The Detroit Lions have their clear TE1 in Sam LaPorta, who is due for an extension any time, but there is also a lot of competition behind him in a stacked tight end room that just got even more crowded.
While Brock Wright and Jackson Meeks join LaPorta on the depth chart and Nick Muse and Zach Horton were recently signed, the impending return of projected third-stringer Tyler Conklin may only complicate matters even more ahead of the 2026 season.
Detroit signed the veteran to a one-year, $1.3 million contract earlier in the offseason following a quiet one-year stint with the Los Angeles Chargers that only included seven receptions for 101 yards and zero touchdowns.
However, the 6-foot-3, 245-pound Conklin has started 69 of the 127 career games he has played in the NFL and is nearing a return after passing a physical on Wednesday following a stint on the Physically Unable to Perform list, per Lions Wire's Josh Helmer.
Tyler Conklin's return only adds to crowded TE room
Conklin suffered a calf injury during spring workouts and was placed on the PUP list prior to the start of training camp. While head coach Dan Campbell was quick to point out that he's "going to probably be about two weeks here" when referring to Conklin's recovery process, he has 270 catches for 2,645 yards and 11 TDs in his career and is more than capable of mixing it up in this TE room if he can get healthy.
Considering LaPorta was among the top five TEs in receiving yards before a gruesome back injury derailed his 2025 season, he will likely have an expanded role going forward. Even though the severity of the injury made him question if he would ever play again, the Lions are 32-10 when he plays and just 4-5 when he doesn't, so his impact cannot be understated.
With an encouraging injury update and TE guru Drew Petzing taking over as the new offensive coordinator, the TE room clearly goes through LaPorta. That said, there is plenty of competition behind him, and that was even before Conklin inched closer to his return.
Even though Wright has only averaged nine receiving yards per game and has never recorded more than 216 receiving yards in a season, he is projected as the team's TE2 and could be the main beneficiary of Conklin's injury, especially if he is slow returning out of the gate.
A little further down the depth chart is the 2025 undrafted free agent Meeks, who has already been singled out by safety Kerby Joseph as a name to watch on the roster bubble. Meeks played the majority of his snaps last season on special teams, but at 6-foot-2, 235 pounds, he has the size and speed to be able to play both wide receiver and TE and secure his spot on this roster in training camp.
With the uncertainty surrounding Conklin's injury at the time, former Lion Anthony Firkser was brought back into the fold shortly after he was released by the Washington Commanders. While his veteran presence and familiarity with Campbell and the Lions organization seemed to make him a perfect fit, he was recently placed on injured reserve along with Miles Kitselman after suffering a broken fibula during the team's first padded practice at training camp on Monday.
In other words, there has been no shortage of storylines in Detroit's TE room this offseason, and that has only carried over to training camp with the recent injuries and the potential return of Conklin from his own setback.
There is no doubt regarding LaPorta's status as the clear TE1 on this Lions team, but everyone below him is in a tightly contested battle and one that is becoming more complicated by the day as Conklin gets back up to speed.
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