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Detroit Lions News & Rumors

Lions To Place Zach Zenner On IR

October 19th, 2015 at 4:39pm CST by Luke Adams

4:39pm: The Lions will promote running back George Winn from the taxi squad to take Zenner’s place, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press tweets.

11:46am: The Lions will be placing running back Zach Zenner on the injured reserve list at some point in the near future, head coach Jim Caldwell confirmed today. As ESPN’s Michael Rothstein details, Zenner suffered multiple cracked ribs and a partially collapsed lung on Sunday, and remains hospitalized for now.

Zenner, a promising rookie out of South Dakota State, earned a spot on the Lions’ roster out of camp, and saw some action behind Joique Bell, Ameer Abdullah, and Theo Riddick during the early going. For the season, Zenner has 60 rushing yards on 17 attempts, along with a pair of receptions.

Once Zenner officially lands on IR, the Lions will have an extra roster spot to either use on a running back or another position.

PUP, NFI Players Soon Eligible To Practice

October 19th, 2015 at 10:30am CST by Luke Adams

Week 6 of the NFL season will come to an end after Monday night’s game between the Giants and Eagles, and when teams begin preparing for Week 7, many clubs could be welcoming injured players back to practice. Six weeks into the NFL season, players who were placed on the physically unable to perform list or the non-football injury list prior to Week 1’s games will be eligible to return to the practice field.

Of course, just because those players are able to return to practice doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be healthy enough to do so. Players on the PUP list have a five-week window to begin practicing. Once they return to practice, they have three weeks to be added to their respective teams’ active rosters. In other words, a player currently on the PUP list could return to the field for his team’s Week 7 game, or could return as late as for his team’s Week 15 contest.

The rules for NFI players are similar to those for PUP players. If a player on either reserve list doesn’t return to practice or game action in time, his 2015 season will officially be over.

Here are the players currently on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list who can begin practicing as soon as this Tuesday:

And here are the players currently on their teams’ non-football injury or illness lists, who are also eligible to begin practicing this Tuesday:

  • Arizona Cardinals: WR Damond Powell
  • Buffalo Bills: CB Leodis McKelvin
  • Cincinnati Bengals: T Cedric Ogbuehi
  • Cleveland Browns: DB Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, TE Randall Telfer, RB Glenn Winston
  • Dallas Cowboys: LB Mark Nzeocha
  • Houston Texans: T David Quessenberry
  • Kansas City Chiefs: QB Tyler Bray
  • San Francisco 49ers: WR DeAndre Smelter
  • Seattle Seahawks: DT Jesse Williams

In addition to monitoring players on the PUP and NFI lists, it’s worth keeping an eye on players who have been placed on the injured reserve list with the designation to return. Teams can use this IR-DTR spot on one player per season, placing him on the injured reserve list without necessarily ruling him out for the season. As we explained in an earlier post, players given this designation can begin practicing after six weeks and can return after eight weeks.

That means that a player who was placed on IR-DTR prior to Week 1 can begin practicing on Tuesday, though he won’t be eligible to return to game action until Week 9. A player who was placed on IR-DTR after Week 1 will have to wait until next Tuesday – October 27 – to return to practice, while other IR-DTR players will have to wait until November to practice.

Here’s the list of players currently on IR-DTR who can begin practicing as soon as Tuesday:

Extra Points: Palmer, Lions, Raiders

October 17th, 2015 at 9:35pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Let’s close out Saturday night by taking one final look around the NFL…

  • The Lions are still sorting our their right tackle situation, as neither LaAdrian Waddle nor Cornelius Lucas has emerged as a solid starting option, writes Justin Rogers of MLive.com. Lucas started the first three games of the season while Waddle recovered from an injury; Waddle took the lead during Week 4, but the two rotated in something of a platoon during Week 5. The club hasn’t announced the plan for tomorrow’s contest, but the lack of continuity can only be seen as a detriment for the winless Lions.
  • Carson Palmer is playing some of the best football of his career, and Chris Wesseling of NFL.com looks at how much Palmer has meant to the Cardinals — enough, in fact, to warrant general manager Steve Keim labeling Palmer as a “godsend” to the organization. Arizona ranks third in Football Outsiders’ offensive DVOA metric, while Palmer is tied for first with 13 touchdown passes.
  • Despite rumors to the contrary, the Raiders will not sign a two-year lease to remain in Oakland, a team source tells Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). Additionally, the concept of signing a short-term agreement doesn’t make much sense, per Cole.

