Allen Park — The Detroit Lions waived veteran tight end Darren Fells on Monday, a mutual decision between to the two sides.
“Darren, that was basically a mutual parting,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “No ill will. It’s all good.”
To fill the need for depth at the position, the Lions are signing Brock Wright off the practice squad. The undrafted rookie had been temporarily elevated off the practice squad the past two games and was active ahead of Fells, who was a healthy scratch, in the team’s last game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Fells, in his second stint with the Lions, had signed shortly after this year’s draft, when free agent addition Josh Hill opted to retire. Fells appeared in seven games for the Lions this season, including five starts, primarily serving in a blocking role. He caught just four passes for 43 yards.
The 35-year-old got a late start in football, initially pursuing a professional basketball career after graduating from UC Irvine. From 2008-12, he played internationally for teams in Mexico, South America and Europe.
Eventually, he followed in the footsteps of brother Daniel, a former tight end who played for several NFL teams during a 10-year career. Darren initially signed with the Seattle Seahawks, before latching on with the Arizona Cardinals, where he spent three seasons.
Fells signed with the Lions as a free agent in 2017, appearing in all 16 games that season. From there, he went to Cleveland, then Houston, where he posted the best receiving production of his career.
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jdrogers@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @Justin_Rogers