Dan Campbell revealed a bit of a surprise to Detroit Lions beat writers on Friday afternoon regarding what the team could be doing at the tight end position this weekend against the Philadelphia Eagles.
With Sam LaPorta headed to the IR ahead of Week 11, the Lions have begun testing out 2025 UDFA Jackson Meeks at tight end.
Meeks owns a frame of 6'2 and 218 pounds, which is about 20 to 35 pounds less than the other tight ends in the room at the moment. He's only appeared in one game so far in his NFL career since coming out of Syracuse, playing in the Lions' 34-10 victory over the Cleveland Browns in September, where he played 4 snaps on offense and 9 on special teams.
Meeks set to take over a roster spot at TE amid LaPorta's injury
While Campbell did comment on Meeks' "physical profile" and competitive nature, the possible move to tight end full-time seems to be something Detroit is simply kicking the tires on moving forward. It is worth noting that Meeks has been performing his normal practice drills with the wide receiver group as well.
With Meeks on the practice squad and injuries aplenty, it does seem like the perfect opportunity to develop an additional skillset if called upon in an emergency. The Lions have five tight ends on the roster, with two members of the room being on practice squad contracts expiring at the end of the year, along with Ross Dwelley's contract.
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Detroit has succeeded recently by relying on backups with their injury woes ramping up, with the "Legion of Whom" being the most poignant example. The backups in the secondary completely dominated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 7, putting an unrealistic expectation on any backups the Lions are forced to play for the remainder of this year.
With only LaPorta and Brock Wright (who's listed as questionable for Sunday) under contract in 2026, Meeks could find his way to strengthen his grip on a roster spot for the 2026 season and beyond.
The Lions go into Sunday with plenty of injuries and an All-Pro team listed on the injury report. While Meeks has been publicly listed on the injury report, it shouldn't surprise Lions fans if multiple players for Detroit are playing out of position Sunday against the Eagles.