ALLEN PARK -- Darren Fells was one of the best blocking tight ends in the league in Arizona. And that's why the Lions brought him to Detroit. To block.

Which is why everyone was a little surprised to see him targeted so much in the passing game Sunday against Minnesota. Including, apparently, the Fox broadcast team.

"And they lay it off to Fells, a backup tight end," play-by-play man Thom Brennaman says after his first catch 90 seconds into the game. "That's good enough for a first down. Daniel Fells, just his third catch of the year."

One problem: His name is Darren Fells, not Daniel. (That's his brother.)

Another problem: He's started four games this year. Out of four.

Sure, he's a blocking tight end, and he'd be the first to tell you that. But in this Lions offense, he's hardly a backup. He's started every game. Heck, he's actually played more snaps than Ebron twice this season. He's played 153 snaps of offense overall.

Ebron's played 167.

Throw in rookie Michael Roberts' 54 snaps of offense, and the Lions are rolling three deep at the position, often with two on the field at the same time. This is the realization of Detroit's offseason push to expand its multiple-tight end packages, signing Fells in free agency and then selecting Roberts in the fourth round of the draft.

"Tight end wise, we got a solid corps," Roberts said. "All of us touch the ball, all of us play on the field together pretty often throughout the game. I mean, I think that's the goal here. The game is changing, tight end is a very important part of, well, this offense especially.

"All three of us are on the field, all three of us doing different things."

Just consider the 14-7 win against Minnesota on Sunday. Matthew Stafford's first completion was that first-down pass to "Daniel" Fells. Then after going three-and-out on the next series, and facing another third-and-long deep in their own territory, Stafford rolled out to find Fells streaking toward the sideline for a 10-yard pickup. First down.

Then Stafford went back to Fells for another 10 yards. First down. And again for another 10 yards. First down. And suddenly the Lions were in the red zone.

They wound up settling for a field goal, but in a 14-7 win, that opening score mattered. And Fells caught three of the six passes on the drive. Not bad for a guy who considers himself an offensive lineman.

"I'm part of the front six, as I like to call it," Fells said. "We work together all the time, and obviously I'm a blocking tight end, so I like to think of myself as a tackle-tight end concept."

Yet he can catch four passes in a quarter against the league's best defense. And he can apparently run after the catch a bit, too. Like when he snagged a pass 5 yards downfield, was hit immediately by Trae Waynes -- and then quite literally dragged the former Michigan State star 5 more yards for the first down.

Or like when he caught his fourth pass behind the line of scrimmage, ran downfield, then pressed the B button and somehow spun through three guys to Minnesota's 11-yard line. First down.

Offensive linemen don't do that.

"I'm a receiving tackle," Fells said with a laugh. "That's how Matt does it. He just throws to the open guy. So my mind-set coming in is to move the guy in front of me first, and then if I run a route and I'm open and Matt gives it to me, I'll do what I can."

Make no mistake, Fells is a blocker first. He caught the ball just twice in the first three games combined. But that's not because he can't catch. Ebron is just the preferred option because of his speed and athleticism.

But if a defense smothers Ebron, the Lions have no problem going to their blocking tight end either. Or even Roberts.

The rookie has come along slowly, as he adjusts to how the Lions want to use him. At Toledo, he was a pass-catcher first. He led the nation's tight ends last year with 16 touchdown catches. But the Lions are asking him to be a sort of catching-blocking hybrid.

A Fells-Ebron hybrid, if you will.

"I blocked at Toledo, you know," Roberts said. "I was used to, you know, 16 touchdowns in one year. So it's just adjusting. It's just finding a love within what they want me to do."

And he's apparently doing that, because he's shaken off a brief bout with ball security in the preseason and has seen his playing time rise. He's played at least 17 snaps two of the last three weeks.

Against Minnesota, he came up with one of the biggest catches of the day. He was Stafford's third read on a third-quarter play, but found the soft spot in the middle of the defense and caught a 15-yard pass that moved Detroit within 3 yards of the goal line.

Two plays later, Ameer Abdullah punched it in, giving the Lions their go-ahead touchdown on the road against the co-division leading Vikings.

"It was one to remember for sure," Roberts said with a laugh. "I fought for another 3 (for the score), but I just couldn't quite do it. You know, just trying not to do too much with in the situation. I felt, within that moment, I did my job. I caught the ball, didn't try to do anything extra. I tried to back up in there, didn't work out, and somebody else got in there."

The Lions scored three times against Minnesota. Their tight ends were instrumental in two of the scores. And this is on a day when Ebron, their No. 1 target at the position, got his hands on just two balls.

It was a glimpse into what the Lions were trying to do by piling up tight ends this offseason, and teases of the possibilities to come, especially if Ebron shakes off his struggles atop the rotation. Take note, Thom Brennaman.