The Detroit Lions made it one of their top offseason priorities to retain most of their key contributors from a season ago. The widespread consensus around the fanbase and the front office was that the team was decimated by injuries all of last season and that if healthy next season, they could finally get over the hump.
Therefore, GM Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell avoided sweeping changes, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Lions fans can expect more of the same with some minor changes. The notable change is offensive guard Kevin Zeitler, who left in free agency.
However, more departures could be coming soon with the NFL Draft approaching. One area where we could see an upgrade is the tight-end rotation.
The Lions already addressed their tight end depth by signing Kenny Yeboah from the New York Jets last month. The team also re-signed veteran TE Shane Zylstra. This means that the Lions will likely have competition for the TE2 role behind Sam LaPorta, leaving current backup Brock Wright vulnerable.
Brock Wright is a Cut Candidate for the Lions Before Next Season
When Wright was a restricted free agent in the 2024 offseason, the Lions surprisingly decided to match the three-year, $12 million offer sheet he received from the San Francisco 49ers. Wright held the TE2 role all season, playing over 50% of offensive snaps for the team while also contributing on special teams.
Wright's offensive role was mainly as a blocker. According to Pro Football Focus, Wright was used as a run blocker in 336 of 581 offensive snaps. Despite this, he had a poor 50.7 run block grade. Overall, he had a 52.0 offensive grade, ranking him as the 66th best tight end out of 74 eligible players. He finished the season with 13 catches for 100 yards and two touchdowns.
The addition of Yeboah and the re-signing of Zylstra suggest that the Lions aren't entirely confident in Wright's role going forward. It wouldn't be shocking to see Detroit using one of their seven draft picks (probably one of their two Round 7 picks) on a tight end. Trying to find a higher-upside option as a blocking tight end makes more sense than keeping Wright around for one more season.