They have the worst offense in the league by at least one estimation, in part because they went dumpster-diving to round out their receiving corps. But as the formal offseason program approaches its end next week, the Detroit Lions are cautiously optimistic that two spring standouts can be contributors for them this fall. Victor Bolden, who spent parts of the last two seasons on the Lions’ practice squad, and Quintez Cephus, a fifth-round pick in 2020, have drawn praise from coaches and teammates for their performance during mandatory minicamp and Organized Team Activities. Each has made standout plays in practice this week, and each is in line to get more extensive looks in training camp.“I think both of those guys are very detail-oriented,” said backup quarterback Tim Boyle, who has worked extensively with each this offseason. “Vic’s been making some incredible catches, just away from his body, and for being a smaller guy he’s got incredible hands. When we throw (routes on air) and we’re throwing individual routes, he stands out as one of those guys who’s going to be in the right spot at the right time.“And that goes for Q as well. Quintez has been incredible. He’s where he’s supposed to be, when he’s supposed to be there and he catches everything. So we’ve had success with both of those guys.”Receivers tend to stand out more than any other position this time of year because of the nature of practice. Players are not in pads, which prevents defensive backs from being overly physical in their coverage, and the running game is nonexistent as linemen mostly toil away on side fields. But there is one big reason to believe Bolden and/or Cephus could make an impact for the Lions this fall — opportunity. The Lions completely revamped their receiving corps this offseason. They let Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones, Danny Amendola, Jamal Agnew and Mohamed Sanu — their top five receivers at the end of last season — walk in free agency, and signed replacements Tyrell Williams and Breshad Perriman to one-year, prove-it deals. Williams, who played for Lions offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2017-18, appears to be Jared Goff’s No. 1 receiver, but he is not a No. 1 in the typical sense. It’s been five years since he had a season with more than 43 catches, and he missed all of 2020 with a shoulder injury. Perriman has been less consistent this spring, more of an enigma over the course of his career and has his own extensive injury history, and rookie Amon-Ra St. Brown, a 2021 fourth-round pick out of USC, is No. 3 on the depth chart for now. St. Brown has looked the part in practice, and teammates laud his professional approach to the game. It would surprise no one if he emerged as one of Goff’s most trusted targets by the end of the season, but rookie receivers tend to have steep learning curves in the NFL. Regardless of St.
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