Detroit Lions’ OC Drew Petzing has a reputation for favoring multiple personnel packages that can lead to elite NFL tight end production. In Arizona, under Petzing’s guidance, Trey McBride became one of the NFL’s most successful tight ends. When the Detroit Lions hired him as their new offensive coordinator, it signaled an immediate boost for several Lions’ players, including Sam LaPorta, who could benefit from a more diverse offense that relies on 12 and 13 personnel schemes.
The Detroit Lions Tight End Room: Stable or Shaky?
It’s assumed that with the wealth of premier offensive talent available in Detroit, Petzing will employ a similar strategy. The Lions’ tight end room stands to gain an uptick in target opportunities, with some pundits predicting that LaPorta will feast this season. However, one of the biggest concerns heading into OTAs and training camp is the health of LaPorta and Brock Wright. The extended absence of either man could leave the Lions’ tight end room in a shaky state.
Concerns About LaPorta and Wright’s Health
Currently, LaPorta is recovering from season-ending back surgery while Wright suffered a serious trachea injury that landed him on injured reserve in November of 2025. Early indications suggest Wright is fully recovered and ready to go. However, the reports on LaPorta are somewhat less encouraging simply due to the absence of information. He has not been sighted at any preseason workouts, nor has he posted anything on his social media account. If LaPorta doesn’t participate in OTAs later this week, that could raise a red flag.
LaPorta has become one of Jared Goff’s most reliable and efficient targets. With him on the field, the Detroit offense is significantly stronger and more productive. When LaPorta was injured, the Lions’ scoring dropped from an average of 31.4 to 24.8 points per game. While his loss impacted the team’s red zone efficiency, LaPorta is also regarded as one of the NFL’s best blocking tight ends, and with his absence, the team lost that protection.
Before his 2025 injury, LaPorta was enjoying an outstanding season, earning a career-high 82.0 PFF grade on 40 catches for 489 yards with three touchdowns. Additionally, he earned a 64.9 run blocking grade, also the best of his career.
Wright’s Impact
After LaPorta was lost for the season, the injury to Wright couldn’t have come at a worse time for Detroit. In his six-year career with Detroit, he’s started 35/68 games with 70 catches for 632 yards and 11 touchdowns.
When LaPorta first began missing time due to his injury, it wasn’t believed to be season-ending. Wright was the next man up, and Dan Campbell was questioned about his confidence level in him. Reaching up to touch the ceiling, Campbell replied, “High. Sky high. Brock’s a guy we don’t talk a lot about, but he’s the jack of all trades. He does everything for us – pass protect, run block, he can run some routes, he plays special teams. He’s one of the most dependable players we have on this team.”
However, if LaPorta isn’t fully recovered, the sunny outlook for the Lions’ offense could take a nose dive. In a bid to strengthen the Lions’ tight end room, Brad Holmes signed veteran tight end Tyler Conklin to a one-year contract in March.
Conklin, Experienced NFL Veteran
For the nine-year NFL veteran, playing for the Lions is a homecoming for the SE Michigan native. Conklin, a former basketball star, sacrificed a full-ride college scholarship to play football. Transferring to Central Michigan University in the midst of his freshman year, he entered the Chippewa’s football program as a walk-on. At 6’3” and 195 lbs., Conklin had to convince the CMU coaching staff to let him play tight end. Spending his first season on the scout team while he bulked up, Conklin didn’t play his first game until his redshirt sophomore year.
After a promising start in 2017, Conklin suffered a foot injury that, upon his return, impacted his production. However, after finishing with a record of 83 catches for 1,159 yards and 11 touchdowns, Conklin’s basketball background helped him earn a strong showing at the 2018 NFL Combine. Placing second in the vertical jump and fourth in the broad jump, an NFL scout noted of his tape, “You have to watch him in 2016 to see how good his hands are. He had some crazy catches on his hype reel.”
Drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft, Conklin spent his first four seasons with the team, and his numbers improved every year. In 2022, he signed a three year three-year, $21 million contract with the New York Jets and continued to boast career highs in several statistical categories in 2022 and 2023. In 2025, he signed a one-year $3 million contract with the Los Angeles Chargers. Used sparingly in a backup role, Conklin started only five of thirteen games and recorded seven receptions for 101 yards.
At his introductory Lions press conference, Conklin addressed the concern that he was no longer a starting TE. “Obviously, things didn’t go the way anyone wanted them to in LA for whatever those reasons were, and now I feel very blessed to be here and with the opportunity here….I think I can definitely be very productive in the pass game still. Just because one situation didn’t quite work out the way anyone wanted doesn’t mean you can’t do it anymore. But at the end of the day, I’m just here to compete to the best of my ability and help this team in whatever way I can help this team.”
Concerning Lack of NFL Experience
However, aside from Conklin, the three remaining TE’s on the team have little to no professional football experience. Zach Horton, Thomas Gordon, and Miles Kitselman have a combined total of two regular-season NFL games between them. If LaPorta or Wright are not available, the Lions’ TE room could be in major trouble.
Joining the team as an undrafted free agent last year, 6’4” Zach Horton spent most of the year on the practice squad. He was activated for two games, including Week 18 against Chicago, where he played a combined total of 11 offensive snaps and 9 special teams snaps, but didn’t record any stats. However, in January of 2026, the Lions signed him to a Reserve/Future contract.
Former Chicago Bears TE Thomas Gordon was signed to a Reserve/Future contract at the end of January. He spent the 2025 season with the Bears’ practice squad but did not record any snaps. However, earlier that year, Gordon appeared in a game with the UFL San Antonio Brahmas. A late-season addition, the 6’4” 250 lb. TE played 12 snaps in the Brahmas’ final game of the season. Gordon was targeted twice but did not record any receptions.
Miles Kitselman is the newest member of the Lions TE Room. Signed as a UDFA following the 2026 NFL Draft, he may be the most promising member of the trio. The 6’5” 23-year-old attended Alabama before transferring to Tennessee for his final year of eligibility. At the NFL Combine, Lance Zierlein gave him high marks for his “expansive route tree” and “above average play speed in space.”
Predicting that Kitselman will play as a connected tight end on the next level, Zierlein noted that “he doesn’t shy away from run blocking duties.” That characteristic is most likely what appealed to the Lions. However, Zierlein also noted his tendency to drop and double catch balls.
Detroit will know more later this week about the stability of the tight end room when players take the field for OTAs. Assuming LaPorta and Wright have recovered fully, with the addition of Conklin and the potential of Kitselman, the Lions could have one of the strongest TE rooms in years.