NFC Notes: Chip, Payton, Caldwell, RGIII

October 16th, 2015 at 5:46pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Before joining the Eagles in 2013, Chip Kelly was one of college football’s premier head coaches. Kelly led Oregon to a 46-7 record and three top five finishes from 2009-12, but his reign in Philadelphia hasn’t gone as well – particularly since he took control of the roster last offseason. Thus, some are wondering whether he’ll return to the college ranks – specifically to USC, a high-profile program on the hunt for a new head coach. If you’re to believe Kelly, it’s not going to happen, and neither he nor his Eagles players are fazed by the speculation, writes Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

“We know that he’s fully invested in this program,” said tight end Zach Ertz. “He’s changed so much of the culture here; we know he wants to ride this thing out, and at the end of the day, hopefully, win a Super Bowl.”

Added Kelly, who denied having any contact with USC: “I know you have an obligation, and I understand that it’s going to happen (when) we’re not successful and we’re not winning – I came from college, (therefore) I’m going to go back to college. I hope someday to be like (Giants coach Tom) Coughlin and win enough games where I can stay around . . . without speculation.”
Here’s more from around the NFC:
  • Not surprisingly, the Saints’ unimpressive roster, less-than-ideal cap situation, and the appeal of some potentially vacant head coaching positions after this season could lead to Sean Payton‘s departure from New Orleans, per Albert Breer of NFL.com.
  • Although he helped lead the Lions to an 11-5 finish and a playoff berth last year, this season’s 0-5 start combined with the ownership structure in Detroit could spell bad news for head coach Jim Caldwell, according to Breer. William Clay Ford and William Clay Ford, Jr. were responsible for hiring Caldwell in 2014. The elder of the two has since passed away, and the younger has relinquished much of the control over the team to his mother, Martha. The fate of Caldwell and general manager Martin Mayhew lies in her hands, and she could elect to make a change.
  • Washington has no shortage of injuries as it prepares for its game against the Jets this weekend. That means third-string quarterback and 2012 Offensive Rookie of the Year Robert Griffin III might dress for the first time this season, ESPN’s John Keim reports (via Twitter). Of course, with both Kirk Cousins and Colt McCoy ahead of Griffin on the depth chart, it’s highly unlikely he’ll see action.
  • Saints offensive tackle Andrus Peat suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain in the team’s 31-21 win over Atlanta on Thursday, according to Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (Twitter link). Per Getlin, Peat won’t need surgery, but he’ll miss approximately four weeks. The rookie first-rounder has appeared in all six of the Saints’ games this year, starting three.

Workout Updates: 10/16/15

October 16th, 2015 at 5:02pm CST by Luke Adams

We’ve passed along a few of the more notable updates from the last few days on workouts and free agent visits, including the Giants trying out wide receivers like Terrelle Pryor and the Cowboys bringing in running back LaMike James. However, there are plenty more tryout updates from this week to round up, and we’ve got them all below. All links point to the Twitter account of Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post, unless otherwise indicated.

Arizona Cardinals

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Miami Dolphins

  • Devin Gardner, WR (link)
  • Josh Harper, WR

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

  • Jordan Dewalt-Ondijo, LB (link)

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

East Notes: Amukamara, Williams, Dolphins

October 15th, 2015 at 8:56am CST by Luke Adams

Giants cornerback Prince Amukamara has a partial tear in his pectoral area, according to ESPN’s Josina Anderson (Twitter link). Amukamara shouldn’t miss a huge chunk of time, but he may be sidelined for at least three or four weeks, so we’ll see if the Giants make any roster moves to add depth to the secondary. For what it’s worth, New York still has its IR-DTR slot available, but it doesn’t sounds as if Amukamara will be a candidate for it.

