Former Vikings TE Signs with Bills

Five years ago, the Minnesota Vikings employed a promising young tight end named Shane Zylstra, who later departed the franchise for the Detroit Lions, where he stayed for five seasons, believe it or not. Now, Zylstra is on his way to Buffalo.

Detroit became the landing spot where Zylstra finally stuck around for multiple seasons.

The Bills added some TE depth this week, and his name is Zylstra.

Buffalo Adds Another Pass-Catching Option for Camp

Zylstra goes from a contender to … a contender

Tight end Shane Zylstra catches a pass during Minnesota NFL Pro Day workouts in Minneapolis. — Minnesota State Mankato tight end Shane Zylstra makes a catch during Minnesota’s NFL Pro Day workout on April 1, 2021, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Zylstra participated alongside several draft hopefuls while attempting to earn NFL attention after a productive small-school college career that eventually led to opportunities with both the Vikings and Lions organizations. Mandatory Credit: Andy Clayton-King/AP Photo.

The BUF Move

Buffalo Rumblings‘ Chris Trapasso detailed the transaction on Tuesday: “The Buffalo Bills have made another post-draft signing, this time it’s on offense — former Lions tight end Shane Zylstra has been added on a one-year contract.”

“Zylstra started his carer with the Vikings but was cut at the end of his August before being signed by the Lions. He spent the 2021 – 2025 seasons in Detroit as one of the depth tight ends on the roster. All four of his touchdowns came in 2022.”

It’s a fresh start for the 29-year-old.

The Career Production

Zylstra certainly isn’t a volume pass-catching tight end, but the Lions loved him. These are his numbers through five seasons:

2025: 3 Rec | 20 Yds | 0 TDs
2024: 1 Rec | 22 Yds | 0 TDs
2023: DNP
2022: 11 Rec | 60 Yds | 4 TDs
2021: 3 Rec | 34 Yds | 0 TDs

And the Pro Football Focus track record:

2025: 44.0
2024: 49.6
2023: DNP
2022: 59.2
2021: 53.5

The easiest way to think of Zylstra is a quintessential TE3. When a team needs a depth tight end after two main guys, turn to Zylstra.

Pride of Detroit‘s Brandon Knapp on Zylstra’s 2025 campaign: “As the third-string option, the expectations weren’t very high for Zylstra in 2025. The year before he played in 12 games and only caught one pass for a yard. He wasn’t used often on offense and only saw his role increase if LaPorta or Wright were out with an injury. He was more of a receiver-styled tight end that did block particularly well. With the team loving tight ends that can do both, he was limited in what the team saw in him.”

“For a majority of the year, Zylstra was on the injured reserved list. After suffering the ankle injury against the Chicago Bears in Week 2, Zylstra didn’t return until Week 15. Zylstra got all of his receiving stats for the year against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 16. While he had more offensive snaps than special teams, that was because before he suffered the injury, he had 13 special teams snaps to his six offensive and the tight ends above him were healthy. Once he returned, the others weren’t there and he was forced to play more offense than special teams.”

Bills’ New TE Room

With Zylstra in the house for Josh Allen’s team, here’s the lay of the land at tight end:

Dalton Kincaid
Dawson Knox
Jackson Hawes
Keleki Latua
Shane Zylstra

Lions tight end Shane Zylstra catches a touchdown pass against the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte. — Detroit Lions tight end Shane Zylstra catches a fourth-quarter touchdown pass against the Carolina Panthers on Dec. 24, 2022, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. Panthers linebacker Cory Littleton contests the play as Zylstra helped Detroit’s offense during a critical late-season game with postseason implications in the NFC playoff race. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports.

Zylstra certainly won’t supplant Kincaid or Knox, but he has a chance to overtake Hawes or pray the Bills keep four tight ends instead of three.

Bills’ New Faces in 2026

The Bills were quite busy this offseason — busier than the Vikings during free agency — adding these newcomers:

Dee Alford, CB (ATL → BUF)
Kyle Allen, QB (DET → BUF)
Austin Corbett, C (CAR → BUF)
Bradley Chubb, EDGE (MIA → BUF)
Lloyd Cushenberry, C (TEN → BUF)
Michael Danna, EDGE (KC → BUF)
Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, S (CHI → BUF)
Trent Sherfield, WR (MIN → BUF)
Geno Stone, S (CIN → BUF)
Ben VanSumeren, FB (PHI → BUF)
Shane Zylstra, TE (DET → BUF)

And from the draft, general manager Brandon Beane welcomed these rookies:

Round 2: T.J. Parker (EDGE, Clemson)
Round 2: Davison Igbinosun (CB, Ohio State)
Round 4: Jude Bowry (OT, Boston College)
Round 4: Skyler Bell (WR, Connecticut)
Round 4: Kaleb Elarms-Orr (LB, TCU)
Round 5: Jalon Kilgore (CB, South Carolina)
Round 5: Zane Durant (DT, Penn State)
Round 7: Toriano Pride Jr. (CB, Missouri)
Round 7: Tommy Doman (P, Florida)
Round 7: Ar’maj Reed-Adams (G, Texas A&M)

Zylstra will turn 30 in November and is from Spicer, Minnesota. He attended Minnesota State University — Adam Thielen’s alma mater.

Vikings tight end Shane Zylstra catches a pass during OTA practice at TCO Performance Center. — Minnesota Vikings tight end Shane Zylstra catches a pass during organized team activities on June 15, 2021, at TCO Performance Center in Eagan, Minnesota. Zylstra participated in offseason drills while competing for a roster spot after signing with Minnesota following a standout collegiate career at Minnesota State Mankato. Mandatory Credit: Harrison Barden-USA TODAY Sports.

Ironically, Zylstra already knows when he’ll face his former team in 2026, as MLive’s Kory Woods wrote Tuesday, “Despite moving on from Detroit, Zylstra will see his former teammates later in the year. Earlier this week, Amazon Prime Video announced that the Lions will play the Bills in Week 2 this season, starting the streaming platform’s Thursday Night Football coverage on Sept. 17.”