The Detroit Lions waived tight end Shane Zylstra with an injured designation Tuesday, one day after he suffered a potentially season-ending knee injury in practice.
Zylstra was hurt at Lions training camp Monday when he took a hit to the knee by cornerback Khalil Dorsey after catching a short pass in flat.
The Lions cut short practice after the hit, which was a legal football play but the kind rarely seen in training camp. Zylstra limped off the field under his own power after being helped to his feet by Lions trainers, as veteran safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson went up and counseled Dorsey about the hit.
Zylstra will revert to injured reserve once he clears waivers.
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Rookie tight end Sam LaPorta also did not finish practice Monday with an undisclosed injury.
LaPorta, a second-round pick out of Iowa, has played as the Lions’ top tight end this spring, with Brock Wright, Zylstra and James Mitchell also seeing time with the first-team. Wright, Zylstra, Mitchel and T.J. Hockenson, who was traded to the Minnesota Vikings last November, set a Lions franchise record with 12 touchdowns catches by tight ends last season.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.