Here’s more from out of the NFL’s two East divisions:

  • Jets defensive tackle Leonard Williams was considered the most talented player in this year’s draft class, so it came as a bit of a surprise when Washington passed on him with the fifth overall pick. However, as Brian Costello of the New York Post writes, Williams and Jets coach Todd Bowles are happy the rookie defender didn’t end up in Washington. “I think this was the best place I could have landed out of all the top teams,” Williams said. “I’m just fortunate to be here. I’m glad they picked me even though they had a stout D-line. It paid off just because I could learn from all these guys.”
  • For all the hype and coverage the Dolphins‘ free agent signing of Ndamukong Suh received last March, there have been no real winners in that saga, writes Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com. As Rothstein observes, with the Dolphins and Lions having combined for a single victory through five weeks, the only real winner of the blockbuster move so far is Suh’s bank account.
  • Speaking of the Dolphins, only one team – New Orleans – has more dead money on its 2015 salary cap than Miami, as Joel Corry of CBSSports.com outlines. Corry points out that the teams with the most sunk costs on their caps this year are, for the most part, among the league’s worst this season — the seven clubs with the most 2015 dead money have a combined 9-25 record.

Lions Notes: Stafford, Caldwell, Megatron

October 14th, 2015 at 7:36pm CST by Zachary Links

The Lions are 0-5 and they need to make some changes in 2016. Should Detroit to a full on rebuild, or just re-tool around their core pieces? A look at the latest from Ford Field..

  • The Lions need change, but now is not the time for them to start their face lift, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press writes. It’s easy to forget now, but the Lions are just one year removed from an 11-win season in which Matthew Stafford had cut down on his turnovers and Jim Caldwell looked like a strong coach. Five games is not enough to tear those conclusions apart, Birkett argues. Of course, with Stafford regressing, the Lions might opt to drop him after the season. Doing so would not result in any financial penalty for the Lions.
  • Don’t tell that to Jason Fitzgerald of the Sporting News, who says that it’s time for the Lions to clean house by trading both Stafford and star wide receiver Calvin Johnson. Johnson, he estimates, could be traded in-season this year for a third-round pick that could escalate to a second-round choice based on his roster status for 2016. Meanwhile, he thinks Stafford could fetch a first- and a second-round pick thanks to the dearth of quality QBs out there.
  • The Lions will wait 2-3 weeks before making a call on DeAndre Levy, who is having hip surgery, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Levy could return for a month or more but could also be placed on IR. It was reported earlier this week that the Lions were giving thought to shutting the linebacker down for the season. The Lions signed Levy to a four-year, $33MM contract extension in August that, at the time, made him the highest-paid 4-3 outside linebacker in the league. In 2014, he established a new career high in tackles, racking up 155 stops to go along with 2.5 sacks, five passes defended, and an interception.

Lions Could Shut Down DeAndre Levy

October 14th, 2015 at 11:57am CST by Zachary Links

WEDNESDAY, 11:57am: Levy will undergo surgery on his hip, but the Lions have yet to make a decision on whether or not he’ll be placed on IR, tweets Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com. The team has already used its IR-DTR slot this year on cornerback Alex Carter, so it’s not an option for Levy.

MONDAY, 3:46pm: Lions coach Jim Caldwell acknowledged that the team could shut down linebacker DeAndre Levy with an eye toward 2016, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press writes.

“Yeah, I think, obviously, the doctors will make that final determination on that,” Caldwell said. “They’ll look at him closely. They’ll make some evaluation and see where he is.”

Levy left the second quarter of Sunday’s blowout loss to the Cardinals after aggravating the hip injury that sidelined him for nearly seven weeks. He said after the game that he didn’t think this injury was as bad as the strained muscle he suffered in August, but he is meeting with doctors on Monday to find out exactly how bad it is.

The Lions signed Levy to a four-year, $33MM contract extension in August that, at the time, made him the highest-paid 4-3 outside linebacker in the league. As their leading tackler last year, it wasn’t a surprise to see Detroit give such a mammoth deal to the 28-year-old. Levy has developed into one of the Lions’ most important players on either side of the ball since joining the franchise in 2009 as a third-round draft pick. In 2014, he established a new career high in tackles, racking up 155 stops to go along with 2.5 sacks, five passes defended, and an interception.

According to Pro Football Focus, only one 4-3 outside linebacker played more snaps last season than Levy’s 1,072, and only two players at the position received better grades from PFF than the standout Lion. Levy performance was particularly strong against the run, earning him a +21.1 grade in that category.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/13/15

October 13th, 2015 at 4:59pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves from around the NFL..

