Report: Lions pursued free agent Foster Moreau, expected to add TE in draft

The Detroit Lions attempted to add one of the top TE free agents in Foster Moreau, and will look to add in the 2023 NFL Draft, per the Detroit Free Press.

According to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, the Detroit Lions pursued tight end Foster Moreau in free agency this offseason.

Moreau is a 25-year-old tight end who was the Las Vegas Raiders’ fourth-round pick in 2019. He is coming off his best season with the Raiders, hauling in 33 passes for 420 yards and two touchdowns.

However, Moreau did not sign with a team this offseason, because a physical with the New Orleans Saints revealed that he had Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Obviously, Moreau has since taken a leave of absence from football, but the outlook seems very positive. He actually returned to the Saints in early April to finish his full physical there and reports suggest it’s a matter of “when” not “if” Moreau will play football again.

Birkett surmises that the Lions are now “expected to add to the (tight end) position” in the 2023 NFL Draft. Though the Lions have three tight ends who contributed significantly last year—Brock Wright, James Mitchell, and Shane Zylstra—there is plenty of space for improvement in that room.

This just so happens to be a stacked tight end draft class. Notre Dame’s Michael Mayer, Georgia’s Darnell Washington, Utah’s Dalton Kincaid, and Oregon State’s Luke Musgrave are all prospects who could realistically hear their name called in Round 1 or 2.

Earlier this week, new tight ends coach Steve Heiden explained the kind of tight end he’s looking for in his room.

“I think it’s still about physicality first and you go to the game with that mindset and that approach,” Heiden said. “Most of the time, the rest of it will take care of itself. I still think you can win a bunch of games in this league just being more physical than your opponent. Now, obviously, as you go, you tie all the things on top of that — your technique, your fundamentals, your discipline, your approach to the game, and all that, but I think it starts with physicality, and I don’t think that’ll change.”