Notes: Is Logan Thomas Detroit’s new TE3?

Just yesterday, Lions fans learned tight end Michael Roberts was traded by the team to New England for a conditional seventh-round pick in 2020. Now featuring hot prospect T.J. Hockenson and former Pittsburgh Steeler Jesse James at the head of the unit, many suspect the team’s depth at tight end made it possible to trade Roberts. But couldn’t the former Toledo Rocket have been a contributor further down the depth chart? Several articles this week hint at why even that may not have been in the cards.

Kyle Meinke from mlive.com believes converted Virginia Tech quarterback Logan Thomas is now the front-runner for the backup spot behind James and Hockenson.

Along the same lines, ESPN’s Michael Rothstein thought Thomas made a strong case to move up the depth chart during OTAs. Signed back in mid-March by the Lions, Thomas is a veteran who has bounced around the league with stints at Arizona and Buffalo, and now hopes to make the regular season roster in Detroit:

On the last day of organized team activities, our own Jeremy Reisman pointed out that Thomas may have had the catch of the day over Tracy Walker. With Isaac Nauta on track to return for training camp, the Lions may be set at tight end ahead of schedule.

• Charles Ramirez from the Detroit News reported on a sports business panel featuring Detroit Lions president Rod Wood at the Detroit Free Press Breakfast Club meeting. Of particular note are some comments Wood offered on the possibility of hosting major NFL events like the draft or Super Bowl:

Wood said the Lions organization is working to bring the NFL Draft to Detroit in 2022. ”I’m optimistic but it’s a competitive process and we’re going to try to get it here in 2022,” he said.

However, Detroit needs more money to bring major sports events to the area, Wood said.

”The issue with big events like the Super Bowl or the draft or the NCAA Final Four is you have to have capital committed to support the infrastructure and the marketing of the event when you go to bid against other cities,” he said. “For the Super Bowl, you need to have north of $50 million in the bank before you can be a serious contender.”

You can read the entire article through the link below:

• Justin Rogers at the Detroit News delves into cornerback Mike Ford’s background in a story that is worth your attention and time:

• Coming into a tough backup quarterback competition in place of the waived former Spartan Connor Cook, well-traveled David Fales brings experience from time with the Dolphins, Bears, and Ravens:

• Fox Sports Detroit posted a fun video with some behind the scenes footage of a Lions photoshoot:

• Dave Birkett from the Detroit Free Press had an interesting observation about the Lions training camp schedule:

• The always-interesting Chris Burke from The Athletic offers 40 observations on the Lions from OTAs, but unfortunately you’ll need a subscription to find out what they are.

• Devon Kennard posted a fantastic photo of a bunch of guys being dudes from the last day of OTAs: