The Lions have acquired tight end Tony Scheffler from the Broncos in a three-way trade that also ships linebacker Ernie Sims to Philadelphia, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Denver will send a seventh-round pick to Detroit, according to the report. The Broncos will receive a fifth-round pick from Philadelphia.

It will be a homecoming of sorts for the 27-year-old Scheffler (6-foot-5, 255 pounds) who attended Chelsea High School and played at Western Michigan.

In his four seasons with the Broncos he’s had 138 receptions for 1,896 yards and 14 touchdowns. Last season he started in nine of the 15 games he played and had 31 catches for 416 yards.

The Lions were in the market for a tight end after the retirement of Casey FitzSimmons which was announced last week. Also they could have concerns about Brandon Pettigrew who is recovering from ACL surgery.

The 25-year-old Sims, who struggled with injuries last season, was drafted in the first round (ninth overall) by the Lions in 2006. He had 49 tackles in the 11 games he played last year.