Lions’ offseason addition is already on thin ice entering training camp

While he will surely customize his scheme to the talent that's in place, Drew Petzing's arrival as the Detroit Lions' offensive coordinator has easily brought visions of the two- and three-tight end sets he favored during his time in the same role with the Arizona Cardinals.

An early glance at the Lions' tight end depth chart also showed some deficiencies if Petzing wanted to comfortably lean into "12" or "13" personnel. So the signing of Tyler Conklin in free agency made a lot of sense, if only from a depth perspective.

Conklin had a rough 2025 season with the Los Angeles Chargers, though he also hardly played (169 offensive snaps over 13 games). Before that, he topped 50 catches in four straight seasons with the Minnesota Vikings and New York Jets. Add in being a far better pass blocker, at least by Pro Football Focus grades, and you have a potential, if not likely, threat to unseat Brock Wright as the Lions' No. 2 tight end.

Could Conklin push Wright all the way off the roster during training camp? Can they coexist? How the former fares this summer may be the deciding factor.

Lions' Tyler Conklin needs to fully assert himself in training camp battle with Brock Wright

In his pre-training camp look at the Lions' tight end depth chart, Tim Twentyman of Lions.com named the No. 3 tight end spot as the best competition at the position, with Conklin as the headliner:

"Detroit will have a new tight end No. 3 this year after bringing in the veteran Conklin this offseason to compete for the role with four other youngsters ready to show what they can do. Conklin wasn't a big part of the Los Angeles Chargers' passing attack last year, catching just seven passes in 13 games, but from 2021-2024 playing with Minnesota and New York Jets he went four straight seasons catching 61, 58, 61 and 51 passes. He was impressive in OTA workouts before sitting out minicamp with an undisclosed injury."

Twentyman is clearly anointing Wright as the Lions' No. 2 tight end by putting Conklin into the training camp battle for the No. 3 spot on the depth chart. While that feels foolish, Wright being a known quantity (for better or worse) gives him a natural edge in the TE2 race.

The injury that sidelined Conklin for minicamp makes his participation an under-the-radar development worth keeping an eye on early in camp. It may have been a precautionary absence and a nothingburger now, or it could be something to keep him from being a genuine threat to Wright.

With a bunch of unproven players behind them on the tight end depth chart, there's definitely room for both Conklin and Wright on the Lions' roster. Any conversation is about the potential for their spots on that depth chart to flip, and Wright should be very vulnerable with the renewed spirit of competition Dan Campbell has professed.

Conklin has a real chance to usurp Wright, who has been equally ineffective as a pass-catcher and a blocker for the last couple of seasons, as the Lions' TE2. Being healthy for training camp is an automatic prerequisite for it to happen, though, and that's the key question right now.

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This article was originally published on sidelionreport.com as Lions’ offseason addition is already on thin ice entering training camp.