Dan Campbell had called for someone to emerge in the Lions’ receiving group, and it seems Tim Patrick has seized that chance.

During the preseason, Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell urgently called for a wide receiver to rise to the occasion, specifically naming the departed Josh Reynolds in his second plea.

As was perhaps predictable, the attempt to replace Reynolds with someone already on the roster didn’t succeed. Consequently, the practice squad was adjusted to include veterans Tim Patrick and Allen Robinson.

Patrick was promoted to the active roster for Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

It was uncertain how much he would play or if he would make an impact on the stats.

Patrick had a significant presence in the game against Tampa Bay, playing 33 snaps (39 percent of the total).

He recorded two catches for 12 yards and almost managed a third catch along the sideline. Pro Football Focus reported that he ran 21 routes.

While expectations for Patrick were minimal, he demonstrated his capability after missing the past two seasons with major injuries while with the Denver Broncos.

His size (6-4) and catch radius could be valuable for a Lions’ red zone offense that has been struggling. During the 2020 and 2021 seasons, when he was last active, eight of his 11 touchdowns were scored in the red zone.

The Lions appear to aim for a more balanced distribution of wide receiver snaps aside from Amon-Ra St. Brown.

Jameson Williams played a career-high 92 percent of the snaps against the Buccaneers, which may not be feasible over the long term.

For comparison, Reynolds was on the field for over 80 percent of the snaps in only four games last season as the Lions’ No. 2 wide receiver.

Campbell was asked about his impression of Patrick during his Monday press conference.

When asked about how Patrick’s increased playing time would be managed, Campbell indicated that it would likely come at the expense of snaps for Williams and Kalif Raymond.

The Lions can promote Patrick from the practice squad two more times before needing to add him to the 53-man roster.

However, Campbell’s remarks suggest that Patrick has impressed enough to be signed to the active roster soon, possibly even before next Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals.