Most of the positional battles at Detroit Lions training camp are for backup spots, with tight end being among them. The Lions are set with their top two, but how things shake out behind Sam LaPorta and Brock Wright is unknown.
There is at least one spot up for grabs, and there could be two depending on how many tight ends Detroit wants to carry. Aside from LaPorta and Wright, the Lions have Shane Zylstra, James Mitchell, Sean McKeon and Parker Hesse on the roster.
While it remains to be seen how many tight ends the Lions will carry and who will ultimately grab a spot or spots, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is pleased with what he's seen from the competitors thus far.
“That room, the competition is lights out right now,” Johnson said, per Nolan Bianchi of The Detroit News. “In terms of the third spot, I think Coach Campbell, myself, Brad, we all (believe) that spot needs to be able to wear a lot of hats because you just don’t know. You got LaPorta with his skill set, you got Wright with his skill set, and that third spot needs to be smart enough to fill in either spot if need be, so the versatility is at a premium.”
Of course, the tight ends room is spearheaded by LaPorta, who is the unquestioned starter and a budding star, and Wright, the top backup who was given a significant deal this offseason after the San Francisco 49ers tried to poach him away.
Those two alone give the Lions one of the best tight ends rooms in the NFL.
“It’s the best room that I’ve been around in 13 years now, from top to bottom, one to six,” Detroit's offensive coordinator said. “These guys, they've all played ball in this league, and you can tell it with their approach and how they block, how they run routes out on the field. It’s been very impressive.”
There hasn't been a ton of news out there about which tight ends are winning the battle, but if we had to guess, the incumbents, Zylstra and Mitchell, are probably the two favorites to land a roster spot, with newcomers Hesse and McKeon bringing up the rear.
Whatever the case may be, based on what Johnson is saying, it appears the Lions will be in good shape no matter who ends up earning a backup role.
