Roster Review: Did Levine Toilolo earn another contract with the Lions?

As we head into the opening stages of NFL free agency we will be taking a look at every member of the Detroit Lions roster, evaluating their performance last season and discussing their future with the team.

Today we take a look at tight end Levine Toilolo.

TE Levine Toilolo
Expectations before 2018:

The Lions signed Levine Toilolo a little late in free agency last season. He costed only $1.5 million and was brought in to replace the blocking prowess of Darren Fells from the year before. He was never expected to be much of a receiving threat and was mainly a depth piece behind Luke Willson.

He had a pretty quiet training camp and preseason but eventually made the 53-man roster.

Actual role in 2018:

Toilolo played in all 16 games for Detroit, starting in 10 of them. He was one of the few healthy starters that survived the entire season and exceeded expectations when he was on the field.

He was on of the best blocking tight ends in all of football last season. His pass blocking was great and while not perfect his ability as a run blocker was underrated as well. Toilolo also proved to the teams most reliable receiving tight end down the stretch, with 21 catches for 263 yards and a touchdown.

Outlook:

Toilolo exceeded any expectations anyone could have had of him in 2018 and Detroit should do what they can to hold on to him. He will most likely earn more than the $1.5 million he was paid last season, and may even get inked to a multi-year deal. His ability as a blocker should fit well into offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell’s scheme. The tight end earned another contract in Detroit.