Why Detroit Lions Need Brandon Pettigrew Back in Mix at Tight End

Don't blame Brandon Pettigrew.

He's not the one who selected the former Oklahoma State Cowboy in the first-round. That was general manager Martin Mayhew.

Pettigrew is the one who has averaged 49 catches per season over the last six years and has been a stout blocker. He's been steady, not great, but he's been measured against his draft status, which we've established isn't completely fair.

Before we move forward, let's give credit where it's due, since B/R NFL Editor Ian Kenyon was the first (to my knowledge) to offer this style of argument:

"

If Darrius Heyward-Bey were a 4th round pick in 2009 like he should have been, we'd talk about how he's had a solid NFL career.

— Ian Kenyon (@IanKenyonNFL) September 20, 2015"

The Detroit Lions need Pettigrew—who has missed roughly 4.5 games so far—back in a bad way this week. The Minnesota Vikings have the second-best defense scoring-wise and pose a serious problem, even if offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi doesn't lose his deep-shot gumption.

Hot on the Edges

Minnesota boasts a pair of defensive ends capable of causing destruction against overmatched offensive tackles. For proof, please peruse their pressure production from Week 2.

Player	Sacks	Hits	Hurries	Pass-Rush Grade
Everson Griffen	1	0	6	2.1
Brian Robison	0	1	5	3.6

Granted, Cornelius Lucas started on the right side, but LaAdrian Waddle hasn't been much better. The latter has allowed seven more quarterback hurries, three more hits and an extra pair of sacks, per Pro Football Focus, despite playing only two more snaps.

Matthew Stafford is capable of making accurate throws, but he tends to wilt under pressure. His accuracy rate under pressure (56.3) is 3.7 points lower than Ryan Mallett's mark. Suffice it to say, Detroit needs to keep Everson Griffen and Brian Robison occupied, even if it's only for a moment.

To put it mildly, the Lions need anyone capable of helping on the outside to be on top of his game this week. That means fullback Michael Burton, the tailbacks and the tight ends.

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

Tim Wright Can't Block

The offense has had to rely on Tim Wright to handle blocking duties. While he may stand 6'4", he packs 220 pounds on that long frame, which doesn't make for the body of a bruiser.

And the results have been somewhere south of below average.

"

No excuse for Abdullah fumbling, but Tim Wright blew the block, than ended up injuring the RB when he dove for the loose ball.

— Justin Rogers (@Justin_Rogers) October 18, 2015"

His inability to effectively move a defender has made his rare successes events worthy of exclamations and acronyms. No, seriously.

"

OMG Tim Wright threw an effective block. Go buy lottery tickets, Lions fans!

— Jeff Risdon (@JeffRisdon) October 18, 2015"

Wright's run-blocking grade (-6.2) is the second lowest on the team despite playing less than a third of the running downs. And Eric Ebron may be back this week (full practice participant on Thursday per Kyle Meinke of MLive Media Group), but his grade (-4.5) falls into the same putrid category.

It's no coincidence that Detroit's best two games rushing before Week 6 came with Pettigrew on the field.

Versatility is King

To Lombardi's credit, he tried to overcome this problem with creativity, occasionally employing a sixth offensive lineman against the Chicago Bears.

The logic carried some merit. The Lions love laterally moving rushing plays, so having someone on the outside of the line who can seal a block is of the utmost importance.

"

(11:03) C.Lucas reported in as eligible. A.Abdullah right end to DET 29 for 9 yards (H.Jones-Quartey). #DETvsCHI

— Lions Play By Play (@lions_pbp) October 18, 2015"

However, there's something lost in this transaction. Lucas has caught zero passes in his professional career. And per sports-reference.com, the only statistic he garnered in college was a tackle.

Therein, dear reader, lies the rub.

Pettigrew isn't the best receiving option on the roster, but he's at least capable. Yes, it's easy to blurt, "he sucks" because he has a mere 13 receptions since 2013. That would be shortsighted, though. A player sans skill can't put together four seasons with 41 or more catches.

Unfortunately for Detroit, the same MLive report cited above said Pettigrew hasn't practiced as of Thursday evening after being a late scratch last week.

"

Caldwell says Pettigrew’s injury “just popped up” during the walk-through on Saturday, that’s why he was a late add to the injury report.

— Tori Petry (@sportstori) October 19, 2015"

There's no concrete indication either way that Pettigrew won't play this week, although it doesn't look promising. Again, the Vikings have a much better defense than Chicago, so if you're looking to blame something after a potentially rough offensive outing this coming Sunday, you may want to look at the pregame injury report.

All advanced stats, grades and positional rankings are courtesy of Pro Football Focus.

Brandon Alisoglu is a Detroit Lions Featured Columnist. He also co-hosts a Lions-centric podcast, Lions Central Radio. Yell at him on Twitter @BrandonAlisoglu.