The Detroit Lions made some moves this week at the tight end position. An unfortunate injury to Shane Zylstra necessitated one move, and the Lions ended the Derrick Deese Jr. experiment after a flat developmental line in his second offseason.
Replacing Zylstra and Deese are newcomers Daniel Helm and Darrell Daniels. Helm has scant NFL experience (14 career games, one reception), and while he might be more of an apples-to-apples replacement for Zylstra’s particular set of skills, my personal belief is that Daniels has a better chance of making the Lions’ 53-man roster.
What are the Lions getting in Darrell Daniels?
Daniels has been in the NFL since 2017, signing with the Indianapolis Colts and making their roster as an undrafted rookie free agent from Washington. He spent most of his first rookie season bouncing between the Colts’ practice squad and active roster, playing in 12 games. Daniels caught three passes for 26 yards.
In 2018, he was traded at the final roster cutdowns to the Seattle Seahawks. Daniels, then listed at 254 pounds, served as Seattle’s designated blocking TE and played primarily on special teams. When the Seahawks waived him in late November, the Arizona Cardinals quickly claimed him. It’s his Cardinals tenure where Daniels is best known.
Over the next three seasons (2019-2021), Daniels played in 38 games for Arizona, starting 12. Over 85 percent of his nearly 700 offensive snaps with the Cardinals came as an inline tight end. Daniels became a de facto blocking specialist and a solid one, notably in pass protection.
That’s not to say Daniels can’t threaten defenses in the passing game. He had above-average speed (4.55 40-yard dash at the 2017 combine) and decent acceleration. It’s important to note he’s added around 15 pounds from his combine testing weight of 247 pounds.
The Cardinals didn’t give him many opportunities as a receiver. He caught 10 passes on 19 targets in those 38 games in Arizona. He did see significant action on kick and punt coverage units throughout his tenure, as well as playing about 23 snaps per game on offense.
Here is Daniels’ only career TD, a fantastic contested catch from Kyler Murray:
#RedSea TE Darrell Daniels really snagged this out of the hands of Byron Jones for his first career touchdown. pic.twitter.com/CVlfXMtjWJ
— Russell Brown (@RussNFLDraft) November 9, 2020
Injuries have hurt Daniels’ developmental time in the NFL. He ended the 2019 season on I.R. with a biceps injury, then finished the following year with an ankle issue. Both of those seasons were with the Cardinals. He didn’t play in 2022 after being cut by the Texans in training camp, only resurfacing briefly on the Colts’ practice squad.
As a blocker, Daniels quickly developed solid hand placement and leg drive in the run game. He’s not been great at engaging targets in space, but firing off into a DE from an inline start has worked well. Daniels was good on screens and quick swing passes on backside containment, typically picking off the pursuing backside LB.
That’s the basic role Daniels can serve in Detroit, should he make it. The Lions don’t really have a true inline TE who is more of a blocker than a receiver, though they’re working hard to get James Mitchell into being ready for that capacity. Special teams will likely determine if Daniels, who turns 29 in November, will make it in Detroit.
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