Notes: D’Andre Swift could get more involved in the Lions’ passing game

Swift already has 12 catches, but he may get involved earlier in games.

After Monday night’s loss, Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell was asked if he believed the team had enough talent in their receiving corps to hang with good offensive teams like the Green Bay Packers. Campbell replied that he believes the team has the talent, but they’re still trying to figure out where each wide receiver is best served for this offense.

“I’m not giving up on our receivers, either,” Campbell said. “We’ll just keep working and find out what they really do best that we can showcase or maybe even, position-wise, exactly where they need to be.”

Campbell also pointed to another solution: get the ball in the hands of the team’s two biggest offensive playmakers: running back D’Andre Swift and T.J. Hockenson.

“Maybe we’ve got to find more plays for Swifty, we’ve got to find more plays for Hock,” Campbell said.

Hockenson has already been plenty involved in the team’s aerial attack. He leads the Lions in targets (20), receiving yards (163), and touchdowns (2). Swift, however, hasn’t seen quite as many looks—especially before the game has gotten out of hand in both previous games. Though he has 106 receiving yards and 12 catches, 89 of those receiving yards have come in the second half with the team already way behind.

Campbell and the Lions offense would be wise to get Swift more involved earlier in the game, because Swift has already proven to be a deadly weapon in the receiving attack through two weeks:

With Lions No. 1 receiver Tyrell Williams expected to be out again this week, don’t be surprised if Swift is a more significant part of the game plan against the Ravens.

• Several former Lions are on the initial the 2022 Pro Football Hall of Fame candidate list, including offensive linemen Lomas Brown and Kevin Glover.

• Hockenson is on his way to becoming an elite tight end in this league, if he’s not there already:

• The fellas over at The Athletic have five takeaways from the Lions’ first two games (subscription required), including this: Penei Sewell is a left tackle.

• The notorious bettor who had over $726,959 riding on the Lions beating the Packers ended up having a happy ending to his story, despite the fact that the Lions lost that game. He got to cash out before losing his 16-game parlay:

• Miss the “Manning Cast” of Monday Night Football, which featured live commentary from Peyton and Eli Manning? Ben Raven of MLive has the best moments from the night.

• Another sign that the Lions run offense may actually be for real: