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Detroit Lions to Remove Tyler Conklin from PUP
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- Detroit Lions to Remove Tyler Conklin from PUP
The Detroit Lions are about to get some badly needed help at tight end.
Veteran Tyler Conklin has passed his physical after missing the opening week of training camp with a calf injury suffered during the spring. That clears the way for Detroit to remove him from the Physically Unable to Perform list when the team returns to practice Thursday.
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The timing could not be much better.
Lions sign Raheem Blackshear Detroit Lions hire Richard Haddad Tyler Conklin PUP Jahmyr Gibbs contract projection
Tyler Conklin Returns to a Depleted Position Group
Detroit's tight end room has been hit hard during the first week of camp.
Anthony Firkser was placed on injured reserve after suffering a broken fibula during the Lions' first padded practice. Rookie Miles Kitselman also landed on injured reserve with a leg injury after Dan Campbell said he would be out "for a while."
Those setbacks forced Brad Holmes to add Nick Muse and bring Zach Horton back to the roster.
Conklin's return gives the Lions something those emergency additions cannot immediately provide: an experienced NFL tight end with a realistic opportunity to earn offensive snaps.
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Conklin Can Stabilize the Lions' Depth Chart
Sam LaPorta and Brock Wright remain firmly established at the top of Detroit's tight end room.
The job behind them is far less settled.
Conklin entered camp as the most experienced challenger for the No. 3 role, but his calf injury prevented him from participating during the opening stretch. Passing his physical allows him to rejoin the competition before too much valuable practice time disappears.
He may be eased back into action rather than thrown directly into a full workload. Even limited participation would be a welcome development for an offense that has repeatedly reshuffled the position.
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Detroit Needs Conklin Ready for the Preseason
Conklin's return should also help the Lions manage LaPorta and Wright during the preseason.
Detroit does not want its top tight ends absorbing unnecessary August snaps because injuries have left the depth chart too thin. A healthy Conklin gives the coaching staff another reliable option for team drills and preseason games while Muse and Horton learn the offense.
There is also a legitimate roster opportunity waiting for him.
The Lions need a third tight end who can block, handle assignments cleanly and contribute when LaPorta or Wright leaves the field. Conklin now has a chance to prove he can fill that job.
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Bottom Line
The Lions are expected to remove Tyler Conklin from the PUP list after the veteran tight end passed his physical.
His return arrives at an important moment for a position group that has already lost Anthony Firkser and Miles Kitselman to injured reserve. Conklin will not solve every depth concern by himself, but he gives Detroit an experienced, healthy option when it desperately needs one.
For the first time in several days, the Lions' tight end room is receiving good news.
