I don’t know if anyone has noticed or not, but the Detroit Lions are struggling with tight end health right now. Sam LaPorta is out for the rest of the season, and there’s a chance that Brock Wright could be, too. But don’t freak out too much. We’ve already gone into great depth about how the recently claimed Hayden Rucci can be a big help for this team, but there’s also another guy who can help. A guy who’s been here a while.
The Lions are hoping to get Shane Zysltra back on Sunday against the Rams
Zylstra has been with the Lions for the last five seasons, and he’s been a pretty solid depth tight end for them. Unfortunatley, he was injured in training camp and hasn’t been able to play all year. Last week, he returned to practice, and on Wednesday, Lions head coach Dan Campbell said that barring any setbacks, the Lions would love to have him play on Sunday.
That’s a big deal for this offense because Zylstra is more of a receiving tight end than a blocking tight end. He’s not going to give you some of the stuff that Sam LaPorta can give you, but he can open up the Lions’ passing game, and he can present some mismatches for linebackers in coverage. That can go a long way in helping them maintain this strong offense.
In addition to Zysltra, Campbell said the Lions are also looking to get Christian Mahogany more involved in practice this week, and the hope is that they can get him back this season still. We’ll see where that goes, but getting your starting left guard back is big.
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