Lions Playing Multiple Tight Ends Can Put 'Stress' on NFL Defenses

First-year Detroit Lions tight ends coach and passing game coordinator Tanner Engstrand discusses the team's newfound tight end depth.

The Detroit Lions will enter the 2022 season with T.J. Hockenson once again leading the way in the team's tight ends room.

Hockenson is coming off a season in which he caught 61 balls and amassed 583 yards and four scores in just 12 games. Although he didn't suit up for the full season, due to battling a thumb ailment, he still finished second on the Lions in both receiving yards and receiving touchdowns (the four TDs were tied with wide receiver Kalif Raymond).

While Hockenson was sidelined to end the season, Brock Wright got the chance to start in his place.

Wright, an undrafted free-agent acquisition of Detroit a season ago, made five starts and appeared in 10 games overall, hauling in 12 passes for 117 yards and two TDs.  

He's the favorite to back up Hockenson going into the '22 campaign. 

However, he'll have some competition for the job. During the offseason, Lions general manager Brad Holmes added Virginia Tech product James Mitchell to the tight ends room. Holmes selected Mitchell in the fifth round of this year's draft (No. 177 overall). 

Mitchell, who suffered a torn ACL during his final season with the Hokies, caught 52 passes for 838 yards and seven touchdowns in 22 games as a collegiate player. His best season came in 2020, when he recorded 26 catches for 435 yards and four scores.

"I can't say enough good things about James so far. He's done a phenomenal job in what we've asked him to do," first-year Lions tight ends coach and passing game coordinator Tanner Engstrand told reporters during the final day of minicamp practice Monday. "And really, that's been in rehab and in the classroom. And so, he takes it upon himself, he's doing a really nice job of learning the offense in a couple different areas and just trying not to fall behind mentally, which can be easy when you're not getting those physical reps."  

As somewhat of an insurance policy, Holmes also recently inked Detroit native Devin Funchess to a free-agent deal. The veteran pass-catcher, a second-round draft pick of the Carolina Panthers in 2015, has caught 164 balls for 2,265 yards and 21 TDs in 62 career NFL games.

It goes without saying that Detroit's front office made a concerted effort to beef up the position group this offseason.

Engstrand knows that he has a very capable No. 1 tight end in Hockenson, but also wants to continue to develop the depth at the position leading into the season. 

"Obviously, clearly, we have T.J. there at the top, and he's a phenomenal player and a great guy to have in the group," Engstrand said. "And then a young guy like Brock, last year, I mean, he kind of came into OTAs last year, nobody really knew much about him. And shoot, he starts what, the last eight games of the year or something like that. He did a heck of a job, and it's a credit to him, just really of his hard work and really his ability to absorb information and be a coachable kid."

© Kimberly P. Mitchell via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Detroit also will have tight ends Garrett Griffin, Shane Zylstra, Derek Deese and Nolan Givan fighting for roster spots throughout training camp. 

So, Engstrand & Co. certainly have plenty of options at the position, which could lead to two tight-end sets being utilized during the upcoming season. 

"When you can play with multiple tight ends, on the field, it really kind of puts the stress on the defense, I think, especially when you have guys that can flex into different areas, per se," Engstrand explained. "Maybe where you can get them into a nickel defense, and we've got 12-personnel or two tight ends on the field, and maybe we can take advantage of the defense in a certain way that way, as opposed to maybe a different defense that they may have out there. 

"If they were in, say, a base defense and maybe we have a really good pass-catching tight end, such as T.J., we can go ahead and attack a defense that way, you know, and just create those matchups that we want when those guys are on the field."

Holmes & Co. also added some much-needed speed on the outside this offseason, acquiring receivers DJ Chark and Jameson Williams. It should lead to a more dynamic passing attack for the Lions in 2022, plus open things up for Hockenson and the team's other tight ends.

"Hopefully, we can spread the defenses thin a little bit," Engstrand expressed. "They've got to cover all the width of the field and all the length of the field, and not perhaps be able to double people as much. Perhaps get T.J. and the other guys into some more one-on-ones, whether that's vs. linebackers or vs. some drop-down safeties. So, hopefully that gives us a little bit more space in there for him to isolate and go to work, and continue to have the production that he's had."