Maurice Alexander

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/5/24

December 5th, 2024 at 7:31pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Here are the latest moves from around the league, including game day elevations for Thursday Night football:

Arizona Cardinals

Designated to return from injured reserve: CB Elijah Jones

Detroit Lions

Signed to active roster: WR Maurice Alexander
Elevated to the active roster from the practice squad: S Jamal Adams, OLB Mitchell Agude

Green Bay Packers

Elevated to the active roster from the practice squad: CB Kalen King

Houston Texans

Placed on reserve/suspended list: LB Azeez Al-Shaair

Pittsburgh Steelers

Activated from injured reserve: CB Cory Trice

Seattle Seahawks

Awarded via waivers: WR Jaelon Darden
Waived: CB Dee Williams

The Lions signed Adams to their practice squad on Sunday after a slew of injuries on Thanksgiving. The onetime All-Pro played 20 snaps across three games for the Titans this year before he landed on the Non-Football injury list and requested his release. Though he’s still listed as a defensive back, Adams is likely to play in the box after Malcolm Rodriguez joined three other Lions linebacker on injured reserve.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/3/24

December 3rd, 2024 at 7:50pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Signed: RB Elijah Dotson
Released: LB Tyreek Maddox-Williams, K Riley Patterson

Buffalo Bills

Released: WR Deon Cain

Carolina Panthers

Signed: RB Emani Bailey, TE Dominique Dafney, LB Thomas Incoom, WR T.J. Luther
Released: S Alex Cook, WR Sam Pinckney
Placed on IR: RB Dillon Johnson, TE Stephen Sullivan

Chicago Bears

Signed: RB Demetric Felton, G Austen Pleasants

Detroit Lions

Signed: WR Maurice Alexander

Indianapolis Colts

Signed: LB Liam Anderson

Jacksonville Jaguars

Signed: LS Tucker Addington, P Matt Haack, QB John Wolford
Released: OL Jerome Carvin, DE Joe Gaziano, CB Tyler Hall

Los Angeles Chargers

Signed: RB John Kelly

Los Angeles Rams

Signed: DT Jack Heflin, NT Kevin Strong, DB Charles Woods

Minnesota Vikings

Released: RB Myles Gaskin

New England Patriots

Signed: DE Truman Jones
Released: G Michael Jordan

New Orleans Saints

Signed: S Millard Bradford, C Sincere Haynesworth
Released: RB Jacob Kibodi

Philadelphia Eagles

Signed: FB Khari Blasingame
Released: WR John Ross

San Francisco 49ers

Signed: WR Ronnie Bell, RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn

Seattle Seahawks

Signed: NT Quinton Bohanna, C Mike Novitsky
Released: TE N’Keal Harry

With Trevor Lawrence currently in concussion protocol, the Jaguars have added some QB depth to the organization. John Wolford brings four games of starting experience to Jacksonville, all coming with the Rams between 2020 and 2022. The Wake Forest product went 2-2 in those appearances, tossing one touchdown vs. five interceptions. He’ll slide in behind Mac Jones and C.J. Beathard in the franchise’s QB pecking order.

The Eagles added a veteran fullback to their roster in Khari Blasingame. The 28-year-old has appeared in 66 games since entering the league in 2019, collecting 131 yards from scrimmage on 24 carries. The Eagles recently lost part-time fullback Ben VanSumeren for the season, opening a role for a handful of blocking snaps per game.

Lions Place LB Malcolm Rodriguez, DL Mekhi Wingo On Season-Ending IR

November 30th, 2024 at 8:43pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Lions have officially placed linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez and defensive lineman Mekhi Wingo on injured reserve, per a team announcement. Head coach Dan Campbell announced that both players were out for the rest of the season, according to team reporter Tim Twentyman.

Rodriguez tore his ACL during Thursday’s win over the Bears, while Wingo injured his knee but managed to finish the game. Further evaluation revealed that Wingo would need surgery, sidelining him for the remainder of the year. Those injuries were two of several suffered by the Lions on Thanksgiving, with Josh Paschal (knee) and Levi Onwuzurike (hamstring) considered day-to-day ahead of another Thursday night matchup in Week 14.

Wingo is a rookie who appeared in all 11 of the Lions’ games so far this season as a reserve defensive tackle with 176 snaps on defense and 44 on special teams. The sixth-round pick recorded nine tackles, but had yet to factor into the pass rush.

Detroit signed Jonah Williams off the Rams’ practice squad on Friday to shore up their defensive line depth. They also added Myles Adams from the Seahawks’ practice squad on Saturday. He appeared in three games for Seattle this year with a total of 36 snaps and three tackles. Both players will join Brodric Martin, Al-Quadin Muhammad, and Pat O’Connor in filling the snaps vacated by Wingo (plus Paschal and Onwuzurike if they can’t play on Thursday).

