Greg Dortch joined Lions to escape losing: ‘Not acceptable here’

Allen Park — Reuniting with a familiar face in offensive coordinator Drew Petzing did indeed play a factor in wide receiver Greg Dortch’s decision to sign with the Detroit Lions this offseason.

But that’s only half the story. The other part is that he was sick of losing. Over five seasons in Arizona, the Cardinals finished with a winning record just once, his first season in 2021. In the four seasons that followed, Dortch’s Cardinals teams went 19-49 combined.

Despite the disappointment of last year’s 9-8 finish for the Lions, it’s well known that this team is capable of plenty more, even though it marked the fourth straight winning season for a franchise that hadn’t done so in more than half a century. The standard is now different here. Dortch loves it.

“The Lions are a good f—ing team. … I played them two years ago, they came to Arizona, whooped our ass,” Dortch said, referring to a 20-13 Lions win in Sept. 2024. The Lions that season finished 15-2, nearly totaling the amount of wins Dortch’s teams tallied from 2022-25.

“The coaching staff has the most NFL players on a coaching staff that I’ve ever been a part of. You can just tell right away that they take care of their players, they know what the f— they’re talking about, and they’re serious.”

Tired of losing in Arizona, new Lions receiver Greg Dortch is ready to compete for a winning team in Detroit.

Many have tabbed Dortch, 28, as the one-for-one replacement for wide receiver Kalif Raymond, a journeyman who eventually found a home in Detroit in 2021 and spent five seasons as a cultural leader while also making plenty of impact on the field, both as a returner and a depth receiver. Raymond signed a one-year deal to join the Chicago Bears and reunite with his old offensive coordinator, Ben Johnson, this offseason.

Dortch, likewise, was a journeyman — and even contemplated a transition to the Canadian Football League in 2021 — before sticking with the Cardinals, with whom he also spent five seasons, making an impact as both a returner and depth receiver. Dortch signed a one-year deal to join the Lions and reunite with his old offensive coordinator, Petzing, this offseason.

Both are shorter in stature than the average NFL player (Dortch is 5-foot-7; Raymond is 5-8) and have speed to burn. The similarities between their games and stories are undeniable.

But, as Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown pointed out, there’s only one Raymond — just like there’s only one Dortch.

“Two different people,” St. Brown said when asked to compare how the newbie stacked up with Raymond. “I love Kalif. I’ll never compare anyone to him. To me, he means so much to me. Like I say, one of the best teammates I’ve ever had, the best people. On the field, does anything for teammates, and he’s a darn-good football player, too, so I think we’re all gonna miss Leaf here.”

That is in no way a putdown to his new teammate, whom St. Brown said he has long admired.

“I watched Dortch from afar when he was in Arizona, and I love his game. I love the way he plays,” St. Brown said. “He’s crafty, he has good moves, he understands the game, and he competes. At the end of the day, you just gotta compete. You play for us, that’s the biggest thing. … And I think Dortch has that about him.”

He doesn’t just have that about him — it’s the whole reason he’s here in the first place. Dortch has played 68 career games and missed his only opportunity to play in the postseason after being placed on injured reserve late in the 2021 season. A ferocious competitor, he wanted to surround himself with people who hold the same mentality.

“I’m excited about that, just to be part of something that’s serious and they take pride in winning. Like, losing is not acceptable here, and I haven’t really felt that,” Dortch said.

“When I was in AZ, we won four games two years in a row. It’s just been tough.”

St. Brown isn’t the only one who has respected Dortch’s game from across the country. Special teams coordinator Dave Fipp, who will likely have a big role for Dortch this upcoming season, said he’s liked Dortch since a receiver was at Wake Forest. Fipp was the special teams coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles when Dortch went undrafted and was signed by the New York Jets.

“He was a down-the-line guy (on the draft board), and I remember thinking, ‘I think this guy’s got something to him,'” Fipp said.

Dortch has since returned 99 punts (8.9-yard average return) and 75 kickoffs (23.6-yard average return). Last season, he set a career high in punt return average (11.6 yards) on 16 returns and tied a career high in kickoff return average (26.2 yards) on 31 attempts.

“I would say (Dortch is) probably similar to Kalif, right? Kalif did it for us … similar body types. In my opinion, you want a guy who’s durable, who is going to be able to take some hits,” Fipp said. “Dortch has definitely done it and has been productive and had some production similar to what Kalif has done.”

Assuming Dortch slides in nicely as a receiver and returner, the only role he’ll be left to fill of Raymond’s is in the locker room. Some might have worked as hard as Raymond; you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who worked harder, though. He carried a chip on his shoulder, developed over many years of being told he wasn’t good enough.

Of course, that’s part of Dortch’s story, too. After entering the league in 2019, he was cut by four teams in two years, leading to his reluctant flirtation with the CFL. The Cardinals called him in for a workout just in time, and he made the most of his opportunity.

But despite being settled in his NFL career, Dortch’s hunger remains. His chip is still swelling, further inflamed by recent family developments. He got engaged in March and has a baby due in October.

“I don’t know what to expect. First-time dad. But obviously, now, I got like a true purpose,” Dortch said. “I have a reason. Obviously, I love football. I love playing. But when you have a kid, a child, it changes everything.”

Last Friday, following an unpadded practice in Allen Park, Dortch was one of the last players off the field after getting some extra work on the JUGS machine, an automatic pass-throwing apparatus that St. Brown and Raymond have worn out over the years.

This is part of the normal post-practice routine for Dortch and many other receivers around the league. But here, it’s become symbolic for the way that the Lions’ cultural leaders during the Dan Campbell era have pushed their teammates to be better. St. Brown catches 202 passes off the machine after every practice, a habit he’s had since before high school. When Raymond got to Detroit, he adopted the routine.

“I was never catching 200 (passes on the) JUGS (machine), and then that knucklehead (St. Brown) is catching 200 JUGS, so I was like, ‘Shoot, if he’s that, then I need to be catching 200 JUGS,'” Raymond quipped to The Detroit News last season.

Dortch is now carrying on the tradition, one of the first steps toward establishing himself as a positive veteran presence.

When the Lions break for the summer after mandatory minicamp later this month, Dortch figures he’ll take a week off to spend time with his fiancée before getting right back to the work, splitting his time training between Chicago and Arizona.

He’s enjoying the cool Michigan weather (for now), a stark contrast from the blistering Arizona temps he’s used to practicing and training in.

He likely won’t feel that way in December, but if the Lions are performing the way Dortch expects, we can’t imagine he’ll care. Winning is the only thing that matters to him.

nbianchi@detroitnews.com

@nolanbianchi

This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Greg Dortch hopes to be at forefront of Detroit Lions’ winning culture

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