When the Lions reconvene, they will add an interesting player to their wide receiver corps. Jamal Agnew will fully transition from cornerback to wideout this year, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press notes.

Known mostly for his work as a return man, Agnew began sitting in on wide receiver meetings last season and has been involved in virtual wideout and cornerback meetings this offseason. When the Lions gather for training camp, the plan is for Agnew to work exclusively at receiver.

Picked in the fifth round out of San Diego in 2017, Agnew is entering a contract year. He has four return touchdowns and secured first-team All-Pro honors as a punt returner as a rookie. Agnew played cornerback with the Toreros in college.

For his NFL career, Agnew has seen spot duty on offense. He has four career carries and three career catches. The versatile 25-year-old talent played 16 offensive snaps last season. That number could well increase this year, though Birkett adds that the fourth-year performer will enter training camp on the roster bubble.

The Lions return their top four wideouts — Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones, Danny Amendola and Marvin Hall — and drafted Quintez Cephus in Round 5. Detroit also drafted running back Jason Huntley, who is expected to compete with Agnew for return work. Agnew has served as the Lions’ primary kick and punt returner since 2017.

The Lions have designated cornerback/returner Jamal Agnew to return from injured reserve, the club announced today.

Agnew was originally placed on IR on October 15, and given the NFL’s requirement that IR/return players miss six weeks, the earliest Agnew can return is Week 15. He was allowed to return to practice today, however, opening a three-week window during which the Lions must decide whether to activate Agnew to their 53-man roster, or leave him on injured reserve for the remainder of the season.

Agnew, 23, earned All-Pro honors as a specialist during his rookie season in 2017 after leading the NFL in punt return yardage and average, and also scored two touchdowns on special teams. His prowess in the kicking game had continued into this season, but Agnew had also been asked to play more on defense, where his playtime percentage had jumped from just 7.8% a year ago to 36.3% in 2018. Pro Football Focus gave Agnew poor marks for his coverage abilities, however, grading him as a bottom-10 cornerback.

Detroit has no chance at making the postseason, so it’s fair to wonder why the Lions would risk Agnew’s health in a lost year. But as Kyle Meinke of MLive.com writes, Agnew could use the final three weeks of the 2018 campaign to get more experience playing cornerback. Detroit can certainly use all the help it can get, as the club has been deploying lackluster options Nevin Lawson and Mike Ford (an undrafted rookie free agent) alongside Darius Slay. The Lions currently rank 31st in both pass defense DVOA and opposing passer rating allowed.