Allen Park — With league-wide trends prioritizing the position, there’s never been a better time to be a tight end.
And after the Detroit Lions added Tyler Conklin to a position that already included experienced vets Sam LaPorta and Brock Wright, one could make the argument that there’s never been a better time to be Detroit’s tight ends coach.
The lucky man is Steve Oliver, who, after five seasons with the Lions, was promoted to replace the departing Tyler Roehl this past offseason.
“Those guys have made my life pretty easy,” Oliver said during the offseason program, referring to the Lions’ trio of veteran tight ends. “I’m just trying to do the best I can for them every day.”
Coaching great talent also comes with great responsibility. Tight ends influence the run and pass game, functioning as receivers at times and offensive linemen at others. And the Lions’ new offensive coordinator, Drew Petzing, was a purveyor of the league’s shift to more “12 personnel” (offensive formations with one running back and two tight ends) and “13 personnel” (one running back and three tight ends) looks.
In 2025, Petzing’s Arizona Cardinals were fourth in 12 personnel rate (Arizona had two tight ends on the field for 36% of their offensive snaps, per Pro Football Focus) and in the number of plays run from 13 personnel (123 snaps, per PFF).
According to TruMedia, the Cardinals led the NFL in 13 personnel rate from 2023-25 (12.5%).
On multiple occasions, Petzing has said that he won’t use multi-tight end sets in Detroit just because it was something he leaned on in Arizona.
But the main reason teams have been using it is to dictate the type of personnel the defense uses. Specifically, it forces them to use simpler base defense at a time when they want to use complex packages.
Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay was the mastermind behind the league’s most aggressive shift to 13 personnel last season; prior to Detroit’s game in L.A., defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard explained the logic by saying of McVay, “He wants to have the pen last.”
So, while Petzing might be truthful in saying that he’ll only use the multi-tight end sets if it makes sense, odds are it’s a great fit for the Lions’ offense, mainly because they have the horses to do it.
In LaPorta, they have one of the league’s best pass-catching tight ends and an extremely willing blocker. In Wright, they have an uber-experienced blocking tight end they can trust on short routes in the passing game. And in Conklin, they’ve added another dynamic pass catcher to the group; the former Central Michigan standout has averaged 463.2 receiving yards per season since 2021.
When on the field together, the group can help lead blocking efforts in the run game while also being a threat to produce an explosive play off play-action.
The Lions also have three former undrafted tight ends entering their second season — Thomas Gordon, Zach Horton and converted receiver Jackson Meeks — and another undrafted rookie in Miles Kitselman.
“I think it’s [been] pretty great so far, in terms of competition, attention to detail,” Oliver said. “I’m trying to ask them to do a few different techniques we might be working on. … I’m really happy with where they’re at, in terms of putting a lot on their plate, conceptually, run-game wise. They show up every single day with it.”
nbianchi@detroitnews.com
@nolanbianchi
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Tight-end room can help Lions’ offense leverage league trends
Reporting by Nolan Bianchi, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Nolan Bianchi, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
