INDIANAPOLIS -- Martin Mayhew is a hard man to surprise, but even the Lions general manager was taken aback by the complete lack of production his team got from the No. 3 receiver spot last year.
Bryant Johnson, one of the Lions' biggest free-agent signings two years ago, caught 18 passes and lost his job midway through the season. Derrick Williams, Johnson's replacement and a 2009 third-round pick, had three catches and finished the year on injured reserve.
"I expected that those guys would do better," Mayhew said Friday at the NFL combine. "But over a period of time it becomes apparent that it's not happening. It didn't happen for those two guys last year. Derrick's still a young guy. And he could still develop. Bryant's not so young and needs to really work harder to improve his game, to be a part of our offense next year.
"But that's kind of where it is with those guys. I think it impacted our entire offense not having a threat as that third receiver."
In all likelihood, Johnson, 29, and Williams, 24, will be competing for their jobs this fall. Johnson's $3.2-million base salary makes him a candidate for easy release, and the Lions are expected to add a receiver, through the draft or in free agency.
Mayhew said the Lions needed someone who "can take the top off the defense" to complement Calvin Johnson, Nate Burleson and tight end Brandon Pettigrew.
"It opens up the field more and it creates more space when you have a guy who's a deep threat, and we didn't have much of that last year from those guys," Mayhew said. "When it was one-on-one with that third receiver and we made a determination based on the read to go to that third guy, we didn't win enough of those matchups."
Contact DAVE BIRKETT: 313-222-8831 or dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @freeplions.
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