Detroit Lions sign tryout players Kaden Davis, Parker Hesse from rookie minicamp
The Detroit Lions signed two players Monday who had tryouts at last week's rookie minicamp: wide receiver Kaden Davis and tight end Parker Hesse.
Davis signed with the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2022 and spent part of that season on the team's practice squad. Last year, he caught eight passes for 83 yards in five games with the Michigan Panthers and averaged 25.9 yards on kickoff returns.
Hesse made eight starts and appeared in 28 games with the Atlanta Falcons in 2021-23. He played defensive line in college at Iowa before moving to tight end in the NFL.
The Lions entered camp with two open spots on their 90-man roster and were thin at both receiver and tight end.
The Lions return their top three tight ends from last season in Sam LaPorta, Brock Wright and James Mitchell, but had just two other tight ends under contract - Shane Zylstra and undrafted free agent Isaac Rex.
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At receiver, the Lions are in need of depth behind starters Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and Kalif Raymond. Donovan Peoples-Jones and Antoine Green are expected to contend for playing time this fall.
General manager Brad Holmes downplayed concerns about the No. 3 receiver spot in a radio interview on WXYT-FM (97.1) last week.
"We feel really good about the upside and the development of the guys that we currently have," Holmes said. "That’s not saying that we won’t add. That’s a position that, especially when you get into camp, those guys put a lot of yardage on the field and so you’ve always got to kind of at some point you need to add a guy here or there, when some attrition comes. But we feel really good about the guys we have."
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions sign 2 tryout players from rookie minicamp
