Damion Ratley: What the Lions are getting in their new WR

The Lions signed free agent wideout Damion Ratley to a one-year contract on Wednesday. Ratley joins an overhauled receiving corps that also features new additions Tyrell Williams, Kalif Raymond and Breshad Perriman.

What are the Lions getting in Ratley?

I covered Ratley with the Cleveland Browns, who drafted him in the sixth round of the 2018 NFL draft. Lions senior personnel executive John Dorsey was the Browns’ GM at the time, and his faith in Ratley remains strong.

Ratley is a downfield, outside-the-numbers threat. At 6-2 and 200 pounds, measurements which pass the eye test, he’s a long-striding speedster. The Browns used him as a vertical threat, running primarily deep outside routes flanking a slot receiver underneath (Jarvis Landry) or a flexed-out TE (David Njoku).

This route chart from Ratley’s rookie season against the Chargers is very emblematic of how he was used. The 6-catch, 82-yard output is his best career game through three years.

Ratley has proven capable of making the amazing catch. His one-handed stab while fully extended in the end zone against the Bengals in 2019 is an impressive career highlight. It’s his only career TD,

He was always a player for the Browns who hinted at being capable of more, but he wasn’t ever able to string together solid practices or games. Injuries have been a factor; while he’s never had a serious injury, he missed time in both the 2019 and 2020 training camps with leg issues that severely hindered his ability to compete for a bigger role. For a straight-line speed guy, having issues with soft tissue in the legs is problematic.

The Browns cut him prior to the 2020 season and he wound up making a small ripple with the New York Giants. He had four catches in six games but Giants fans remember him for an offensive pass interference penalty that wiped out a Sterling Shepard TD in a 3-point loss to the rival Cowboys.

He gives effort as a blocker but has never been effective at it. Despite his size, he’s not a physical player. He can make the contested catch and will go get the ball in the air, but more physical coverage and jams do impact him more than others. The Browns briefly auditioned him as a return man but that was a non-starter, as he lacks the field vision and quickness to be effective in that capacity.

In Detroit, Ratley figures to get a chance to prove he can be the No. 4/No. 5 wideout and a deep threat who can impact the coverage. He’s a more natural catcher and nuanced route runner than ex-Lions draft pick Corey Fuller, though they play the same basic role and are physically quite similar.