Isaac TeSlaa is coming to life for Lions

Isaac TeSlaa, said Dan Campbell, "doesn’t ever complain or bitch about anything." He spent most of the Lions' season-opening win over the Saints blocking for running backs and his fellow receivers. The only pass that came his way in his 52 snaps was batted down at the line of scrimmage.

With such a quick turnaround to the Bills game the next week, the Lions never had time to commend TeSlaa for his yeoman's effort in Week 1. They weren't going to let it go unnoticed. Last week, offensive coordinator Drew Petzing showed video in a team meeting of a bunch of TeSlaa's run blocks against the Saints "and all that he goes through," said Campbell, on a day that he never got to catch a pass.

"That meant a lot to me," said TeSlaa. "And even after my 49-yard catch in the last game, Drew was on the sidelines like, 'I love you, Tes!! I f**kin love you!!” That feels pretty to good to get gratification from a coach, because not every coach is so invested in the players like that. A lot of the guys who are catching the ball and stuff are getting a lot of love. But for someone to put on the clips of me working hard like that and to have it in front of the team in a setting like that, that actually really meant a lot to me."

TeSlaa's performance in Week 3 was gratifying for everyone, from Campbell to Petzing to Jared Goff. He only got three targets in the Lions' win over the Jets, but made the most of them. This is it how it has to be for TeSlaa. He'll never be option No. 1, 2 or 3 in a passing attack that features Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and Sam LaPorta -- not to mention Jahmyr Gibbs -- but the ball will find him in big moments.

He has the frame and the hands to make those moments count.

The Lions were trailing 7-3 late in the first half last week, facing 4th and 2 from inside the 10. They called a play designed to go to LaPorta; TeSlaa's job was to set a little pick to free Detroit's tight end. But if the Jets dropped into zone, Goff's first read would be to TeSlaa on a sitdown route over the middle. The Lions had run the same concept in practice last week and TeSlaa made a catch on the goal-line with the "defensive back laying all over him," said wide receivers coach Scottie Montgomery.

"And we were just like, yeah, that’s exactly the way it’s gonna be when we get into a game," Montgomery said.

Sure enough, the Jets dropped into zone, Goff saw the defender outside of LaPorta drift toward his route, "so it goes to Tes immediately, and he recognized it immediately," said Goff. "And what an incredible catch by him. He hadn’t touched the ball yet. To make that catch is really impressive."

With a safety closing on TeSlaa's left shoulder, Goff threw a bullet low and away to the right where only TeSlaa could grab it, "almost the perfect throw, but a power throw," said Montgomery. "He had to really watch his hands all the way through the catch, and then have the wherewithal to almost get up and go score." Another defensive back touched him down just before he got back to his feet.

This is the only part of the play that TeSlaa regrets: "I should’ve got up faster. I don't know what I was doing," he said with a laugh. "I think I was just trying to secure the catch. Should’ve popped up faster and scored, but we got Saint another touchdown (two plays later) — so just keep racking those up."

TeSlaa is rarely the primary read for Goff in any progression. He's typically No. 3 or 4 -- "max No. 2!" he laughed. But in that case, the Lions trusted him enough in a gotta-have-it spot to make him the first option on Goff's alert. And Goff didn't think twice about going to him. It's conversions like those that garner Goff's faith, and lead to more chances for a young player.

"That’s been the biggest thing I’ve come to learn, is being on the same page as the quarterback, at least in this offense, that is so huge, because he’s such a timing thrower. He hits that first hitch and if I’m there, he’s plugging it, and it could be down and away so I just gotta be ready for that ball to come. I can’t take a play off and be like, 'OK, I gotta go set a pick.' You get up there, you turn around, the ball’s there, you gotta catch it," said TeSlaa.

Montgomery caused a bit of a stir last week when he said that TeSlaa's opportunities in Detroit's offense will be limited. It was only news in that Montgomery said it out loud. Barring injuries to the weapons around him, this is TeSlaa's reality. But Montgomery's larger point, he said Wednesday, was that the opportunities TeSlaa does get "are going to be criticals, so they have game-changing detail."

Indeed, his third and final target against the Jets was a crossing route that he turned into a 49-yard catch and run to set up the Lions' game-winning touchdown. Jameson Williams deserves a lot of credit on the play for running a post route next to TeSlaa that drew the attention of both safeties and cleared out the deep middle of the field. Goff and TeSlaa took care of the rest.

"Those are the criticals that I was talking about," said Montgomery. "When you get in those situations you’re going to have an opportunity, you're going to be in space, you’re going to be in 1-on-1s, and you’re going to make those. Now those criticals change not only the way we build the offense -- it gives everybody a little bit more confidence, especially the QB -- but those criticals start to be guarded differently. He’s going to get a little bit more respect, so we can put him in different places and create more opportunities for him but also for Saint and Jamo."

Some of the angst over TeSlaa's place in the Lions' offense is justified, and it was closer to anger after his role in Week 1. Brad Holmes invested three third-round picks into a receiver who might only ever see two to three targets per game. That's a pretty steep opportunity cost for the Lions considering some of their needs elsewhere on the roster, particularly the other side of the ball.

But TeSlaa is more involved this season, at least so far. Through three games, he's a third of the way to his total number of targets last season and about a third of the way to his total number of catches. He still has bigger goals as a receiver, but he's currently on pace for over 500 yards. The touchdowns will come. In this offense, that will work, especially if he continues to produce in big spots.

"I really think it just comes down to comfortability as a whole, not necessarily just in the pass game," said TeSlaa. "Just being out on the field and feeling more freedom as a receiver because mentally I’m focused on the entire game plan more so than, like, 'OK, on this play, I’m here, then I’m there.' I feel like I’m more in a flow, and that allows me to be more opened up as a receiver because I’m playing more free."

That, by the way, is the essence of 'the game slowing down' for a player in year two.

"He’s just unselfish, man, and he’ll do whatever it takes for the team," said Campbell. "He’s running all the way across the field to make blocks. To finally get him involved, and he made two huge plays, it is gratifying for us."

TeSlaa will always get a sick satisfaction out of blocking. It's how he first caught Holmes' eye at last year's Senior Bowl. As Holmes recalled after the draft, "he was just being a pest and just pissing off the DBs and the defenders" in the run game. He's still doing it. On Jahmyr Gibbs' spectacular touchdown run last week, TeSlaa was matched up one-on-one on the right edge with defensive end Kingsley Enagbare, giving up some 50 pounds.

TeSlaa stuck his face into Enagbare's shoulder, as they locked arms and went at it. He yielded a little ground, but not without a fight.

"I love it!" he said. "The Jets were so ready for any of those plays where I’m down on the end, so I was blocking my ass off."

TeSlas knew the play was coming his way. Suddenly, he felt Enagbare shed him and start running the other direction, "so I was like, 'Oh s**t, Jah's going that way. So I just took off across the field to see if could get a touchdown block."

In the end, Gibbs didn't need his help.

"He's stupid good at football," said TeSlaa.

The Lions do need TeSlaa's help, for their offense to reach its full potential, and for this team to reach its ceiling. More and more, he's starting to provide it.