Eric WoodyardFeb 12, 2026, 06:00 AM ET

CloseEric Woodyard covers the Detroit Lions for ESPN. He joined ESPN in September 2019 as an NBA reporter dedicated to the Midwest region before switching to his current role in April 2021. The Flint, Mich. native is a graduate of Western Michigan University and has authored/co-authored three books: “Wasted,” “Ethan’s Talent Search” and “All In: The Kelvin Torbert Story”. He is a proud parent of one son, Ethan.

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DETROIT — During Pro Bowl wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown and his Detroit Lions teammates’ exit interviews a day after their season-ending Jan. 4 win at Chicago, wide receivers coach Scottie Montgomery issued a challenge to his unit, both collectively and individually.

Despite a disappointing 9-8 finish to the 2025 season, Montgomery said he wanted the group — headlined by St. Brown, Jameson Williams and rookie Isaac TeSlaa — to return from the offseason with a goal of becoming the best unit in the NFL.

“I think we can be real dangerous,” St. Brown told ESPN while visiting Detroit’s Durfee Elementary-Middle School for a school supply giveaway on Jan. 6. “And not even just Isaac, too. Whoever, whether it’s Kalif [Raymond], Dominic [Lovett]. I feel like we’ve got a really good receiver room, and I think that was one thing that Scottie talked to us before we left was let’s take that next step as a receiver group. He feels like, and so do we, that we can be the best in the league, so that’s something that we’ll be striving for next year.”

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St. Brown and Williams were the only teammates in the NFL to finish top-10 in receiving yards this past season, with more than 1,000 each.

Williams and St. Brown, who combined for a league-high 2,518 yards, were one of three duos to total at least 2,500 last season, joining Dallas’ George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb (2,506) and the Los Angeles Rams’ Puka Nacua and Davante Adams (2,504), per ESPN Research.

TeSlaa is expected to help more next year after a solid first season. He tied for the second-most receiving touchdowns (six) among rookies last season as a big-bodied (6-foot-4, 214 pounds) red zone and deep-ball threat.

“I remember coming in here and being so nervous for camp and I felt like I had all this pressure on me,” TeSlaa said during locker room cleanout early last month. “So I felt like when I first got here, I was a little uptight with the way I was playing, and just as I continued to go out throughout the season, I felt the confidence in myself and the people around me. It just allowed me to loosen up and have more confidence in myself and allowed me to play better throughout the season.”

Isaac TeSlaa had only 16 receptions last season, but six went for touchdowns, tied for second among all rookies. Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Montgomery has challenged TeSlaa, who finished with 16 receptions for 239 yards, to add more quickness and separation to his repertoire.

“I think it just adds more to what we have and it’s excellent for us because now they’ve got to look out for somebody else making plays,” Williams said last month. “We already had a lot of playmakers, but with TeSlaa and what he can do, his playmaking ability, it opens it up for everybody else, just how we would open it up for him. So, he had a great season as a rookie, six touchdowns, and that’s just great.

“Getting in the box is awesome. It really don’t even matter about how many yards or anything, you score touchdowns, you help the team a lot, and he helped the team a lot. He had a great season.”

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Williams also had a strong season. He eclipsed the 1,000-yard receiving mark for the second time in his career, finishing with 65 receptions for 1,117 yards and seven touchdowns. St. Brown earned second-team All-Pro honors with a team-high 1,401 yards and 11 touchdowns off 117 receptions.

The point of emphasis this offseason for Williams is getting stronger. Williams says he would like to hold his weight better while going through traffic and being pushed by defenders on his route-running.

“I think I get better every day. I try to work on getting better every day,” Williams said. “I’m trying to be the best, most complete receiver. That’s my goal.”

However, everything in the room starts with St. Brown, according to Lions head coach Dan Campbell. The presence of St. Brown, with his work ethic and professionalism, “sets the standard in that room and the temperature,” Campbell said.

Only time will tell whether they can turn up the heat. But there is optimism in Detroit for the talented trio.