Detroit Lions lose tight end Shane Zylstra for 6 months after severe knee injury. How do they cover?
While the Lions have been dealt a major blow, this is much more about their tight end who now faces an uncertain future after suffering a severe injury.
Given the nature of his injury, it appears that the Lions player may in fact miss a large portion of the coming campaign, a sad notion when considering the level at which he played last season. For now, both he and the team can only hope and wait.
Lions’ Shane Zylstra suffers significant knee injury
According to reports, the Detroit Lions have sustained a major loss in their tight end room. It’s understood that Shane Zylstra has suffered a significant knee injury. Though the 26-year-old is due to undergo further tests, initial reports suggest that he could miss as much as six months.
Regarding how the injury occurred, the Detroit News reported on Monday that Zylsta injured his right leg after being hit low by cornerback Khalil Dorsey. He was then taken to the locker room where an initial round of evaluation took place. Sadly, this comes on the back of what was a breakout year for Zylstra as he hauled in 11 receptions for 60 yards and four touchdowns. Indeed, who could forget his performance during Week 16′s game against the Carolina Panthers when he caught five passes for 26 yards and three touchdowns.
Shane Zylstra is out, so who’s in?
It was back in 2020 when Zylstra went undrafted out of Minnesota State, and was picked up by the Minnesota Vikings. Interestingly, it was during this first foray in the NFL when the Vikings switched him from wide receiver to tight end, though he didn’t actually make their final roster. From there he joined Detroit’s practice squad and worked his way up. Across a total of 17 NFL games played, Zylstra has caught 14 passes for 94 yards and four touchdowns. Fortunately, as much as Zylstra’s absence will be felt, the Lions do have cover in the form of Sam LaPorta, Derrick Deese Jr., James Mitchell, and Brock Wright. Where LaPorta specifically is concerned, he was recently selected out of Iowa with the No. 34 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Expect to see offensive coordinator Ben Johnson leaning heavily on him this coming season.