance with the Bills, Kerley caught two passes for seven yards. While he had a bit of a down 2017 with the Jets, he remained pretty productive as recently as 2016 and is still only 29.
In 2016 with the 49ers, Kerley caught 64 balls for 667 yards and three touchdowns. His best season was in 2012 with the Jets, when he gained 827 yards on 56 catches with two touchdowns. He’s also had some experience returning punts, and could be an option there for the Lions as well with star return-man Jamal Agnew done for the season with a torn ACL. Schefter adds that the team also worked out former Browns and Giants cornerback Michael Jordan.