HEADLINES

Detroit Lions News & Rumors

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/17/15

September 17th, 2015 at 7:04pm CST by Zachary Links

Here are Thursday’s practice squad signings and cuts from around the NFL:

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

  • Cut: RB Gus Johnson (via Todd Archer on Twitter)

Detroit Lions

Jacksonville Jaguars

New England Patriots

Oakland Raiders

  • Cut: OT Dan Kistler (via John Dickinson on Twitter)
  • Signed: TE Gabe Holmes

St. Louis Rams

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/16/15

September 16th, 2015 at 4:57pm CST by Zachary Links

Here are Tuesday’s practice squad signings and cuts from around the NFL:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

  • Signed: T Tony Hills (via Aaron Wilson on Twitter)
  • Cut: QB Bryn Renner

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

  • To be signed: T Joe Treadwell (via Wilson on Twitter)

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Oakland Raiders

  • Signed: WR DeAndre Carter (via Vic Tafur on Twitter)
  • Cut: LB Josh Shirley

Philadelphia Eagles

  • Signed: TE Connor Hamlett (via press release)
  • Cut: DE Brian Mihalik

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/14/15

September 14th, 2015 at 8:40pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves…

  • The Packers have removed wide receiver Larry Pinkard from their IR with an injury settlement, and the Chiefs have done the same with tight end Richard Gordon, per Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (Twitter links).

Earlier updates:

  • Not long after claiming him off waivers from the Bears, the Cowboys have cut offensive tackle Jordan Mills, according to Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (via Twitter). Per Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link), taking Mills’ spot on the roster is another offensive tackle, Charles Brown, who worked out for Dallas last week.
  • The Bears have made a change on defense, re-signing outside linebacker Sam Acho and placing defensive end Cornelius Washington on injured reserve, according to Caplan (Twitter links). Acho was cut by Chicago on Saturday with a non-football illness designation, but it didn’t take him long to make his way back to the roster.
  • The Saints are signing safety Kenny Phillips, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Phillips was with New Orleans all summer before being released last week as a late cut. After free safety Rafael Bush suffered a chest injury on Sunday, Phillips will help provide New Orleans with additional depth.
  • The Saints have also re-signed two players they cut on Saturday, adding running back Tim Hightower and offensive lineman Mike McGlynn back to their roster, tweets Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune. New Orleans waived fullback Toben Opurum and wide receiver Seantavius Jones to accommodate the returning players.
  • In a reversal of the team’s weekend transactions, Washington signed defensive end Frank Kearse and cut linebacker Houston Bates, as John Keim of ESPN.com writes.
  • The Jets have officially activated backup offensive lineman Oday Aboushi from their reserve/suspended list after he missed Week 1 due to a substance abuse violation, tweets Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com. For now, the Jets have a roster exemption for Aboushi, but they’ll have to decide this week whether to cut him or to move him to their 53-man roster, removing someone else.
  • According to Caplan (Twitter links), the Raiders have released safety Brandian Ross off their injured reserve list, and the Lions have done the same with wide receiver Greg Salas, giving him an injury settlement.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Lions Restructure Golden Tate’s Contract

September 10th, 2015 at 8:28am CST by Luke Adams

The Lions have created some breathing room under the cap by restructuring Golden Tate‘s contract, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter). The simple restructure was completed several days ago in order for the team to be cap-compliant when the season began, tweets Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap.

As Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets, the Lions converted $3.005MM of Tate’s $3.75MM salary for 2015 into a signing bonus, which will now be prorated over the remaining four years of his deal. The move reduces Tate’s base salary for this season to the minimum $745K, and creates about $2.25MM in cap room.

As Over the Cap’s data shows, the Lions are among the NFL teams closest to going over the cap in 2015, so reworking Tate’s deal gives the team a little flexibility to get through the season. The move will also increase Tate’s cap numbers by about $751K for each year from 2016 through 2018 — his cap hit will jump to over $7MM in ’16, $8.35MM in ’17, and $9.35MM in ’18.

Workout Notes: 9/9/15

September 9th, 2015 at 8:17pm CST by Zachary Links

Former Falcons center Joe Hawley is visiting the Buccaneers today, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Hawley could be a fit with Tampa Bay as he has a history with offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter from their time together in Atlanta. Hawley, 27 in October, was on his way to returning from the ACL surgery that ended his 2014 season prematurely when he was cut loose by the Falcons earlier this week.

Here are more of the latest workouts and free agent meetings (All links are from Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle via Twitter, unless noted otherwise)..