Trevor Nowaske will be the next man up at linebacker after Rodriguez’s injury. He has played just under 28% of the Lions’ total defensive snaps this season and will see an uptick in the Lions’ three-linebacker formations. Detroit also signed veteran linebacker Kwon Alexander from the Broncos’ practice squad to provide more depth. Additionally, the team has not ruled out a return from Derrick Barnes from his September knee injury that threatened to end his season.

The Lions had two open spots on the roster after today’s IR designations, so they also waived wide receiver Maurice Alexander to make room for all three new signings. He only appeared in one game this season with eight snaps exclusively on special teams.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/27/24

November 27th, 2024 at 6:50pm CST by Ely Allen

Wednesday’s minor transactions, including some standard gameday practice squad elevations for the Thanksgiving Day slate:

Buffalo Bills

Designated to return from IR: DT DeWayne Carter, T Tylan Grable

Carolina Panthers

Designated to return from IR: S Nick Scott

Chicago Bears

Elevated: S Adrian Colbert

Cleveland Browns

Designated to return from IR: CB Myles Harden

Dallas Cowboys

Signed to active roster: TE Princeton Fant
Elevated: CB Andrew Booth, CB Kemon Hall

Denver Broncos

Signed to active roster: LB Zach Cunningham

Detroit Lions

Signed to active roster: WR Maurice Alexander, LB David Long
Elevated: T Jamarco Jones
Placed on IR: WR Kalif Raymond (story)

Houston Texans

Signed to active roster: DT Tommy Togiai

Los Angeles Rams

Designated to return from reserve/PUP: TE Tyler Higbee (story)

Minnesota Vikings

Signed to active roster: LS Jake McQuaide
Waived: OLB Gabriel Murphy

New York Giants

Signed to active roster: LB Tomon Fox
Elevated: T Joshua Miles, CB Greg Stroman
Placed on IR: DT Armon Watts

New York Jets

Designated to return from IR: OL Xavier Newman-Johnson

Pittsburgh Steelers

Designated to return from IR: DT Montravius Adams

Seattle Seahawks

Signed to active roster: LB Patrick O’Connell
Designated to return from IR: OLB Uchenna Nwosu (story)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Designated to return from IR: OLB Markees Watts

The Vikings’ release of Murphy is disappointing one for the organization for sure. The rookie pass rusher out of UCLA was not healthy enough to be on the active roster to start the season, but Minnesota liked him enough to dedicate one of their eight IR activations on him in August. He was activated yesterday but hit waivers today. If he clears the waivers, he’ll be available to sign to the team’s practice squad.

Adams has seen his biggest NFL roles during his time in Pittsburgh. Though he hasn’t gotten the same number of starts as he had in 2022 and 2023, he’s continued the same level of production. After missing the last four games, he’ll be looking to return to the field soon.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/12/24

November 12th, 2024 at 7:09pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Signed: WR Jakeem Grant
Released: LB Tyreek Maddox-Williams

Carolina Panthers

Released: LB Cam Johnson

Dallas Cowboys

Signed: QB Will Grier
Released: S Emany Johnson

Detroit Lions

Signed: WR Maurice Alexander, DE Isaiah Thomas

Houston Texans

Signed: OL Cameron Erving, CB D’Angelo Ross
Released: CB Desmond King, OT David Sharpe

Indianapolis Colts

Signed: OT Mason Brooks
Released: DE Derek Rivers

Jacksonville Jaguars

Signed: OL Jerome Carvin, OL Dieter Eiselen
Released: LS Peter Bowden, QB John Rhys Plumlee

New York Giants

Signed: OT Joshua Miles
Released: P Matt Haack

San Francisco 49ers

Signed: RB Patrick Taylor
Released: RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn

Tennessee Titans

Signed: OL Chandler Brewer

The Falcons have added a notable name to their special teams corps in Jakeem Grant. The long-time Dolphins returner has collected six ST touchdowns in his career (four via punts, two via kickoffs), and he’s even hauled in 100 catches. However, the veteran hasn’t seen the field since the 2021 campaign while spending the past few years on Cleveland’s practice squad.

With Dak Prescott done for the season, the Cowboys have added some extra QB depth. In comes old friend Will Grier, who spent the 2021 and 2022 campaigns in Dallas. The former third-round pick has since bounced around the NFL, including stops with the Bengals, Patriots, and Chargers in just 2023. Grier still only has two career appearances on his resume, both coming with the Panthers in 2019.

The Texans have added some experienced OL depth in Cameron Erving. The veteran is coming off a 2023 campaign where he started two of his three appearances for the Saints, and he barely played in 11 appearances with the Panthers in 2022. Still, the 32-year-old brings 98 games (58 starts) of experience to Houston, a factor that could be valuable down the stretch. To make room on the practice squad, the Texans moved on from cornerback Desmond King. The veteran has only seen time in one game for Houston this season, although he’s not far removed from a 2022 campaign where he started 13 games for the Texans.

