Former Detroit Lions tight end Caden Prieskorn is making his fifth attempt to stick with an NFL team.
The second-year player signed with the Carolina Panthers , his fourth new stop since breaking into the league as an undrafted free agent with the Lions last season. The former college standout will now get a new chance, with training camps starting in just a matter of days.
The Panthers announced Prieskorn's signing this week, noting that he joined the team after a workout on Thursday.
"The 26-year-old, who played at Ole Miss and Memphis, was in Lions and Broncos camps last year," the team noted. "He spent time with the Buccaneers and Browns as well. He was the offensive MVP of the 2023 Peach Bowl after catching 10 passes for 136 yards and two touchdowns."
Prieskorn's longest stretch with a team came with the Cleveland Browns , where he signed in October and remained on the practice squad throughout the season. He has yet to appear in an NFL game.
Prieskorn is still looking to parlay his college success into an NFL job. He earned some praise ahead of last year's draft from NFL.com expert Lance Zierlein , who also pointed out the areas where he still needed development.
"Prieskorn has the size and frame of an in-line tight end, but he lacks the grit and blocking ability to man that spot in the NFL right now," Zierlein wrote. "Most of his catch production came from scheme or zone beaters. Heâs sluggish into his routes and lacks the separation talent to get open against NFL man coverage. As a run blocker, he can neutralize more passive defenders but struggles with opponents who are aggressive and strong. He has quality ball skills but the blocking and aggression will need to pick up to warrant a roster spot."
The Lions are heading into training camp with their tight end room largely set, headlined by star Sam LaPorta with veterans Brock Wright and Tyler Conklin .
The team got some good news on their top tight end this week. As reporter Jeremy Reisman of Pride of Detroit noted, LaPorta was cleared to participate in training camp after suffering a herniated disc last season.
LaPorta said at the end of last season that he had a goal to be back on the field for the start of training camp, and he appears to have hit that target.
âHopefully by OTAs Iâm up running around, and then, of course, weâll be in pads in training camp,â LaPorta said. âSo, itâs a lot different than other sports, just to be able to brace for those hits, and the accumulation of a long NFL season, Iâve really got to get this back right before Iâm out there running around in pads and taking those hits and such.â
LaPorta is expected to return to a significant role on offense, with the Lions looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2025 season and return to the playoffs.
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