The Detroit Lions are starting to install their game plans for their upcoming matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night. This weekend’s road game will be a good test for Detroit to see how it stacks up against the defending Super Bowl champs.
While fans look forward to this weekend’s game, the Lions have made a subtle change to their practice squad on Tuesday, which also directly impacts their 53-man roster.
Detroit announced that they’ve signed veteran tight end Anthony Firkser to the practice squad. To make room for the ex-Lions pass catcher, the team cut ties with offensive lineman Jack Conley.
On first glance, when you hear that the Lions signed a tight end to the practice squad, the immediate thought is, did someone in the tight room get injured during last week’s game against the Washington Commanders?
As things currently stand, we haven’t heard of any injuries, which is a good sign as the Lions are set to return to practice on Wednesday.
If that’s the case, this means the signing could be related to the performance of Brock Wright or Ross Dwelley, who are the current backups behind Sam LaPorta. And it's likely regarding the former in this situation.
Brock Wright Could Be on Thin Ice in Detroit with Anthony Firkser Signing
The 26-year-old Wright has been solid in pass blocking this season with a 62.1 grade, despite allowing five pressures, three QB hits, a hurry, and a sack in 37 opportunities, per Pro Football Focus.
However, the veteran tight end leaves much to be desired as a run blocker. According to PFF, Wright has a 50.6 grade, which is not good, especially when most of your snaps have been in run blocking (184).
Pride of Detroit’s Al Karsten pointed out on Twitter that the Lions’ rushing offense has been better without Wright. Detroit is averaging 6.5 yards per carry, while boasting a 47.4% success rate and an explosive rate of 9.2%.
But when Wright is on the field, the Lions’ YPC average drops to 4.0, while their success rate is 41.8% and explosive rate of 6.5%. When you see a drastic change like that, it's no wonder the Lions might want to bring in a different option.
This is where Firsker comes into play. The veteran tight end is a better pass blocker than Wright, posting PFF grades of 72.7 or higher with four different teams over three seasons. In his lone season with the Lions in 2023, the former Harvard tight end had a 72.7 pass blocking grade and a 64.8 run blocking grade across 19 blocking snaps.
Granted, Firkser only appeared in two games that season as most of his time was spent on Detroit’s practice squad.
However, the fact that the veteran tight end’s pass blocking has been steady, and he’s an okay run blocker, could force Detroit’s hand to elevate him from the practice squad on gamedays.
Needless to say, it will be interesting to see how things play out over the next week or two with Firkser in his second stint with the Lions, and if he’ll be active over Wright.