The Detroit Lions are making roster changes; they have signed a former Michigan player and cut a rookie tight end in preparation for next week’s start of organized team activities.
The Detroit Lions completed their rookie minicamp and tryout period with a full roster of ninety men, but they are still in the process of rearranging it as OTAs are scheduled to start next week.
The Lions announced on Thursday that they had released rookie tight end Isaac Rex, who was not selected, and signed tight end Sean McKeon.
After graduating from the University of Michigan in 2020 without being selected, McKeon inked a deal with the Dallas Cowboys. During his rookie season, he started one game and showed enough in training camp to win a position on the active roster as the team’s fourth tight end option.
McKeon played 45 games with the Cowboys over the course of the following four years, making three starts, but his primary roles were as a blocker and on special teams. He got 428 offensive snaps and 570 special teams snaps overall, according to PFF.
He was a four-phase special teams contributor (64.7 grade in 2023, 72,2 as a rookie) and a pass blocker (79.2 pass blocking grade in 2023, 81.0 in 2022), both of which earned above-average marks.
It will be difficult for McKeon to break into the Lions starting lineup because the team is returning their top four tight ends in Sam LaPorta, Brock Wright, James Mitchell, and Shane Zylstra.
He will, however, have an opportunity to secure a potential TE4 spot in Detroit given the new special teams regulations and the Lions’ predilection for blocking tight ends.
Despite being signed as an undrafted free agent, Rex didn’t seem to contribute enough in rookie minicamp to be considered for the team.
It’s unclear right now if he received a guaranteed contract or a UDFA signing bonus, but those details are unlikely to have a big effect on the Lions salary cap.
