Detroit Lions claim WR Josh Reynolds, place on DL Jashon Cornell reserve/non-football illness

The Detroit Lions have used their top priority on waivers to claim wide receiver Josh Reynolds. The 26-year-old receiver was waived by the Tennessee Titans earlier this week after requesting to be moved from the team. Reynolds found himself low on the Titans depth chart and only caught 10 passes for 90 yards this year.

On Wednesday morning, Lions head coach Dan Campbell mentioned that the team had discussed Reynolds in free agency, but hadn’t made a decision on whether they’d claim him.

“We did (look at) Josh when he was a free agent coming out last year,” Campbell said. “We’ve talked about him. We know the player well. Certainly, (GM) Brad (Holmes) knows him even better than I do, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not right now. It just means we haven’t talked about it.”

The Lions obviously need wide receiver help given that they’ve lost Tyrell Williams and Quintez Cephus to injury, and haven’t gotten the expected production out of guys like Trinity Benson, KhaDarel Hodge, and Geronimo Allison.

One benefit of Reynolds is that he has a history with Lions quarterback Jared Goff. In four seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, Reynolds caught 113 passes for 1,450 yards and nine touchdowns.

“Josh is a great player,” Goff said on Wednesday. “I saw that he was available. It’s obviously up to Brad and Dan on that, but I’m a fan of Josh’s and wherever he lands, I’m sure he’ll be great.”

In a corresponding move, the Lions have assigned defensive lineman Jashon Cornell to the reserve/non-football illness list. Cornell was listed on the Lions injury report on Wednesday, ahead of this waiver claim being processed, but this move removes him from the active roster for at least the next three weeks. With Da’Shawn Hand and Kevin Strong returning from injured reserve over the last two weeks, the Lions have the depth to overcome Cornell’s absence.