  • The Dolphins released RB/KR Raheem Mostert off their roster, according to agent Brett Tessler (Twitter links). Mostert led the entire NFL in yardage this preseason while with the Eagles. If he passes through waivers, Tessler adds that he’ll be added to Miami’s taxi squad.
  • The Texans signed defensive tackle Brandon Dunn to active roster off the Bears‘ practice squad, a source tells Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). In a related move, the Texans cut wide receiver Chandler Worthy from active roster (Twitter links). If Worthy clears waivers, Houston would like to sign him to the taxi squad.
  • The Saints re-signed wide receiver Joe Morgan, as Evan Woodbery of The Times-Picayune tweets. To make room, the defensive backs waived defensive back Don Jones (link).
  • The Eagles (via Twitter) announced that they signed offensive lineman Tanner Hawkinson off the 49ers‘ practice squad and released center/guard Julian Vandervelde.
  • The Chiefs signed running back Darrin Reaves to their practice squad, as Adam Teicher of ESPN.com writes. The former Panthers tailback was in camp with Kansas City this past offseason.
  • The Steelers released kicker Garrett Hartley off of IR, as Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets.
  • The Lions released cornerback Chris Owens off of the IR, Caplan tweets.
  • The Cowboys waived wide receiver Vince Mayle, Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets. The Washington State product was moved from the practice squad to the active roster last week to give Dallas additional depth at the position.
  • The Bears waived quarterback David Fales, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune tweets.
  • The Cardinals placed defensive back Chris Clemons on injured reserve, Wilson tweets.
  • The Dolphins cut Damarr Aultman, Wilson tweets.
  • The Colts cut Jalil Brown from injured reserve with an injury settlement, Wilson tweets.
  • The Seahawks waived UDFA running back Rod Smith and quarterback B.J. Daniels, Caplan tweets.
  • The Lions waived linebacker Kevin Snyder from the IR, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press tweets.

NFC Notes: Cards, Payton, Giants, Lions

October 13th, 2015 at 8:24am CST by Luke Adams

While initial estimates suggested Cardinals outside linebacker Alex Okafor would miss two to four weeks, it’s now believed his calf injury will sideline him for up to six weeks, tweets Rand Getlin of the NFL Network.

Okafor’s extended recovery timetable, along with Kenny Demens‘ season-ending ACL injury, makes Arizona’s signing of Dwight Freeney even more important. And speaking of Freeney, Ed Werder of ESPN.com provides a few more details on his contract with the Cards, tweeting that the veteran pass rusher can earn up to $1MM in sack incentives — $200K for four sacks, then another $100K for each one after that, up to 12 ($1MM).

Here’s more from around the NFC:

  • As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes, Saints head coach Sean Payton addressed the annual rumors about his potential departure from New Orleans on Monday, suggesting that he has no plans to go anywhere in the near future: “I’ll say what I said before. This is where I see myself. And I’ve said that now, for however many years.” Larry Holder of the Times-Picayune noted (via Twitter) that he can’t picture the Saints firing Payton.
  • After Odell Beckham Jr. and Rueben Randle got banged up in Sunday night’s game against the Niners, Giants head coach Tom Coughlin acknowledged that the team may have to look at adding a receiver this week, though he’s optimistic his players will be ready to go next week (Twitter link via Kimberly Jones of the NFL Network). Jordan Raanan of NJ.com examines some potential outside options for the team in the event that a free agent signing becomes necessary.
  • Lions head coach Jim Caldwell admitted on Monday that team owner Martha Firestone Ford isn’t happy with Detroit’s play so far this season, per Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com. For now, the Lions don’t intend to make any coaching changes, but we’ll see if that changes in the coming weeks.
  • Eagles head coach Chip Kelly praised the job Caleb Sturgis did for the team on Sunday, telling reporters on Monday that Philadelphia won’t have any kicker tryouts this week (Twitter link via Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News). Sturgis missed another extra point in his second game for the Eagles, but made seven other kicks, including four field goals.
  • Although Sunday’s loss was a tough one for Washington, there have been signs that the team’s culture is changing, according to Tarik El-Bashir of CSNMidAtlantic.com, who identifies Terrance Knighton, Chris Culliver, and Dashon Goldson as newcomers who are helping to change the attitude in the locker room.
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