3 second-year Detroit Lions who are on notice as offseason work ramps up

1. TE Brock Wright

Wright, like Parker, was an undrafted rookie in 2021 and he (eventually) stepped into a prominent role. He didn’t play in a game until Week 7, as Darren Fells was the Lions’ No. 2 tight end until he asked for his release. The Notre Dame product stepped into the primary backup role behind T.J. Hockenson, then became the No. 1 guy when Hockenson missed the last five games of the season.

Wright had two touchdown catches on 12 receptions last year, including what would probably be his personal highlight of the season in Detroit’s Week 13 win over the Vikings.

While not a direct knock on Wright, depth behind Hockenson was exposed as a weakness for the Lions in 2021. They signed former Saint Garrett Griffin in free agency, then they drafted James Mitchell in the fifth round of the draft. Then they signed not one but two undrafted free agent tight ends, in Derrick Deese Jr. and Nolan Givan. If nothing else, there are more interesting options in the mix now along with Wright.

Mitchell can be seen as direct competition for Wright in particular, if only because the upside he showed before tearing an ACL last season suggested he’d have been drafted a couple rounds earlier if not for the injury. Two-tight sets with he and Hockenson sound intriguing.

Wright may get a bit of leeway based on having been around last year. But how much leeway he’ll get is the question, and it’s easy to hypothesize there will be limits to that leeway if he’s clearly outdone in OTAs and/or training camp. The heat is on Wright to clearly earn a roster spot over some real competition.