Last year, the Detroit Lions were one of the biggest stories in all of football, as they went 9-8 and came a game away from making the postseason. Now, with expectations abound in a revamped NFC North, Jared Goff and his teammates will enter this year with some expectations. Here’s a look at who Goff could end up throwing to during this season.
Lions starting tight end: Brock Wright
After opening last year as the Lions’ TE2, Wright was thrust into the starting role when the team dealt TJ Hockenson at the Trade Deadline. Wright stepped up to that challenge, tallying 216 yards receiving and four touchdowns, with half of those yards coming after the Trade Deadline. Wright’s biggest moment of the year came in Week 15 when Wright caught a go-ahead 51-yard touchdown pass to keep the Lions’ postseason hopes alive.
Who is Wright’s backup on the Lions TE depth chart?
The Lions wasted no time upgrading the tight end position this offseason, as they drafted Iowa tight end Sam LaPorta in the second round of the Draft. LaPorta, who tallied more than 1,700 career receiving yards at Iowa, will likely get plenty of chances to prove his worth during training camp, and could end up leapfrogging Wright on the depth chart sooner rather than later.
Another name to keep an eye on is James Mitchell, who the team took in the fifth round in 2022 but essentially redshirted last year while he recovered from a knee injury. While he likely won’t be TE1, it’s not out of the question that he would steal some snaps from whoever loses the competition between Wright and LaPorta.
