Getty Lions tight end Brock Wright celebrates after a touchdown catch in 2021 vs. Minnesota.
The Detroit Lions haven’t made a habit of unleashing the tight end position the last few years minus the exploits of T.J. Hockenson, but perhaps that can start to change with the emergence of a potential new stud.
On Sunday, December 5, the Lions looked in Brock Wright’s direction after targeting Hockenson earlier in the game. They weren’t disappointed in the move when Wright was able to haul in his first career touchdown in order to help the Lions to a quick lead against the Minnesota Vikings.
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Wright’s possible emergence would be signficant for the Lions. The team hasn’t seen anyone step up the last few seasons behind Hockenson, both as a blocker or a passer. Quite literally, the Detroit tight end has been forced to go it alone rather than part of a quality tandem. Wright has become trusted and is beginning to show why he could loom large for Detroit’s future.
The Lions let Darren Fells go, and also elected not to bring back Jesse James last offseason. The team has tried in vain to find a veteran at the position, but in Wright, they have realized that they might not need to look much further. Given he is already solid up front, if Wright can continue to make a few plays in the passing game, the Lions may have found another key answer for their future on offense.
Watch Wright’s First Career Touchdown
To say that the touchdown to Wright was surprising would be an understatement. The rookie tight end was not on most scouting reports considering he was more of a blocker, but he showed some impressive hands with the nice grab on the toss from Jared Goff.
Here’s a look at the score:
Asked to describe the catch in an interview posted to DetroitLions.com, Wright said that the throw was in a tough window, but he made the play after a great pass.
“It was tight, it was the perfect throw by Jared (Goff) and you know, he played so well today, all of us played a complementary game and it feels awesome to be a pat of that win,” he said.
Wright Focused on Whole Game for Lions
Coming onto the roster from relative obscurity, Wright wasn’t anyone’s first choice as an impact player. He signed with the team as an undrafted free agent out of Notre Dame and hung around the practice squad before being elevated to the roster in October. In college, Wright was nearly invisible statistically, having scored only 1 touchdown for Notre Dame and collecting 78 yards receiving. He was known more as a blocking threat, but now, has delivered a score to equal his college production in the pros already.
As Wright said after the game that he is only focused on doing what he has to do in order to stay on the roster. That means being a blocker or a receiver, whichever the Lions ask him to do.
“I think as a tight end, you always try to be an all-around player. You’ve got to be involved in the run game and the pass game as well,” Wright told the media. “For me right now, its about improving every day and doing whatever I can to help the team win. If that’s blocking in the run game or catching passes, I’ll do whatever I need to do.”
That’s the kind of mindset that could lead to Wright being able to do more impressive things for the Lions in the future. Now that he’s scored his first touchdown, he can continue with his development the rest of the year.
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