After adding two players to their offensive line and signing a bruising running back through the first two days of free agency, the Detroit Lions added more depth on offense by signing veteran tight end Tyler Conklin. With Drew Petzing at the helm of the Lions offense and his penchant for deploying 13 personnel, finding a reliable veteran tight end with a balanced skill set was an under-the-radar priority this offseason.
Origin story
Originally from Chesterfield, Michigan, Conklin attended L’Anse Creuse North High School and began his college career in 2013 as a basketball player at Northwood University. After his freshman season, Conklin elected to walk away from his full scholarship to walk-on at Central Michigan University, eventually earning a scholarship in 2015 and a starting role in 2016. After two successful seasons as a starter, Conklin was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the fifth round (pick No. 157) of the 2018 NFL Draft.
During his first two seasons in Minnesota, Conklin would cross paths with current Lions offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, who was coaching quarterbacks and wide receivers at the time. Over his four-year career with the Vikings, Conklin would play in 64 games, starting 21, and steadily increased his role on offense, including registering 61 receptions for 593 yards and three touchdowns in his final season.
In 2022 free agency, Conklin joined the Jets, and over the next three seasons, he continued to post productive numbers, starting 43 games and recording 58-, 61-, and 61-reception seasons in New York.
In 2025, Conklin joined the Chargers and never found his footing. While he started his first five games in Los Angeles, he was eventually surpassed on the depth chart by rookie Oronde Gadsden, who played sensationally.
Expected role in 2026: Expanding the playbook
While Conklin isn’t flashy, he’s experienced, consistent, and balanced in his skill set, which will fit in perfectly in Detroit, which returns Sam LaPorta and Brock Wright, the Lions’ TE1/2 duo from the past three seasons. The addition of Conklin could look like competition for Wright’s TE2 role—and it very well may be—but there’s room for all three in Petzing’s offense.
While Rams coach Sean McVay gets a ton of national credit for effectively deploying 13 personnel (1 running back and 3 tight ends) formations in 2025, it was actually Petzing who introduced the heavier usage of this concept a few years prior.
Here’s an excerpt from Petzing’s interview with Pride of Detroit from earlier in the offseason:
“If you have three tight ends that don’t have a multiple skill set, you’re not going to do it, because the key is the matchups. When you have guys that can do a lot of different things, you can start to dictate things based on what the defense wants to do.
“I think as the game has evolved defensively over the last 5-7 years, you’re starting to see more and more different defensive personnels. It’s not just, ‘Hey, we’ve got base. Hey, we’ve got nickel. Here we go, this is it.’ You’re seeing different variations of base, different variations of nickel…
“Now, in 13 personnel, you have to be able to deal with everybody in the box and multiple gaps that you weren’t ready to account for. And then if you get big, I can spread things out and create people that you don’t want to have in space in space. So it allows you to dictate to the defense a little bit more some of the things that they have been trying to dictate to us based on who they’re putting on the field. It gives you the freedom to jump back and forth without being predictable.”
Essentially, as NFL defenses get smaller, faster, and deploy more subpackage sets, Petzing has introduced larger offensive formations that can punish subpackage defenses with the run, and pass on base-defenses that lean on less-talented players.
The key to weaponizing this offensive scheme is having at least three tight ends with “balanced” skill sets, and with the Lions’ addition of Conklin, they now have the players to create the mismatches they desire.
Free agency impact
With the Lions roster going through a youth movement, and three balanced tight ends already on the roster, finding another tight end in free agency may not be in the cards for the Lions. First, if they’re looking for a tight end under 30 years old, the pickings are slim. And when you add in the fact that they don’t seem to be in a financial spot to spend much more on the position, beyond a vet minimum deal, the field narrows even further.
If they do elect to add another tight end, here’s a short list of candidates that the Lions might consider:
- Harrison Bryant: 28 years old, was with Petzing in Cleveland (2020-22)
- Adam Trautman: 29 y/o, was with Lions coach Dan Campbell in New Orleans as a rookie (2020)
- Taysom Hill: 35 y/o, was with Campbell in New Orleans for four seasons (2017-20)
NFL Draft impact
While adding a tight end in free agency may be challenging, finding a contributor in the draft should most certainly be an option. Not only are the Lions looking to get younger, but there are some long-term questions at the position. LaPorta, Wright, and Conklin are all in the final year of their contracts, meaning the Lions have zero tight ends signed beyond this season.
While LaPorta is expected to receive a contract extension sometime in the next year, the Lions would be wise to invest in a contributing player on a rookie contract for 2027 and beyond.
This draft may not be loaded at the top with tight ends, as in previous draft cycles, but there is still plenty of talent, especially on Days 2 and 3 of the draft. Sam Roush (Stanford) is the ideal fit for the Lions’ scheme, but he looks like a firm Day 2 candidate, which may price him out of the Lions’ range. Some Day 3 options the Lions may consider include: Balanced TE-Y’s Nate Boerkircher (Texas A&M) and Martin Klein (Michigan), big slot Tanner Koziol (Houston), and fullback/H-back Max Bredeson (Michigan).
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