Dan Campbell Has a Specific Vision for Jackson Meeks, and It’s Not What You Think
Jackson Meeks is now a tight end. Not a wide receiver trying tight end things. A tight end.
Training camp started, and the roster sheets confirmed it. The depth chart confirmed it. Dan Campbell confirmed it too, though in the most Dan Campbell way possible, which is to say he wants to see if Meeks can be this hybrid H-back big slot weapon who can do the dirty work when called upon but also make plays in space.
Here’s Campbell explaining the vision:
“I think that’s what we want to find out. We want to find out if there’s something in there that he could be kind of this hybrid, you know, H-backed tight end, big slot, big skill. Felt like his skill set is can be showcased better at this role, at this position. Now, look, he’s going to have to do some dirty work. There’s no way around it in training camp for the reps, preseason games, but there’s things that we’ll ask him to do to see if he can do it. You know, we just felt like this gives him the best opportunity to be the type of player that he can be, but also maybe help us see if there is something there.”
Translation: we like what he can do, but he’s going to have to block people. Real people. Big people. In real games.
Meeks Put on 25 Pounds and Started Studying Film Like His Life Depends on It
This is not a small ask. Meeks came in at 210 pounds. He’s now 235. That’s creatine, lifting, and according to Meeks himself, his mom and aunt cooking him into a different weight class this summer.
He’s also been doing his homework. Meeks has been watching Devin Funchess, Trey McBride from the Cardinals (where Drew Petzing came from, naturally), and Darren Waller. He’s focused on the guys who can move, who can play multiple roles, who can catch and then immediately turn into a problem for defenses after the catch.
But here’s the thing Meeks said that stood out: “It’s more so getting the physical aspect of it. Not necessarily watching it. It’s more going out there doing it, going out there, walk-through, going out there. You know, actually getting the reps in it. So muscle memory really helps me more.”
That’s the right answer. You can watch McBride all day, but until you’re actually putting a hand in the dirt and trying to chip an edge rusher or seal a linebacker, it’s just theory.
The Blocking Question Is Real, but Meeks Isn’t Backing Down
Blocking is the thing. It’s always the thing when a skill guy tries to make this jump.
Meeks knows it. And he’s not pretending it’s going to be easy. But he also has the exact mindset you want to hear from a guy making this switch:
“You ask me, I feel like I’m a great blocker. But at the end of the day, I know blocking is all mindset, and I know the end of the day I’m a fight. I’m not gonna give up. So blocking is all mindset for me, and I feel like as long as I go out there and I try my hardest to block, try my hardest to get in the way for as long as possible, because I am giving up some weight out there, but at the end of the day, I’m lower too. So I’m naturally lower than them. So just being able to get up under them and try to get as much movement as possible. Like I got Jahmyr Gibbs and Isaiah Pacheco back there. I don’t got to get too much movement because they can take it 80, 90.”
That last line is perfect. He’s not trying to be Penei Sewell out there. He’s trying to get in the way long enough for the running backs to do what they do.
Day One Was Good, Now Let’s See What Happens Next
This is the kind of move Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell make when they see something in a guy that no one else does. It’s not a guarantee. It’s an experiment with upside. But it’s an experiment backed by actual thought, actual development, and actual reps at the Meijer Performance Center.
Meeks had a solid first day. Now he’s got an entire training camp and preseason to prove this thing can work. If it does, the Lions just added a matchup problem that no one saw coming. If it doesn’t, well, at least they tried something instead of letting a guy sit on the practice squad collecting dust.
Do you buy Jackson Meeks as a legitimate tight end or is this just training camp hype waiting to get exposed in August? Drop your take below.
