As has always been the case, the Detroit Lions weren’t able to retain every player from last season, and they’ve now lost a veteran tight end who had spent the last five years with the organization.
Shane Zylstra has signed with the Buffalo Bills on a one-year contract after having spent the last five years in the Motor City, and he won’t have to wait long to get a crack at his former teammates. In fact, Zylstra and the Bills are going to make history by facing the Lions as their first ever opponent in their brand new venue in Week 2 of the upcoming 2026 NFL season.
Former Detroit Lions Tight End Shane Zylstra Has Signed With The Buffalo Bills
After having spent the last five years with the Lions, tight end Shane Zylstra has joined the Buffalo Bills, who are officially going to host the Lions at New Highmark Stadium in Week 2 of the NFL season in front of a nationally televised audience.
In a corresponding move, the Bills released kicker Maddux Trujillo, and also signed fourth-round receiver Skyler Bell and fourth-round linebacker Kaleb Elarms-Orr.
A native of Minnesota, Zylstra played five years at Minnesota State, where he would be named the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Offensive Player of the Year in 2017 and would later be named a First-team All-American in 2019.
He wasn’t drafted into the NFL, but signed with the Minnesota Vikings as a free agent. But after he was cut from the Vikings, he signed with the Lions.
Zylstra, who missed the entire 2023 season with an injury, accumulated 18 catches for 136 yards and four touchdowns in 35 games played in a Lions uniform. He also started six games.
Former Lions Tight End Shane Zylstra Missed The Entire 2023 NFL Season With A Knee Injury
Zylstra missed the entire 2023 NFL season after taking a questionable hit to the knee during Training Camp from cornerback Khalil Dorsey, which head coach Dan Campbell wasn’t a fan of.
“First of all, feel awful for Zylstra,” Campbell said when he reacted to the injury. “My gosh. He had the injury two years ago that man. That was a tough one. That was a tough injury he fought his way back from. And then you saw what he was able to do for us. He was a pivotal part of our success last year, once we started to turning the corner, and he just does everything right, man. He works, he’s a grinder, and then this one happens.”
“Honestly, it shouldn’t happen,” Campbell continued. “No, we’re not OK with that, and it’s been addressed. These things happen — the physicality of the game in pads — but that was preventable. It’s not what we do. And believe me, Khalil feels awful, too. We get that, but we got to take care of each other. You still have to be physical, we got to work each other, we got to compete, but we still got to take care of each other. We talked about it and we move on.”
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