What Antwaan Randle El Brings to Lions' Coaching Staff

On February 21, 2021, the Detroit Lions hired former NFL player Antwaan Randle El to become the wide receivers coach on Dan Campbell’s staff. 

As the receivers coach, Randle El is tasked with working with those on the roster who currently play that position. 

There are 32 receivers coaches in the NFL. Each is tasked with helping to train and develop talent. 

So, what does Randle El bring to the Lions’ staff? How can he help the team’s receivers and the team on an overall scale? 

For starters, Randle El has won a Super Bowl, both as a player and most recently with Tampa Bay as an assistant on the Buccaneers’ coaching staff. 

It is all about knowing how to get to the big game and to know how to win. Detroit could not ask for a better resume from that standpoint. 

It is anything but a coincidence, but Randle El has been to the "Big Game" with two different teams. He has been a piece to each one of those proverbial championship puzzles. 

He is also someone who understands the game and the position very well from a field-level perspective. 

As a former second-round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers back in 2002, Randle El knows what it's like to come into the league as a young player, and he knows what it takes to make it. Having this wisdom is invaluable for the receivers currently on Detroit’s roster. They could not ask for a better mentor. 

Randle El is someone who has proven he understands the demands of the game and how to navigate through all the things that can come at a player off the field. He can be that ear for his receivers behind closed doors. 

Randle El is also someone who, as a veteran, went through the process of free agency when he went from Pittsburgh to Washington. He can relate to players coming into the organization that way. 

Randle El can relate to both rookies and veterans and also everyone that falls somewhere in-between. That will help greatly when it comes to maintaining a positive level of communication. 

One of the most interesting things Randle El brings to Detroit’s staff is his strong and unique background with trick plays. As a college quarterback-turned-receiver in the pros, he ran a number of them during his playing career. 

In fact, Randle El is the only receiver in NFL history to throw a touchdown in a Super Bowl (while playing for the Steelers in Super Bowl XL). 

The element of surprise in gameplanning has much to do with a team’s success. Not only does Randle El have a knack for this type of thing, he also knows how to identify areas of vulnerability and opportunity in the opponent. 

He will also be able to identify which players on the current roster are best suited for being part of trick plays, which may very well prove to be the difference between winning and losing a game. It is huge to have someone on the staff, involved in the gameplanning process, with this kind of experience and discernment.

Additionally, Randle El has a big-time background as a return man. He actually was so good at it that he was ranked fifth on USA Today’s All-Decade kick returners’ list at one point. 

This is invaluable for a couple reasons. Not only will his knowledge of technique lend itself well to Detroit’s current returners, but he will also be able to impart the importance of special teams on the team’s youngsters. 

It is known throughout the league that the best chance for lower-round draft picks and undrafted free agents to make a roster is on special teams. Randle El will be able to help stress this point and drive it home. 

The more Randle El’s resume comes into focus and all the things he brings to the staff becomes more evident, the better and better the hire looks. 

Randle El may very well prove to be one of the fastest rising stars in the coaching ranks, especially if Detroit turns the corner. 

There is no question he has the background to make such a prediction. He was a star player in college, and he has learned a lot from the likes of Bill Cowher, Joe Gibbs, Jim Zorn, Mike Tomlin and Bruce Arians along the way. 

If indeed Detroit finds a way to become a winning team that advances into the playoffs or goes even further, Randle El could very well be a coordinator and head coach very quickly. 

This is especially true, given the fact that Detroit has proven to be such a challenging place to win. 

Regardless, all things considered, Detroit could not ask for a much more proven, unique and polished receivers coach. 

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