Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

Lions adding yet another UFL player, this time a former teammate of Sam LaPorta at Iowa

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Mike Payton | Last updated Aug 7, 2025 1:34 PM ET

The Detroit Lions love adding UFL talent. There's no doubt about it at this point. This summer alone, the Lions have added St. Louis Battlehawks running back Jacob Saylors, Michigan Panthers CB D.J. Miller, Battlehawks cornerback Nick Whiteside, and now San Antonio Brahmas tight end Steven Stilianos.

NEWS: The Detroit #Lions are signing @XFLBrahmas TE Steven Stilianos, source confirms.

Stilianos joined the Brahmas right as the #UFL season began, totaling 86 yards & 1 TD. The former Iowa product impressed as a run blocker - and also threw a TD on a trick play. pic.twitter.com/rPnG3YuGcH
— James Larsen (@JamesLarsenPFN) August 7, 2025

Primarily a blocking tight end, Stilianos is a former Iowa teammate of Sam LaPorta. He was part of the "Tight End U" group with LaPorta and Texans tight end Luke LaChey. He went undrafted in the 2024 NFL Draft, but was signed by the Titans, but was cut at the end of camp and headed to the UFL. Stilianos recently tried out for the Vikings as well. He's shown to be a decent pass blocker, but the run-blocking aspect could use some work. He'll have an uphill battle with Shane Zylstra, Zach Horton, and Kenny Yeboah in front of him.

At this time, we do not know what the corresponding move was to open up this roster spot for Stilianos. The Lions should be announcing that soon. We'll update this article as soon as we know.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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