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Brock Wright

Lions Place TE Brock Wright On Injured Reserve

December 4th, 2025 at 5:01pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Lions placed tight end Brock Wright on injured reserve after an injury to his trachea, per a team announcement.

The move comes three weeks after Sam LaPorta went down with a back injury that is expected to end his season. Wright already had a 51% snap share before LaPorta’s injury; in the last two weeks, that number has been over 80%. The fifth-year tight end has not been able to replace LaPorta’s receiving production, or even come close. On 11 targets in his last two games, Wright only has five catches for 37 yards and zero touchdowns. He is still a reliable presence in the run game and earned the two highest run-blocking grades of the season in those matchups.

The extent of Wright’s injury remains unclear. He was listed with a neck injury on this week’s practice report and described the injury as similar to Frank Ragnow‘s fractured cartilage in 2020, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Ragnow only missed two games, but Wright’s absence will be at least four.

That will force the Lions to go to the next man up once again. Ross Dwelley and Anthony Firkser are listed as the second- and third-team tight ends on the depth chart, but they have only played 100 and 18 offensive snaps this year, respectively. Dwelley saw a huge bump in playing time in Week 13, but does not offer much as a pass-catcher with just three receptions in his last three seasons and 10 in his last five.

Detroit uses plenty of offensive formations with two tight ends, so they may call on undrafted rookie Zach Horton or four-year veteran Giovanni Ricci to take on some game day action. That will not be the case in Week 14, as the Lions did not elevate either from the practice squad for Thursday’s game. They may be planning to reduce their usage of two-tight end sets and/or call on sixth offensive lineman Dan Skipper as an extra blocker.

Rather than use Horton or Ricci this week, the Lions opted to sign cornerback Nick Whiteside and elevate wide receiver Malik Cunningham from the practice squad. Whiteside has appeared in five games this season, while Cunningham will be making his Lions debut to add depth to their depleted receiving corps.

Lions Rumors: St. Brown, Mahogany, Joseph

December 2nd, 2025 at 4:11pm CST by Connor Byrne

After a crushing loss to the NFC North rival Packers on Thanksgiving, the Lions are 7-5 and sitting outside of the playoff bracket with five games left in their season. This Thursday’s matchup against the 6-5-1 Cowboys will take on a postseason feel for a pair of teams that can’t afford many more slip-ups (if any).

The Lions may face an uphill climb this week if they go without No. 1 wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, who suffered a low ankle sprain against the Packers. It seemed likely St. Brown would miss some time when he sustained the injury. However, head coach Dan Campbell said Tuesday that he has not ruled St. Brown out for Week 14, per Dave Birkett and Rainer Sabin of the Detroit Free Press.

While St. Brown may play, fellow receiver Kalif Raymond is likely to miss his second game in a row with an ankle injury. That leaves Jameson Williams, rookie third-rounder Isaac TeSlaa, and Tom Kennedy as their top healthy options at the position.

The Lions’ injury issues at receiver are especially unfortunate after standout tight end Sam LaPorta underwent back surgery in November. LaPorta is unlikely to return this season, and backup Brock Wright could also miss significant time as a result of an injury to his trachea, Campbell revealed (via Birkett).

Wright isn’t much of a receiving threat, having averaged fewer than 20 catches per season since entering the league in 2021. He has amassed 401 offensive snaps this year, though, and a lengthy absence would leave the Lions perilously thin at tight end. Ross Dwelley and Anthony Firkser are next on the depth chart.

In better news for Detroit’s offense, left guard Christian Mahogany said he fully expects to return during the regular season after going down with a knee injury in Week 9. After mostly working as a backup in 2024, his rookie year, Mahogany started in his first eight appearances this season. Pro Football Focus ranks his performance a solid 30th among 79 qualifying guards. With Mahogany on IR, reserve Kayode Awosika has temporarily taken on a starting role.

Defensively, the Lions have been without key cog Kerby Joseph since Week 6. A nagging knee injury will keep the 2024 first-team All-Pro safety out of his seventh straight game on Thursday, though it’s not a “career-altering” issue, veteran insider Jordan Schultz reports. Joseph intends to play again this season, but it’s unclear when that will happen.

