Ben Johnson, the Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinator, envisions a specific type of player to fill the third wide receiver position after Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams.
Johnson said Thursday that since learning Josh Reynolds was signing with the Denver Broncos, he has wanted to replace Reynolds’ role in the offense with a big wide receiver with reliable hands and a strong comprehension of the offense, but not necessarily in that order.
“We need smart, we need reliable and if we had to be picky, we want a little bit of length, just so it rounds out those three guys we’re anticipating entering the season with,” Johnson told the team.
An unexpected challenger appears to be matching all three criteria in Lions camp this summer. Daurice Fountain is a 6-foot-2, 210-pound wide receiver who has been practicing with the first-team offense throughout training camp.
Fountain, a 2018 fifth-round choice out of Northern Iowa, has bounced around the NFL since the Colts drafted him due to a series of serious leg problems. Despite stints with the Colts, Chicago Bears, and Kansas City Chiefs, he has appeared in only eight regular-season games since entering the league, the most recent with the Chiefs in 2021.
However, the big-bodied receiver, along with St. Brown, Williams, and tight end Sam LaPorta, has emerged as an early star in training camp. Johnson stated the fight is down to Fountain, veteran Kalif Raymond (whose return skills have secured a roster berth), 2023 seventh-round pick Antoine Greene, and Detroit native Donovan Peoples-Jones (Cass Tech), who joined the Lions via trade in 2023.
“We have a number of guys competing for that spot,” Johnson added. “Rice has improved significantly during training camp. His physicality and explosiveness have showed through. Antoine Green is still hoping to see growth in the spring. We simply need to see the consistency that we have been asking for from him.
“DPJ has made several key plays for us, including a big block the other day that we took note of. And we understand who Kalif Raymond is. He should also not be disregarded because he will play an important role in our offense.”
Fountain, 28, joins the Lions’ practice squad a week before the start of the 2023 season after being released by the Bears. Fountain said he had no links to the Lions, but the front management took a chance on him after some impressive preseason performances.
“I really asked (the Lions’ front office) when they signed me, ‘How did y’all find me?'” Fountain stated. “They said, ‘Man, we just saw your preseason tape and we wanted you.'”
He is happy for another chance in Detroit after nearly retiring due to lingering issues from a fractured ankle he sustained with the Colts during training camp in 2019. He appeared in only five games that season until Indianapolis waived him ahead of the 2020 season.
“I ended up having three surgeries and almost had to medically retire,” Fountain told me. “I was told that I would have to medically retire. I returned the next year, during the COVID season, and tried to fight through it. Obviously, (I) was still in a lot of pain in my ankle, and I discovered that my tibia hadn’t totally healed.
He then joined the Chiefs in 2021 and made the squad, although he was buried in the depth chart and only featured in two games, with no catches. Another injury occurred at the 2022 training camp: a groin tear. Fountain attempted to play through the injury while recuperating and was cut. He joined Chicago near the end of 2022 before moving to Detroit in 2023.
He spent last season’s practice squad time memorizing the playbook and ensuring he was not a distraction. This summer, he has been involved with the offensive scheme and quarterbacks.
“Coming into the spring and being able to just calm down, take a step back and relearn the playbook, learning what the guys want — the philosophy — how Ben and JG (Jared Goff) see everything,” Fountain told reporters. “I have simply been grinding. I’ve literally just been studying, and now I have the opportunity to go out there and show off my skills.”
Fountain thanked his friends and parents, as well as Raymond and Bears practice squad wide receiver Nsimba Webster, for encouraging him not to give up on his football goals.
“Up until last year, I was ready to hang it up,” Fountain added. “But they just continued talking to me, saying, ‘You have a fantastic talent, man; just give it one more try. Give it one more time. And I just stayed in it, and now I am here.”
Fountain, in addition to his work as a receiver, has participated in special teams drills as a gunner and returner.
Fountain’s work after the 2023 season, according to wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El and head coach Dan Campbell, is a major reason for his early success in practice.
“You could tell he worked on what he needed to work on before we even got to spring ball,” Randle El told me. “Just in terms of catchability and being where he has to be in terms of all the routes. And he can go up and get it. It’s great to see him step up like that.”
That frame, combined with his ability to contribute in more than one aspect of the game, increases his chances of breaking through the wide receiver competition with snaps this season.
“He’s one of those guys that — yeah, he’s caught our eye, he’s caught my eye, like, I see him, and I told him that yesterday, he is making plays,” Campbell said Monday. “And the other thing is, he’s doing some things on special teams that is catching our eye, too, so that’s a good sign. Man, to have a big receiver that runs pretty good for that size, and he plays physical, he kind of brings a different game in that room and could potentially help us on special teams? That’s a good sign, so he’s in a good spot.”
Fountain believes he can continue with the Lions since his narrative is comparable to Campbell’s as a player: both put in additional work during injury-plagued seasons.
“I feel like Coach Campbell, man,” Fountain explained. “I’m not claiming he had the exact same experience as I did, but he had a similar tale to mine when he was a player. So to have that connection, dude, he knows what I’ve been through, and it just seems right.”