Allen Park — The Lions waived tight end Shane Zylstra a day after he suffered what appeared to be a serious knee injury during Monday’s practice.
After catching a pass near the left sideline, Zylstra was chopped down as he turned upfield by a low tackle from cornerback Khalil Dorsey. Practice was paused for several minutes while Zylstra was attended to before he was helped to his feet and limped slowly back to the locker room.
A prolific college receiver for Minnesota State, Zylstra initially signed with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2021 prior to joining the Lions’ practice squad ahead of the regular season. He saw limited action as a rookie, but he appeared in 13 games last season, recording 11 catches for 60 yards and four touchdowns.
Zylstra had been competing with Brock Wright, James Mitchell and rookie Sam LaPorta for playing time in the early stages of training camp. Assuming Zylstra clears waivers, he would revert to Detroit’s roster and be placed on injured reserve, effectively ending his season.
jdrogers@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @Justin_Rogers