Much like the offensive line, tight end has been a position the Lions have spent a ton of resources on, but just haven’t been able to figure out. While the Lions were close with a guy like Eric Ebron—who occasionally showed flashes of being a top-10 tight end—they’ve really struggled to find anyone since sending him packing. Levine Toilolo, Luke Willson, Michael Roberts, Hakeem Valles, and Darren Fells all either couldn’t cut it or didn’t stay around long.
So Lions general manager Bob Quinn went on a mission last offseason.