Kalif Raymond on new Lions OC John Morton: 'He expects us to be crafty'

USA Today

20-07-2025

Kalif Raymond came to Detroit five years ago as a young player hoping to establish himself in a bigger and better role after a few seasons of being a deep reserve on other squads. The diminutive receiver accomplished that goal, starting 14 games in the first year of the Dan Campbell era with the Lions and catching almost triple the amount of passes that season (48) than he had in his first four (19).
Now, Raymond is a valuable reserve wideout as well as an All-Pro punt returner. Raymond, who turns 31 in a couple of weeks, is also an invaluable leadership presence in the locker room and Detroit's practice field. After Sunday's first practice session, Raymond graciously granted select reporters a few minutes.
The focus of the conversation, after a lengthy laugh about luxury sunglasses, was on the new coaching in the wide receiver room. Detroit has a new offensive coordinator in John Morton, who replaces now-Bears head coach Ben Johnson.
"Very intense, very passionate," Raymond said of his first impression of Morton as the coordinator.
The attention to detail that Morton demands stood out to Raymond.
"Detail, but also when he's explaining what we're doing (as WRs) he doesn't pass over the craftiness," Raymond said of Morton. "(Morton says) I don't want guys to just be robots or lines on paper. He understands the ins and outs of playing receiver ... he's expecting us to be crafty."
That's a divergence from how Johnson approached the receivers. He often micromanaged the timing and spacing details, demanding more conformity than what Morton--who played wideout at Western Michigan and in the CFL before turning to coaching--has asked from the WR room.
Raymond also noted that Morton is giving him and the other receivers "plenty of room to carve out their niche" in the offense.
There has also been a change at the wide receivers coach. Scottie Montgomery moved over from his long-time RB coach role to replace Antwan Randle-El, who joined Johnson in Chicago. Raymond already had a lot of respect for Montgomery, and that's quickly growing.
"Man, the level of detail is phenomenal. Just the focus on the little stuff we do," an upbeat Raymond said of Montgomery. "When I go out there I know exactly what I'm doing. I know how to do it, what the expectations are. I might know today (assignment/expectations) two days ago."
Raymond added that the running backs told him Montgomery would be incredibly well-prepared, and that's proven true already.