Thomas Harper, claimed from the Raiders in late August, has been filling for Joseph alongside Brian Branch. Harper has recorded 26 tackles, four passes defensed, and an interception in nine games. The 25-year-old has impressed PFF, which places him 24th among 93 qualifying safeties.

The banged-up Lions lost another member of their secondary when they put starting cornerback Terrion Arnold on IR on Monday. Arnold will undergo surgery on his shoulder. He first hurt his shoulder back in early October, and Campbell confirmed the same injury continued bothering him (via Eric Woodyard of ESPN). That led Detroit to shut Arnold down for good.

NFL Contract Details: Giants, Danna, Wright

April 13th, 2024 at 2:38pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are some details on contracts recently signed around the NFL:

  • Drew Lock, QB (Giants): One year, $5MM. Opposed to initial thoughts, the announced value of $5MM is pretty true to the actual value of Lock’s new deal, if not a bit underreported. According to Dan Duggan of The Athletic, the contract will have a guaranteed value of $4.95MM with only a $50K workout bonus not being guaranteed. As the projected starter for spring ball, Lock will almost certainly collect that workout bonus. In addition, Lock will be able to earn up to $3MM in incentives. $1MM can come from playing time ($250K for 40-49 percent of the team’s offensive snaps, $250K for 50-59 percent, $250 for 60-69 percent, and $250 for 70+ percent); $1MM can come from personal performance with a minimum of 224 pass attempts ($250K for 92.5 passer rating, $250K for a completion percentage of at least 65, $250K for 15 touchdown passes and an 88 passer rating, $250K for 2,000 passing yards and an 88 passer rating); and $1MM can come from playing time and team performance ($500K for 55-69 percent of the team’s offensive snaps and a playoff berth, $500K for 70+ percent and a playoff berth).
  • Isaiah McKenzie, WR (Giants): One year, $1.38MM. Per Duggan, McKenzie’s new contract has a guaranteed amount consisting of a $75K signing bonus, a much lower signing bonus than other New York receivers on veteran minimum deals. He can make an additional $92.5K in per game active roster bonuses for the year.
  • Jordan Phillips, DT (Giants): One year, $1.8MM. Duggan also gave us details on Phillips’ new deal, reporting a guaranteed amount of $430K in the form of a signing bonus. Phillips can earn an additional $100K in a workout bonus and $50K in per game active roster bonuses.
  • Mike Danna, DE (Chiefs): Three years, $24MM. The $13MM of guaranteed money that was originally reported is comprised of a $6.5MM signing bonus, the entirety of Danna’s 2024 base salary of $2.25MM, and $4.25MM of his 2025 base salary (worth a total of $5.24MM). Danna can earn a workout bonus of $250K in each of year of the deal and will receive per game active roster bonuses in the second and third years of the deal that can total up to $510K per year.
  • Brock Wright, TE (Lions): Three years, $12MM. The Lions matched the 49ers’ offer sheet for Wright and signed him to a new deal that includes a guaranteed amount of $4.6MM. That amount consists of a $3.55MM signing bonus and Wright’s 2024 base salary of $1.06MM. Next year, Wright can earn a potential option bonus of $2.23MM and workout bonuses of $50K apiece in the second and third years of the deal. Also, in those back two years, Wright can earn $255K in $15K per game active roster bonuses in 2025 and $340K in $20K per game active roster bonuses in 2026. The contract also includes a potential out after the second year that would allow Detroit to avoid a $4.85MM cap hit with only $2.13MM of dead cap.

Lions Match 49ers’ Brock Wright RFA Offer Sheet

April 3rd, 2024 at 10:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Lions will not let Brock Wright leave for California. Detroit is matching San Francisco’s three-year, $12MM RFA offer sheet, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. The Lions have announced their decision to retain the fourth-year veteran.

Wednesday marked the deadline for the Lions to keep Wright on the 49ers’ terms or pass. Despite rostering breakout tight end Sam LaPorta, the Lions view Wright as a key auxiliary component of their offense. By virtue of the 49ers‘ offer sheet, Wright is no longer going year to year. Rather than playing out a rookie contract, he is now signed through 2026 with Detroit.

San Francisco lost top George Kittle backup Charlie Woerner, who joined the Falcons on a three-year, $12MM deal. That set the market for Wright, who became the rare RFA to receive an offer sheet. The 49ers included $6MM guaranteed in an attempt to prevent their most recent NFC championship game opponent from matching, but the Lions will do so anyway.

