Josh Hill

Hill signed a one-year deal with the Lions this offseason but is ultimately choosing to retire after playing all eight of his seasons with the Saints. He recorded 1,071 yards and 15 touchdowns in New Orleans. The Lions hosted Darren Fells for a visit just before Hill announced his retirement, likely knowing that they were about to have a need at backup tight end. If Fells signs with Detroit, he'll serve as a blocker and a backup to T.J. Hockenson.

Hill played sparingly behind Jared Cook and Adam Trautman last year, catching just 8-of-10 targets on 359 snaps (33%). He reunites with Dan Campbell, who was his tight ends coach the last five seasons. Hill will compete for a blocking role behind locked-in starter T.J. Hockenson in Detroit.

31 in May, Hill was once dubbed the predecessor to Jimmy Graham by fantasy analysts. It never came close to that. The blocking specialist caught eight passes last season and sports a career 116-1,071-15 line across 117 games, averaging about one catch per game. He's spent his entire career in New Orleans.

He’s practicing on a limited basis after missing the start of training camp. There’s been no concern for Hill’s Week 1 status.