The Detroit Lions officially bid farewell to another tight end Tuesday — Miles Kitselman.
According to the NFL transaction wire, the Lions waived the undrafted rookie tight end from injured reserve with an injury settlement.
Kitselman sustained an ailment to his leg in early August. Lions head coach Dan Campbell told the media Kitselman would miss significant time, and the team placed him on IR.
With the injury settlement, the tight end can return to the field this season with another team if he gets fully healthy.
Kitselman signed with the Lions after going undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft. Although he went unselected, his size had him competing for a roster spot.
“Kitselman has good size and will play as a connected tight end on the next level. He needs to play with better hand placement and pad level, but he’s willing to put in work in-line or as a move blocker,” wrote NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein. “[Kitselman] has above-average play speed in space and showed an ability to run a variety of routes. He has enough speed to stress man coverage into the second level. His separation underneath is average, though. Drops, double-catches and issues securing contested throws were evident in 2025.
“Kitselman has Day 3 draft value and could find work as a TE3/4.”
Tuesday was the second consecutive day the Lions waived a tight end with an injury settlement. On Monday, the team waived veteran Anthony Firkser.
Lions Reach Injury Settlement With TE Miles Kitselman
Kitselman’s injury is unfortunate, as pundits expected the rookie tight end to bring some excitement to the Lions depth at the position.
Kitselman played tight end at Alabama and Tennessee during college. He wasn’t able to earn much of a role with the Crimson Tide, but with the Volunteers, he caught 50 passes in 43 games.
Last season, the tight end registered 26 receptions, 253 receiving yards and two touchdowns in 11 contests.
Again, with the injury settlement, Kitselman is free to sign with another club. Campbell, though, cast serious doubt that the tight end would be able to play during his rookie season.
Lions TE Depth Entering Preseason
The Lions have dealt with a couple injuries at tight end this month. A few days after bringing back Firkser on a contract, the team also placed him on injured reserve.
Detroit reached an injury settlement with Firkser this week as well.
That’s left the Lions tight end depth a little depleted. But starter Sam LaPorta has returned healthy during training camp. LaPorta missed the end of the 2025 regular season because of a back injury.
Brock Wright, Zach Horton, Thomas Gordon, Tyler Conkin and Jackson Meeks are battling for the roster spots at tight end behind LaPorta.
The Lions cut Horton in early August but brought him back after Firkser’s injury. Meeks was with the Lions as an undrafted wide receiver last summer. Meeks gained 25 pounds this offseason to convert to tight end.
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