This summer, the Detroit Lions made an attempt to improve their tight end depth by tendering for Brock Wright and signing Shane Zylstra as a free agent. Nevertheless, in order to guarantee Wright’s services for the 2024 campaign, the Lions will have to do more.
This is due to the fact that Ian Rapoport of NFL Network stated on March 29 that Wright was signed by the San Francisco 49ers to an offer sheet. As a restricted free agent, Wright has five days to match the offer made by the Lions in order to keep him.
According to sources, Lions restricted free agent Brock Wright has accepted an offer sheet from the 49ers, marking a rare instance of RFA activity, Rapoport tweeted. “Detroit has five days to respond.”
This is significant for several reasons. First of all, it stokes the possibility of a Lions-49ers rivalry. In the NFC championship game, San Francisco overcame a 17-point halftime deficit against Detroit to make it to the Super Bowl this year.
In 2024, both teams should be strong competitors once more. By putting Wright on an offer sheet, the 49ers are forcing Detroit to pay more to retain one of their experienced tight ends, at the very least.
Wright finished the previous season with 13 receptions for 91 yards and a touchdown in 14 games. In three NFL seasons, he has 43 receptions, 424 receiving yards, and 7 touchdowns to his credit.
Sam LaPorta was without a doubt Detroit’s best tight end going into the offseason. LaPorta made the second team All-Pro after posting 86 receptions for 889 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns in his debut season. In addition, he was selected for the Pro Bowl and came in third place in the Offensive Rookie of the Year voting.
Aside from the 23-year-old LaPorta, the Lions’ tight end depth chart only had James Mitchell.
However, the Lions strengthened its tight end position with a one-year contract for Zylstra and a tender offer for Wright.
However, the Lions’ depth at tight end will be severely hurt if Wright leaves at this point. Zylstra is on the mend after an ACL tear he sustained at the 2023 training camp. That past season, he was absent.
The Lions’ roster in 2023 would have consisted of just two tight ends if Wright had not been there. In his NFL career, Mitchell, the second player, has made only a few appearances.
Mitchell played 157 offensive snaps in the previous campaign. He only managed 28 yards on two receptions.
The 49ers may be attempting to steal a depth guy from another NFC contender with Wright’s offer sheet. However, San Francisco might potentially be drawn to Wright due to the dearth of tight ends available in the free agency market.
Tight end is “considered one of the thinnest positions in free agency this year,” according to Dave Birkett of The Detroit Free Press, who wrote about it on March 7. Only two tight ends were included in Pro Football Focus’ ranking of the top 50 players available in NFL free agency this offseason.
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