While this decision will extend the 49ers’ search for a No. 2 tight end, the Lions will end up paying Wright more than they had planned. They had given the former UDFA the low-end RFA tender, which called for a $2.99MM salary in 2024. The LaPorta sidekick will instead see a nice guarantee and see some security rather than playing out a contract year as a backup. Used frequently as a run-blocking presence in Detroit, the Notre Dame alum will continue developing in OC Ben Johnson‘s system rather than transitioning to Kyle Shanahan‘s.

Wright, 25, played 44% of Detroit’s offensive snaps last season. In 2022, that number came in at 52%. The 6-foot-5 pass catcher totaled 18 receptions for 216 yards and four touchdowns in 2022. This included a 51-yard game-winner against the Jets. With LaPorta in the fold last season, Wright totaled just 13 passes for 91 yards and a touchdown. Pro Football Focus did not rate Wright well as a run blocker last season, grading him in the bottom quartile at the position. Still, 263 of Wright’s 423 offensive snaps came on run plays.

The 49ers will join the Dolphins and Bears as recent teams to submit an RFA offer sheet only to see it matched. The Broncos matched the Fins’ C.J. Anderson offer sheet in 2016, while the Bills kept Ryan Bates (before sending the O-lineman to the Bears earlier this year). San Francisco used a third-round pick on tight end Cameron Latu last year, but he suffered a torn ACL during the preseason. The 49ers viewed Latu as more of a developmental player, per The Athletic’s Matt Barrows, explaining their Wright move.

49ers Sign Lions TE Brock Wright To RFA Offer Sheet

March 30th, 2024 at 10:50am CST by Sam Robinson

MARCH 30: The 49ers signed Wright to a three-year, $12MM offer sheet that features $6MM in guaranteed money, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area notes that the 49ers have no interest in negotiating “a contract for another team,” and they executed the offer sheet with the belief that the Lions won’t match.

The Lions now have until Wednesday to match. If they don’t, they’ll lose the tight end to the Niners for nothing in return.

MARCH 29: The Lions tendered Brock Wright as a restricted free agent earlier this month, keeping the young tight end around. The team did not use a second-round tender, opening the door to a potential offer sheet.

Although RFA offer sheets are fairly rare, the 49ers have submitted one to Wright, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. The Lions have five days to match. The 49ers are looking for a backup tight end to replace Charlie Woerner, per the San Jose Mercury News’ Cam Inman. The NFC champions have identified a target.

The Falcons gave Woerner a three-year, $12MM deal in free agency, adjusting the 49ers’ depth chart behind George Kittle. A former UDFA out of Notre Dame, Wright has spent the past three seasons with the Lions. The 25-year-old pass catcher worked as one of Sam LaPorta‘s backups last season, enjoying a bigger aerial role previously.

Wright, 25, played 44% of Detroit’s offensive snaps last season. In 2022, that number came in at 52%. The 6-foot-5 pass catcher totaled 18 receptions for 216 yards and four touchdowns in 2022. This included a 51-yard game-winner against the Jets. Pro Football Focus did not rate Wright well as a run blocker last season, grading him in the bottom quartile at the position. Still, 263 of Wright’s 423 offensive snaps came on run plays. Woerner ranked second in this department, which has long been critical in a run-focused and play-action-oriented 49ers offense.

The Lions tendering Wright at the original-round level cost $2.99MM; due to applying the low-end tender, Detroit would not receive any draft compensation if it failed to match San Francisco’s offer. The Lions used a fifth-round pick on James Mitchell in 2022, and veteran Shane Zylstra joins the third-year player on Detroit’s TE depth chart. Wright would represent a modest loss for the Lions while strengthening the roster of the team that narrowly beat them for the NFC title.

The terms of this offer sheet are not yet known, but Wright no longer appears on schedule for unrestricted free agency in 2025. If the Lions do not match, Wright would join a 49ers team rostering two 2023 draftees — Cameron Latu (Round 3) and Brayden Willis (Round 7) — behind Kittle. Latu did not play as a rookie, suffering a season-ending knee injury during the preseason.

While offer sheets are rare, a few notable players — a list including Bills guard Ryan Bates, Cardinals D-tackle Xavier Williams and Broncos running back C.J. Anderson — have received them over the past decade. Teams regularly construct offer sheets to make it difficult for the player’s current club to match, but it will likely not be too costly for the Lions to match this one.

