ALLEN PARK Womens Michael Roberts Jersey , Mich. (AP) — The Detroit Lions had a lot of possible factors to weigh before trading Golden Tate.The Lions are in last place, but only a game out of first. Tate is on pace for a third straight season with 1,000 yards receiving, but he’s on an expiring contract.“There are a lot of difficult decisions that are made in the NFL multiple times during the course of the year,” Detroit coach Matt Patricia said Wednesday.The Lions dealt Tate to Philadelphia on Tuesday for a third-round draft pick, parting with the veteran receiver right before a pair of crucial divisional road games. Detroit faces Minnesota this weekend and then heads to Chicago, but the trade — which didn’t bring the Lions anyone who can help this season — was clearly a move made with the long-term future in mind.“It’s a holistic picture of taking a look at what’s the best thing for us to do as a team,” Patricia said. “It’s not about one player. It’s about team. It’s about everybody. We have a lot of guys that are really good on this team that can produce and honestly, for me, we have confidence in everybody that’s on this team right now.”General manager Bob Quinn released a statement Tuesday thanking Tate for his contributions, but it was left to Patricia to take questions about the organization’s thinking. Tate is in the final season of his contract, so from that standpoint the Lions got decent value for a player who may have ended up elsewhere anyway.But it’s hard to say what this year’s team could have accomplished with Tate. Detroit fired coach Jim Caldwell after he went 9-7 last season, an indication the organization felt it was capable of more. Now the Lions have sent mixed signals about what they feel their potential is in 2018.Before last weekend’s game, Detroit sent a draft pick to the New York Giants for defensive tackle Damon Harrison, a move that could help shore up the run defense. Then the Lions lost to Seattle last weekend and traded Tate.So Detroit was both a buyer and a seller at the deadline.“We have coaches, and I let those guys coach. We have managers Da'Shawn Hand Jersey , and I let those guys manage,” safety Glover Quin said. “We have players, and our job is to go out and play, so the guys who we have to go out and play with, that’s who we’ve got, and that’s all that we can control.”In trading Tate, the Lions seemed to move away from their approach of the past few years. Detroit has used draft picks and free agent signings to try to surround quarterback Matthew Stafford with plenty of help. The Lions have tried to upgrade their offensive line, and this year they appear to have made real progress with their running game.They also might have had more receiving targets than they needed. Marvin Jones is coming off his own 1,000-yard season, and second-year receiver Kenny Golladay looks like he could be a star.“If everybody’s just going to sit around here and mope, that’s just not going to help the team,” Marvin Jones said. “We’re on to the Vikings.”Still, Tate’s production won’t be easy to replace.“He’s had 90-plus catches I think every year he’s been here, so that’s a lot of touches, a lot of targets for everyone to pick up,” receiver TJ Jones said. “We’re all going to collectively do it.”NOTES: The Lions signed LB Kelvin Sheppard Sylvester Williams Jersey White , signed DE Alex Barrett to the practice squad, and released TE Jerome Cunningham from the practice squad. … DE Ziggy Ansah (shoulder), T Taylor Decker (back), G T.J. Lang (hip) and RB Theo Riddick (knee) were limited at practice. Which NFC North team has the best wideouts? We rank ‘em." NFC NorthNFL Opinion2019 NFL preview: Ranking the NFC North wide receiver groupsNew,101commentsWhich NFC North team has the best wideouts? We rank ‘em. EDTShare this storyShare this on FacebookShare this on TwitterShareAll sharing optionsShareAll sharing options for:2019 NFL preview: Ranking the NFC North wide receiver groupsTwitterFacebookRedditPocketFlipboardEmailPhoto by Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesMuch like the running back group, the NFC North boasts some of the best wide receivers in the entire league. With somewhat decent quarterbacks, the Black and Blue division could be filled with some of the most dynamic offenses around the NFL.But which team has the best receivers in the division? Let’s rank the NFC North teams by their wide receiver room.Previously:Ranking the NFC North quarterbacksRanking the NFC North running backs(Note: Not every wide receiver on each roster is listed. Just the noteworthy ones.)1. Chicago Bears (Allen Robinson II, Taylor Gabriel, Anthony Miller, Riley Ridley, Cordarrelle Patterson) The Chicago Bears’ receiving corps is criminally underrated and overlooked. The addition of Allen Robinson last year is just starting to pay dividends. Though he’s struggled with injuries his entire career, his 2018 season was promising (754 yards in 13 games). Throw in Taylor Gabriel—a solid slot receiver—and two young pass catchers in 2018 second-round pick Anthony Miller and 2019 fourth-round pick Riley Ridley, and the Bears receiving squad is solid, deep and very young. They may not have the long resumes of some of the other receivers in this league, but the potential is there for all of them to take a big step in 2019. 2. Detroit Lions(Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones Jr. Ricky Jean Francois Jersey , Danny Amendola, Jermaine Kearse, Travis Fulgham) Detroit’s starting lineup is somewhat solid. Kenny Golladay seems poised to take over the WR1 role for the team, while Marvin Jones is still a little underappreciated as a big-play threat. Danny Amendola is a good candidate to bounce back after a mediocre year in Miami, but he’s still an obvious downgrade from Golden Tate.As far as depth is concerned, Jermaine Kearse was an important signing that can back up any position. Additionally, the Lions have a slew of young options waiting in the wings to steal a roster spot, leading with 2019 sixth-round pick Travis Fulgham. 3. Minnesota Vikings (Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen, Laquon Treadwell, Chad Beebe, Jeff Badet, Olabisi Johnson)The Minnesota Vikings undoubtedly have the best one-two punch in the division—quite possibly the entire league—but they have some serious, serious questions about their depth. Laquon Treadwell has been a bust in Minnesota, and he may not even make the team this year. Everyone else on the roster is unproven with no serious hype behind them. If one of the Vikings’ top receivers goes down with an injury, they are seriously lacking any options to replace them. Depth matters in this league http://www.lionslockerroom.com/authentic-jalen-reeves-maybin-jersey , and while Minnesota has two of the best receivers in the entire division, there’s a good chance at some point they’ll have to rely on someone else, and I just don’t see anyone on the roster that can step up. 4. Green Bay Packers (Davante Adams, Geronimo Allison, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Equanimeous St. Brown, J’Mon Moore) The Packers have the best receiver in the entire division in Davante Adams, but everyone else is extremely unproven. The Packers must have seen something promising in their 2018 draft class—fourth-round pick J’Mon Moore, fifth-round pick Marquez Valdes-Scantling and sixth-round pick Equanimeous St. Brown—because they added little help this offseason. That trio was relied upon heavily in 2018, and the results were inconclusive at best. Aaron Rodgers does a good job of making mediocre receivers look good, so there’s a chance a star emerges from that class, but they’re going to have to take a big step in 2019.