It was a feel-good story last year, when former Michigan football wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones landed back in his hometown in the midseason.
And the story continues.
A five-star recruit at Detroit (Mich.) Cass Tech, Peoples-Jones departed Ann Arbor a year early and was a late-round NFL draft pick, ending up with the Cleveland Browns. While he showed some merit in the AFC, he got a new lease on his career when he ended up with the Detroit Lions in the midseason, finishing out his year playing in the NFC Championship Game. It turns out he’ll get to stay home as the Lions and ‘DPJ’ agreed to a one-year deal for up to $2 million.
Peoples-Jones has an opportunity with the Lions. At Michigan, he was expected to be the No. 1 receiver and that really only played out in his freshman year. But with the Lions, he’ll be behind Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, at least. At the moment, there are other receivers who have made impacts, such as Craig Reynolds and returner Kalif Raymond. There won’t be a ton of pressure on DPJ to be that No. 1 guy and now with a full season to showcase his skills, he could turn into a bona fide top target in Ben Johnson’s system.
