Over a few short weeks, tight end has gone from a position of strength for the Detroit Lions to a glaring weakness. A season-ending injury to star Sam LaPorta alone threw the position into disarray, but the additional injury to Brock Wright left the Lions with scraps. Entering Week 15, Detroit\u2019s active tight ends are Ross Dwelley, Anthony Firkser, and Hayden Rucci, none of whom were on the Lions roster back in training camp.<\/p>\n
With four games left in the regular season, the Lions will be hard-pressed to replicate the production of their missing tight ends. However, it is nonetheless an important position for the Lions\u2019 offensive scheme that cannot be ignored. How can the Lions make do with their current tight end situation?<\/p>\n
Today\u2019s Question of the Day is:<\/p>\n
What should the Detroit Lions do at tight end?<\/p>\n
My answer: Keep using jumbo packages, activate Shane Zylstra when healthy, and utilize Isaac TeSlaa in a \u201cbig slot\u201d role.<\/p>\n
Without LaPorta and Wright for the foreseeable future, the Lions are down to the bottom of the tight end barrel. Of the three tight ends on the active roster, Dwelley and Rucci are blocking-oriented, while Firkser is more of a receiving target. However, none of these options are satisfactory for a team on a playoff hunt. As for Rucci, he joins the team off waivers from the Carolina Panthers, but the 2024 undrafted free agent has played in just four career games\u2014he has more career tackles (one) than receptions (zero). Despite being known as a blocker, Dwelley has been graded among the worst on the roster by PFF. Firkser\u2019s last season with more than 10 receptions was all the way back in 2021, standing out very little in any capacity. As for practice squad options, Zach Horton or Giovanni Ricci fall into the same category of minimal immediate upside.<\/p>\n
The obvious move is to stick with what works: jumbo packages. Utilizing Skipper as a sixth offensive lineman, the Lions saw significant success against the Dallas Cowboys, running the formation a whopping 36.8 percent of the time<\/a>. Lining up Skipper at tight end all but eliminates the receiving threat from the tight end position, but as a counterargument, would Dwelley, Rucci, or Firsker threaten defenses anyway? This package is not a one-size-fits-all solution, but it might be Detroit\u2019s best option for extra blocking.<\/p>\n