Detroit Lions Training Camp Battles: Why the TE3 competition could be one of camp’s biggest stories
Detroit Lions have a training camp battle that’s flying under the radar. The fight for the TE3 job could reveal a lot about Drew Petzing’s plans for the offense.
The Detroit Lions open training camp in less than a week, and the position battles are about to heat up. While the left guard competition figures to generate the most buzz, the tight end 3 battle deserves attention from Lions fans who want to understand how new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing plans to deploy heavier personnel groupings. With more 12- and 13-personnel sets expected in Detroit’s offense, the third tight end spot carries real weight. Let’s break down the contenders.
Brock Wright is the clubhouse leader, but his job is far from safe
Brock Wright has been with the Lions for a long time, and he enters camp as the incumbent. That counts for something. But Wright is not much of a receiving threat, and his blocking grades are fine without being anything that makes Jared Goff feel protected when an edge rusher is bearing down on him.
The other factor working against Wright is his price tag. He carries a $4.7 million cap hit, which is a lot for a projected tight end 3. The Lions could look at that number and decide they can get comparable or better production from younger, cheaper options. Wright’s job is his to lose at this point, but there’s a good chance he could lose it.
Jackson Meeks is the wildcard with the highest upside
I wrote about Meeks last week, and the Lions appear to be going full bore with his transition to tight end. He’s bulked up from 210 pounds to 235 pounds and has been working with the tight ends throughout OTAs and minicamp. This is not a new experiment. The Lions started moving him to tight end midway through last season and kept building on it through the spring.
The vision here is a hybrid receiver-tight end, something like the Devin Funchess role when Funchess was in the NFL. Picture Meeks lined up as a tight end in 12-personnel, then motioning out wide so the formation shifts to 11-personnel. The defense has to adjust on the fly, and that creates an offensive advantage.
The question is whether he can block. If he can’t, he just can’t play tight end. But if he can, he becomes a legitimate secret weapon for this offense.
Zach Horton, Miles Kitselman, and Thomas Gordon round out the field
Zach Horton came into the league last year as an undrafted free agent out of Indiana, and his calling card is run blocking. He could potentially serve as a fullback, which matters for a Lions team that wants to establish the ground game above all else. I don’t think he has any real receiving ability, but that extra run-blocking element gives him an outside shot to stick.
Miles Kitselman is the undrafted rookie out of Tennessee. He’s a little like the college version of Brock Wright: a guy who can catch some passes and block well in both phases. I identified him before the draft as a strong Lions fit and even mocked him to Detroit in the 7th round once or twice. He makes sense for what the Lions want to run, but we have to see it translate to the pros.
Thomas Gordon is the longest shot of the group. The former UFL tight end who spent time with the Chicago Bears is a big body at 6-5, 255 pounds. He fits the inline tight end mold Detroit values. His path to the roster runs through blocking, special teams contributions, and proving he can handle multiple assignments in a tight end heavy scheme. The high end for Gordon is a reliable depth piece, but he has to prove he’s more than a camp body.
My pick is Jackson Meeks
I know it’s risky because the blocking question looms large. But Meeks adds an element to this offense that none of the other candidates can match. If Sam LaPorta, Tyler Conklin, or Brock Wright are on the field, a linebacker knows he’s looking at a tight end. When Meeks is out there, the defense doesn’t know what to expect because he can split out wide and play receiver. That versatility, even in a limited role, is more valuable than a third tight end who can block kind of fine.
The Lions might look to carry four tight ends on the 53-man roster, which is how I had it in my pre-training camp projection. We’ll see what happens over the next few weeks, but this is a battle worth watching all summer long.
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