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/7/24

March 7th, 2024 at 6:19pm CST by Sam Robinson

Thursday’s tender decisions from around the NFL:

RFAs

Tendered:

Non-tendered:

ERFAs

Tendered:

Non-tendered:

It will cost the Lions $2.99MM to retain Wright, who will receive the right-of-first-refusal tender. That doubles as the lowest number within the three-tiered RFA tender formula. A 2021 UDFA, Wright has been a regular in Detroit; the Notre Dame alum has started 19 games with the team. He played 423 offensive snaps last season, which marked a step back from 2022 (591). The Lions’ tight end plans changed when they chose Sam LaPorta in the 2023 second round, but Wright (13 receptions, 91 yards last year) remains in the team’s 2024 blueprint.

Lions Place TE Brock Wright On IR, Promote DL Tyson Alualu

January 24th, 2024 at 6:34pm CST by Ely Allen

The Lions continue to tinker with their roster ahead of the team’s Conference Championship matchup against the 49ers. Third-year tight end Brock Wright was placed on injured reserve today as he continues to deal with a hip injury, and practice squad defensive lineman Tyson Alualu has been signed to the active roster to take his place.

Wright has been dealing with his hip troubles since Week 16, when the injury forced him to miss the final three games of the regular season. With star rookie tight end Sam LaPorta dealing with his knee injury, though, Wright toughed it out through the first two weeks of the playoffs to help Detroit get to this semifinal game. As his season ends on IR, he will also be a pending free agent. He’s started 19 games for the Lions over the last three years and has proven to be an effective blocker.

The Lions’ depth at tight end continues to take hits as Wright now joins James Mitchell on IR. This leaves a banged up LaPorta and former practice squad tight end Anthony Firkser as the only two tight ends on the active roster. Reinforcements of a big nature are likely on the horizon, though, after the team’s signing of veteran tight end Zach Ertz to the practice squad this week.

Ertz only played in seven games this year before being placed on IR with a quadriceps injury in Arizona. Over a month later, the Cardinals waived Ertz after the 11-year veteran asked for his release. Ertz informed the media that he wanted to join a contender, and now he has as he joins one of the four remaining teams vying for a Lombardi Trophy. He steps into a favorable position with the Lions, as well, as the team’s lack of tight end depth will allow him to step into a big role almost immediately. Obviously, chemistry and learning the offense will be hurdles, but Ertz could provide a big boost to a limping tight ends room.

Alualu is another veteran addition to the active roster. After 13 years in Jacksonville and Pittsburgh, the 36-year-old signed with Detroit’s practice squad. Alualu had been called up twice as a standard gameday practice squad elevation in the regular season, even starting a game for the Lions, and has done the same so far in the playoffs, appearing in two games off the practice squad and starting one in the postseason.

Lions TE Sam LaPorta To Play In Wild-Card Round

January 14th, 2024 at 9:47am CST by Ely Allen

JANUARY 14: Per Rapoport and NFL Network colleague Tom Pelissero, LaPorta now has more than an outside shot to play in tonight’s wild-card contest against the Rams. The duo report that while LaPorta was limited in practice and will likely require a brace on his leg, he is “trending in the right direction to play.”

JANUARY 8: When speaking about the LaPorta injury on Monday, Campbell said the standout rookie has “an outside shot” to play against the Rams in the wild-card round (h/t Justin Rodgers of the Detroit News). He added that the Lions will not add a tight end during the week, so LaPorta can be expected to miss only the coming game at the most.

JANUARY 7: Sam LaPorta is putting a bow on what will go down as one of the greatest rookie seasons for a tight end of all time. He hoped to put up 35 receiving yards today in order to pass Jeremy Shockey for the third-most receiving yards for a rookie tight end in NFL history, but he ultimately fell six yards short after suffering a hyperextended knee and a bone bruise in the Lions’ season finale, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. According to his head coach, Dan Campbell, while the injury is not as bad as it could’ve been, he’s likely to miss some time.

LaPorta has been a pivotal part of the Lions’ first playoff season in seven years. While running backs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs held down the running game, LaPorta paired up with wide receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and Josh Reynolds to provide quarterback Jared Goff with a formidable receiving trio. LaPorta finished the year second on the team in receptions and receiving yards while matching St. Brown on the year with 10 receiving touchdowns.