  • The Vikings auditioned defensive backs Ri’Shard Anderson and C.J. Roberts, tight end Brian Leonhardt, and linebacker Jordan Tripp, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
  • The Cowboys tried out offensive tackle Charles Brown today, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter). Current Cowboys tackle Tyron Smith backed up Brown when both players attended USC.
  • The Titans worked out safety Shaquille Richardson (link).
  • Keavon Milton visited the Panthers (link). The offensive lineman spent time on the Seahawks’ taxi squad in 2014 before being promoted to the 53-man roster in December.
  • Former Arena Football League wide receiver Lonnie Outlaw visited the Lions (link).
  • The Buccaneers worked out linebacker Julian Stanford and linebacker Tyrell Adams (link).
  • The Giants auditioned safety Shiloh Keo, linebacker Nico Johnson, cornerback Tramain Jacobs, ex-Jets wide receiver Shaq Evans, safety Durell Eskridge, and cornerback Dwight Bentley (link). The Giants also tried out Joe Looney, Nick Moody, Henoc Muamba, Quayshawn Nealy, Xavier Proctor, and Alameda Ta’amu (link).
  • The Colts tried out offensive lineman Travis Bond, wide receiver Marquez Clark, linebacker Edwin Jackson, and defensive tackle Derrick Lott (link).
  • The Jaguars tried out Rasheed Bailey, Matt Blanchard, and Cody Fajardo (link).

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/9/15

September 9th, 2015 at 2:37pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Wednesday’s practice squad signings and cuts from around the NFL:

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

Miami Dolphins

New York Giants

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

  • Signed: LB Jason Ankrah; LB Justin Staples (Twitter link via Terry McCormick)

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/8/15

September 8th, 2015 at 7:27pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Tuesday’s practice squad signings and cuts from around the NFL:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

  • Signed:
  • Released:
    • G David Arkin

Jacksonville Jaguars

  • Signed:

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington

  • To be signed:

Workout Notes: Bills, Dolphins, Raiders, Bucs

September 8th, 2015 at 9:06am CST by Luke Adams

With 53-man rosters set, teams around the NFL will start to frequently bring in players for workouts and auditions, keeping up-to-date on which free agents are out there, in case injury replacements or practice squad fill-ins are required.

Here are a few of the latest updates on teams working out players, or bringing them in for visits:

  • The Bills, who are exploring other possible options at kicker after an underwhelming preseason from Dan Carpenter, worked out Alex Henery, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (via Twitter). Henery’s last game in the NFL, the one that cost him his job, came last October, when he missed three field goals for the Lions against Buffalo.
  • Before they signed linebacker Adrian Hubbard, the Dolphins worked out Hubbard and several other players, according to Wilson (Twitter link). The players who earned an audition with Miami included former Raiders safety Jonathan Dowling, ex-Cardinals linebacker Glenn Carson, former Bengals linebacker Nico Johnson, ex-Cowboys cornerback Robert Steeples, and former Eagles safety Chris Prosinski.
  • The Raiders brought in a number of players for workouts, with a focus on wide receivers, quarterbacks, and defensive backs. According to Wilson (Twitter links), wideouts Phil Bates, John Harris, DeAndre Carter, and T.J. Graham, quarterbacks Jeff Tuel and Phillip Sims, and defensive backs Tommie Campbell, Phillip Thomas, B.W. Webb, and Ty Zimmerman auditioned for the club. Offensive lineman Dillon Farrell also had a tryout with Oakland.
  • Offensive lineman Austin Reiter, a 2015 seventh-rounder waived by Washington over the weekend, is working out for the Buccaneers this morning, tweets Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times.
  • After being waived by the Chargers last week, wide receiver Titus Davis paid a visit to the Lions, tweets Wilson.

NFC Notes: Saints, Novak, Bowers, Panthers

September 7th, 2015 at 9:45pm CST by Zachary Links

The Saints are set to audition former Chargers kicker Nick Novak, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). As La Canfora notes, the Saints could use a veteran kicker and the 34-year-old would fit the bill for them. Novak made 22-of-26 field goals last year and is only two years removed from his best campaign, making 34-of-37 kicks in 2013. He also hasn’t missed more than four kicks in a season since his first in San Diego.

  • Former Buccaneers defensive lineman Da’Quan Bowers will work out for the Panthers, according to a source who spoke with Jonathan Jones of the Charlotte Observer. Bowers, a second-round pick in the 2010 NFL draft, was released by the Buccaneers over the weekend. In his four seasons with the Bucs, Bowers has totaled just seven sacks. Last year he had one sack in 11 games, including two starts.
  • In order for the Seahawks to get the Cowboys’ seventh-round pick in 2016, Christine Michael will have to be on the 46-man gameday roster three times this season, Todd Archer of ESPN.com writes. Michael came to the Cowboys over the weekend in a deal that will help strengthen up a group of running backs that includes Joseph Randle, Darren McFadden, and Lance Dunbar.
  • If quarterback Ryan Griffin wasn’t claimed by the Buccaneers this week, he would have wound up joining the Browns, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The Browns were the only other team to put a claim in on Griffin.
  • Lions GM Martin Mayhew said that he plans on signing a quarterback to the practice squad, Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com tweets. A signing could happen as soon as Tuesday.

Sunday NFL Transactions: NFC North

September 6th, 2015 at 5:46pm CST by Luke Adams

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC North teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions for the Bears, Lions, Packers, and Vikings are noted below.

Additionally, as of 11:00am today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. For the 2014 and 2015 seasons, changes were made to practice squad rules that allow teams to carry eight players instead of 10, and the eligibility requirements for those extra two spots were also loosened. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.

Here are Sunday’s NFC North transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:

Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Minnesota Vikings

Load More Posts