Donovan Peoples-Jones is headed back to Michigan.
The Detroit Lions agreed to a trade with the Cleveland Browns, acquiring the receiver in exchange for a 2025 fifth-round pick, the teams announced on Tuesday ahead of the NFL trade deadline.
"He'll be a good fit here. He's a high character kid," Lions general manager Brad Holmes said of Peoples-Jones, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. "He's fired up about getting this process going."
A 2020 sixth-round pick out of Michigan, DPJ flashed potential in 50 games, including 30 starts, with the Browns but never put it all together. In three-plus seasons in Cleveland, he tallied 117 catches for 1,837 yards and eight total TDs. In seven games in 2023, he has just eight catches for 97 yards.
In Detroit, Peoples-Jones will provide depth behind star Amon-Ra St. Brown and No. 2 wideout Josh Reynolds. The Lions have struggled to find consistent play from their third receiver. Former first-round pick Jameson Williams has just six catches for 71 yards and a TD in four games. Kalif Raymond has generated 18 grabs for 231 yards and a score.
Given the low cost, it's a good flier for the Lions to bring the Detroit product back home.
