The Detroit Lions are adding some big size to their tight end room, signing a former teammate of top pass-catcher Sam LaPorta to add some depth to their roster.
The team announced on Thursday that they signed former Iowa State tight end Steven Stilianos, who started his career as an undrafted free agent with the Tennessee Titans before moving to the UFL. He will likely face an uphill battle to make the final roster, but could have an advantage as a blocking tight end on a team with a strong rushing game.
New Tight End Has Little Time to Stand Out
As SI.com’s Christian Booher noted, Stilianos is expected to compete for the final place on the tight end depth chart.
“According to multiple reports, the Lions are signing former San Antonio Brahmas tight end Steven Stilianos,” Booher wrote. “He joins a competition for the team’s third tight spot with Shane Zylstra, Zach Horton and Kenny Yeboah.”
“In the spring, Stilianos played nine games for the Brahamas and caught 15 passes for 86 yards and a touchdown. He also threw one pass, a 38-yard touchdown.”
Stilianos will be at something of a disadvantage, having missed most of training camp and coming in after the team’s first preseason game last week. While Silianos had little production in his two seasons at Iowa, making just eight receptions for 96 yards, he did have a bigger impact at Lafayette, an FCS college. He was named to the First-Team All-Patriot League in 2021, making 21 receptions for 130 yards.
Stilianos played with LaPorta at Iowa but served mostly as a blocking tight end, Booher noted.
“His ability to contribute in the run game as a blocker could make him valuable, as the team has traditionally asked for plenty of blocking from the third tight end,” Stilianos wrote. “LaPorta and Wright are entrenched as the top two options, but the Lions have an open competition for the third spot.”
Lions Have Big Decisions to Make
The Lions will have an extra preseason game to evaluate players, having played in last week’s Hall of Fame Game, with some big decisions to make on offense. That includes determining a second-string quarterback, with Hendon Hooker competing with veteran Kyle Allen for the spot behind Jared Goff.
Though Hooker has not been able to lock down the No. 2 spot since being drafted in 2023, The Athletic’s Colton Pouncy believes he is the frontrunner for the job this summer as Allen struggled in the first preseason game.
“If Kyle Allen continues to play like he did in the preseason opener, he won’t have a spot on this team,” Pouncy wrote. “He made a poor throw on a pass intended for Tom Kennedy that was picked off and nearly returned for a touchdown, and made a poor decision throwing into double coverage on an end-zone shot to Isaac TeSlaa — also intercepted. I expected more from Allen, given how well he’s performed in practice.”
The Lions announced that Hooker will start in Friday’s preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons.
It’s not clear yet if Stilianos will get the chance to play in Friday’s preseason game, but he could use as many opportunities as he can get to make an impression in his bid to make the active roster.
