Lions land former Michigan receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones in deal with Browns

Allen Park — The Detroit Lions made a trade shortly before Tuesday's 4 p.m. deadline, agreeing to send a 2025 sixth-round pick to the Cleveland Browns for former Michigan wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones.

"We’re excited about the kid," Lions general manager Brad Holmes said. "He’s had good production in the past, he’ll be a good fit here. He’s been a high-character kid. Obviously, he's from Michigan, he's from Detroit, he's a local kid, so I think he'll be very, very happy. I just talked to the kid. He's fired up about getting this process going."

Coming off a career-best season, the 6-foot-2, 212-pound Peoples-Jones caught 61 passes for 839 yards and three touchdowns in 2022. But he's struggled to carry that momentum into this season, tallying just eight grabs for 97 yards through seven games for the Browns.

Interestingly, Peoples-Jones has seen more offensive snaps than any Browns receiver this season, splitting his time between the outside and in the slot. But his 18 targets rank fifth on the roster, 40 behind team leader Amari Cooper and 30 fewer than Elijah Moore.

The Lions are counting on a change scenery, one that brings the 2020 sixth-round draft pick closer to home, being a factor that helps get Peoples-Jones back on track. The Detroit native attended Cass Tech before playing three seasons at Michigan, where he earned All-Big Ten honors twice.

"He brings versatility," Holmes said. "He’s a big guy, he’s got good contested-catch skills. He can play outside, he can play inside. He’s a very smart player. He’s been very, very durable. He fits everything that we’re about, so I think he’ll fit in just fine. He’s just another flavor that we’re adding to our mix. It’s a lot of things that he can do for us and we’ll just see how quickly we can get him acclimated."

A premium athlete, highlighted by his jaw-dropping, 44.5-inch vertical jump at the combine when coming out of Michigan, Peoples-Jones joins a receiving room led by Amon-Ra St. Brown and supplemented by Josh Reynolds, Kalif Raymond, Jameson Williams and rookie Antoine Greene. Even with those five, there was value in bringing on reliable, veteran depth following the team's recent release of Marvin Jones.

"I think you just always feel like you're one injury away and that was a position we felt like if we could find a steady, reliable that fits us, that can play outside, that was something we wanted to look into and see if we can acquire," Lions coach Dan Campbell said. "We felt like he really fit us. We feel like he fits out style, he's smart and he plays multiple positions. He plays everything for (the Browns), and so we just felt like he'd be a good fit for the team and the room."

In addition to his receiving, Peoples-Jones also has return ability on the resume. He's handled punts each of his four seasons with the Browns, as well as kickoffs as a rookie in 2020.

jdrogers@detroitnews.com

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