There is another addition to the Detroit Lions tight end room. After a rookie minicamp tryout, the Lions have signed Parker Hesse to a contract. The team announced the signing on Monday morning, with no contractual terms revealed.
Hesse was one of the veterans working in the weekend rookie minicamp on a tryout basis. The 28-year-old spent the 2023 season on the Atlanta Falcons practice squad and was active for three games. He started seven games and played in all 17 for the Falcons in 2022, catching nine passes for 89 yards.
Lions fans might remember Hesse catching a touchdown pass from Desmond Ridder in a preseason game against Detroit in Ford Field back in 2022.
The 6-foot-3, 251-pound Hesse played college football at Iowa, but was not a tight end. Like former Lions OT Matt Nelson, Hesse was a defensive lineman for the Hawkeyes. He switched to the offensive side of the ball as an undrafted rookie in Tennesee Titans training camp back in 2019.