ALLEN PARK -- When Marvin Jones' first season in the role of Calvin Johnson finished, he said he'd master his route running so he could stay on course to produce contested catches. So he hit up lower-body strength training and ran routes in the North Carolina heat with Randy Moss.

It worked, as he posted legit No. 1 receiver numbers of 61 catches, 1,101 yards, nine touchdowns and a league-leading 18 yards per catch.

This year, he wants to become a "YAC" threat, adding yards after catch so he's not just a jump-ball player. The goal is stylistically different than it was last year, but the solution might be similar.

Jones is at work in the weight room at Allen Park trying to add the muscle to different parts of the body that make him harder to knock down or tackle. He knows more of the potential lies in the routes he runs and the way his feet move when the ball is in his hands, so that is going to become an emphasis soon.

Last year, he and Moss spent a day in North Carolina working on concepts such as staying negative, or working back on a declined angle to the quarterback in order to shield the defender from the ball. Jones finished in the top 10 in yards and touchdowns and Moss was voted into the Hall-of-Fame, so the year turned out well for the both of them.

Jones would like to make it happen again this year, though he doesn't have any plans set yet.

If training with Moss doesn't work out, Jones could check in with a member of his position room. Golden Tate joined Jones in the 1,000-yard club last season, making them the league's only pair of wideouts to do so, but he got his in an entirely different way. Tate led all wide receivers with 639 yards after catch, accounting for nearly two-thirds of his 1,003 total yards.

By contrast, only 207 of Jones' 1,101 yards came after the catch. Much of the discrepancy is in the types of routes they run. Tate thrived on screens, rubs and slants, which get the ball in his hands and allow for some space to run in.

Jones' best route was the "go" concept, which simply sends receivers right down the field. Jones finished second only to Kansas City's Tyreek Hill with a 130.0 quarterback rating on those routes, according to Pro Football Focus. It's a lower-percentage play by design and often ends in contested grabs near the sideline.

Through their differences, Jones and Tate helped Matthew Stafford finish fourth in the league in passing yards. They offer different tools to the offense, and Jones wants to keep it that way despite his new goal.

"We're just two different guys," Jones said. "So, he's going to do it his way, I'm going to do it my way."

Jones left the impression that he wants to find a way to add a YAC factor to the routes he's already running. The nature of those plays make it more difficult. There's a reason why Tate and the league's top slot receivers are the ones littering the page of top YAC receivers, from Jarvis Landry to Adam Thielen to Cooper Kupp.

Perhaps it's possible if he and Stafford can elevate their chemistry to where he's able to catch passes in stride and run away from defenses on occasion.

Through all the changes the Lions went through this offseason in transitioning from Jim Caldwell to Matt Patricia, they did keep much of the offensive coaching staff in place, including coordinator Jim Bob Cooter and receivers coach Robert Prince.

Whether that added continuity can lend itself to something as bold as a deep-ball receiver adding yards after the catch remains to be seen, but that's Jones' goal.

"If the ball's in the air, that's my opportunity to go get it," Jones said. "So whatever happens, that's what happens."