Golden Tate: Lions WR Jace Billingsley reminds me of me
Jace Billingsley spent most of last season on the practice squad and didn’t appear in a game after he was promoted to the active roster in late December.
But with the Detroit Lions on the lookout for a No. 3 receiver to complement Golden Tate and Marvin Jones, Billingsley has emerged as a player to watch this spring, albeit one bound to have some competition in the form of a draft pick.
Tate, who dubbed Billingsley “White Thunder” on Day 2 of the Lions’ off-season program Tuesday, said the diminutive slot receiver has a chance to earn playing time this fall.
“He reminds me a lot of a younger me,” Tate said. “Just very, very shifty. I think he’s got some running back in him. I think he might have played running back in college, I think. But talented guy. I’m excited for him to get his opportunity in practice and going into the preseason, and he made this team for a reason. I hope to see him out there. I trust him. I think he’s a heck of a player.”
Billingsley signed with the Lions as an undrafted free agent out of Eastern Oregon last year and led the team with 12 catches for 146 yards in the preseason.
He played both running back and receiver at the small NAIA school, and spent last fall refining his routes and learning his way around the receiver position.
The Lions have just two proven receivers currently on their roster in Tate and Jones, though last year’s No. 3, Anquan Boldin, remains an unrestricted free agent. Keshawn Martin, Jared Abbrederis and TJ Jones also are on the roster, and Boldin is not expected to sign with a team – the Lions or someone else – until closer to the start of training camp.
Tate said the Lions need consistency and reliability out of their No. 3 receiver this fall, like Boldin (67 catches, a team-high 8 TDs) provided last year.
“There’s going to come a time where my shoelace breaks or something happens with my helmet, or God forbid an injury happens to myself, Marv or another one of the receivers,” Tate said. “And what we need is for the next guy to step up and not miss a beat, not be a drop off. And we believe with the guys we have in our room we have a chance to do that.”
At 5 feet 9, Billingsley likely will be relegated to playing slot receiver in the NFL, and his path as an undrafted free agent has drawn comparisons to Wes Welker and Danny Amendola, two players who found success there with the New England Patriots.
Tate called Billingsley “a hard-working guy (who) shows up early, leaves late. Works his tail off in the weight room. Makes it his mission to be the first one through the line in sprints.”
“He works really hard,” said quarterback Matthew Stafford. “I’ve been up here in the off-season. He’s been up here in the off-season. I’ve seen him running and catching tennis balls, doing all kinds of stuff. He does everything you want a pro to do. ... We’ll see how it goes. Hopefully he goes out there and plays great and I know he’s putting the work in to do it.”
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Contact Dave Birkett: dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.