If Campbell is accurate and LaPorta is forced to miss time in the playoffs, Detroit is going to have trouble replacing the production lost during LaPorta’s absence. Third-year tight end Brock Wright is the team’s second-leading receiving tight end, and he only has 91 yards on the year. Last year, when Wright started 10 games after the departure of T.J. Hockenson, Wright recorded only 18 receptions for 216 yards, though he did prove to be formidable in the red zone with four touchdowns.

The only other tight end to receive even a target for the Lions this season was second-year tight end James Mitchell, who caught his only two targets for 28 yards in the last two weeks. Wright and Mitchell will be asked to step up when the Rams come to town next week for Super Wildcard Weekend. The Lions also hold veteran fullback/tight end Anthony Firkser on the practice squad.

Luckily, though, it sounds like LaPorta avoided the worst-case scenario, which could’ve seen him missing time all the way into next year. Instead, the Lions will hold out hope that LaPorta will be able to make a return sometime during the playoffs, on the off chance that Detroit can win their first playoff game since 1992.

Lions TE Sam LaPorta To Have Significant Role In 2023

July 16th, 2023 at 10:33am CST by Rory Parks

Fantasy football managers are well aware that rookie tight ends often face a steep learning curve, and that expectations for those players should generally be tempered. But Lions TE Sam LaPorta, a second-round pick in this year’s draft, has a real chance to make significant contributions to Detroit’s offense in his first professional season.

According to Tim Twentyman of the team’s official website, LaPorta was one of the Lions’ most impressive players during OTAs and minicamp. TE coach Steve Heiden was especially pleased with LaPorta’s instincts and feel for the game, traits that were honed during his time in a pro-style Iowa offense that gives tight ends a great deal of responsibility. In addition to those intangibles, LaPorta also offers prototypical size (6-4, 249) and athleticism and displayed considerable receiving and YAC ability at the collegiate level.

As such, Twentyman expects LaPorta to have a major role right out of the gate. He will be aided in that regard by a depth chart that, in the wake of the trade that sent T.J. Hockenson to the Vikings at last year’s deadline, is light on proven talent.

After the trade, James Mitchell, Brock Wright, and Shane Zylstra saw expanded playing time, and while those players combined for nine touchdown grabs following Hockenson’s departure, none of them offer LaPorta’s upside. Wright and Zylstra are both former UDFAs, and Mitchell was a fifth-round pick in the 2022 draft.

Nonetheless, Heiden has (predictably) spoken highly of all of his charges, and given that offensive coordinator Ben Johnson‘s scheme relies heavily on tight ends, Twentyman believes there is a good chance that Detroit’s Week 1 roster will include four TEs, just as it did in 2022. LaPorta’s ability to line up out wide will, in addition to increasing his own snap share, make it even more likely that the team keeps four tight ends. That is especially true since WR Jameson Williams‘ six-game suspension creates an immediate need for outside-the-numbers talent that LaPorta can fill, thereby opening up more in-line opportunities for the players below him in the pecking order.

Of the above-mentioned players, Twentyman believes that Zylstra’s job security is the most tenuous, while LaPorta, Mitchell, and Wright appear to be roster locks. The Lions’ TE allotment could also be influenced by the presence of Jason Cabinda, who can play both fullback and tight end.

Minor NFL Transactions: 4/17/23

April 17th, 2023 at 10:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Monday’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

Teams with returning head coaches are now free to begin offseason workouts, leading to this high number of RFA and ERFA tenders being signed. Bryant and Reaves signed the low-end tender, while the Packers gave Nijman a second-round tender. Bryant and Reaves are tied to $2.62MM salaries; Nijman is attached to a $4.3MM number. Nijman has both played left and right tackle, settling in at the latter spot after the Packers moved Elgton Jenkins back to guard last season. ERFAs are two years from unrestricted free agency; RFAs are one year away.

An August shoulder injury cost Williams his 2022 season, but the former second-round pick was trending in the wrong direction with the Patriots. New England chose Williams 45th overall in 2019 but used him as a starter only once. New Vikings DC Brian Flores was no longer with the Pats when they drafted Williams, 25, but the team will take a flier on the Vanderbilt alum.

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