Former Tennessee tight end Miles Kitselman has hit a rough patch before his rookie NFL season even gets going.
Kitselman was hurt during practice with the Detroit Lions on Sunday, and head coach Dan Campbell later said he will be “out for a while.” Detroit responded by placing him on the reserve/injured list and signing wide receiver Tarik Black.
CBS reported that Kitselman is expected to spend the full season on injured reserve unless the Lions choose to waive him and work out an injury settlement.
The specific injury has not been disclosed, but this latest setback fits a pattern of bad luck that followed him out of Knoxville. Kitselman missed Tennessee’s final two regular-season games because of a leg injury, then returned for the Music City Bowl against Illinois. He also dealt with an upper-body injury in the spring of 2025, though he was ready for the start of the season.
Kitselman went undrafted after the 2025 season and later signed with Detroit as an undrafted free agent. The Lions also used a seventh-round pick on former Vols edge rusher Tyre West.
Over his final two seasons at Tennessee, Kitselman was a steady presence at tight end. He caught 48 passes for 554 yards and six touchdowns across those two years, while also adding a rushing touchdown in 2024. In 2025, he finished with 253 yards and two touchdowns; in 2024, he totaled 301 yards and four scores.
Before Tennessee, Kitselman spent his freshman year at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas, then played two seasons at Alabama before transferring to Knoxville.
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