Lions Get Down To 53 Players

August 27th, 2024 at 8:57pm CST by Ely Allen

The Lions used a couple of different methods to get their active roster to 53 players:

Released:

CB Essang Bassey
WR Daurice Fountain
CB Javelin Guidry
LB Joel Iyiegbuniwe
T Jamarco Jones
WR Tom Kennedy
TE Sean McKeon
S C.J. Moore
DL Pat O’Connor
DL Kyle Peko
LB Ty Summers

Waived:

OLB Mitchell Agude
WR Maurice Alexander
LB Abraham Beauplan
DL Mathieu Betts
G Jake Burton
WR Jalon Calhoun
OL Duke Clemens
LS Scott Daly
WR Kaden Davis
C Kingsley Eguakun
QB Jake Fromm
RB Jake Funk
S Chelen Garnes
CB Steven Gilmore
C Bryan Hudson
RB Jermar Jefferson
RB Zonovan Knight
TE James Mitchell
DL Chris Smith
DL Isaac Ukwu
CB Rachad Wildgoose
TE Shane Zylstra

The Lions released a lot more vested veterans than we typically see at this time in the year, perhaps a sign of the young talent on the roster. Peko seemed like a sure thing to make the roster after starting 10 games for the Titans in 2023.

Detroit will dismiss a couple of young rushers in Jefferson and Knight after the two failed to develop a significant role on the roster. Fromm was easily outshined in the preseason by an electric Hendon Hooker, who will take the backup job behind Jared Goff. Fromm continues to search for his place in the NFL after nearly winning it all at the collegiate level.

Martin, like Mahogany, will be able to return after four weeks, thanks to a new NFL rule that allows each team to place two players on IR before or at the roster cut deadline and designate them to return. Cornerback Emmanuel Moseley has the other designation.

Mahogany is the only drafted rookie not to make the initial 53, but he’ll stick around in Detroit. On the other side of things, the Lions kept three undrafted rookie signees on their active roster to start the season. Most notably Hogan Hatten will come in and operate as the team’s new long snapper. Safety Loren Strickland from Ball State and wide receiver Isaiah Williams from Illinois are the other two undrafted rookies to make the initial roster.

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/30/24

January 30th, 2024 at 9:18pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Tuesday’s reserve/futures deals:

Arizona Cardinals

CB Michael Ojemudia

Baltimore Ravens

CB Tre Swilling

Detroit Lions

DL Mitchell Agude, WR Maurice Alexander, OL Matt Farniok, RB Jake Funk, T Connor Galvin, CB Craig James, RB Jermar Jefferson, S Brandon Joseph, WR Tom Kennedy, DT Chris Smith

Philadelphia Eagles

TE Noah Togiai

Wednesday NFL Transactions: NFC North

August 30th, 2023 at 2:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These Bears, Lions, Packers and Vikings moves are noted below.

Chicago Bears

Placed on IR:

G Teven Jenkins (story)

Signed:

WR Trent Taylor

Claimed:

S Quindell Johnson, DE Khalid Kareem

Waived:

DE Terrell Lewis

Signed to practice squad:

LB Micah Baskerville, DL Travis Bell, FB Robert Burns, TE Stephen Carlson, OL Aviante Collins, LB DeMarquis Gates, DL Jalen Harris, OL Roy Mbaeteka, DB Greg Stroman, WR Nsimba Webster, DB Kendall Williamson

Detroit Lions

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

WR Maurice Alexander, G Kayode Awosika, K Michael Badgley (story), WR Dylan Drummond, T Connor Galvin, S Brandon Joseph, RB Zonovan Knight, CB Chase Lucas, LB Trevor Nowaske, T Max Pircher, DL Chris Smith

Green Bay Packers

Claimed:

DB Zayne Anderson, TE Ben Sims

Released:

LB Tariq Carpenter, DL Jonathan Ford

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

TE Austin Allen, CB Corey Ballentine, LB Keshawn Banks, WR Grant DuBose, C James Empey, S Innis Gaines, QB Alex McGough, WR Bo Melton, LB Arron Mosby, LB Kenneth Odumegwu, FB Henry Pearson, S Benny Sapp III, DL Chris Slayton, RB Patrick Taylor, T Kadeem Telfort, CB Kiondre Thomas

Minnesota Vikings

Placed on IR:

RB Kene Nwangwu

Claimed:

Waived:

WR Jalen Reagor (story)

Signed to practice squad:

OL Alan Ali, CB C.J. Coldon, DT Sheldon Day, WR Trishton Jackson, WR Lucky Jackson, RB DeWayne McBride, DL T.J. Smith, WR Thayer Thomas, LB Luiji Vilain, LB Benton Whitley, CB Jaylin Williams, CB Joejuan Williams

Lions Announce 53-Man Roster

August 29th, 2023 at 10:55pm CST by Ben Levine

We knew the Lions were going to make a handful of QB transactions leading up to today’s deadline, with Hendon Hooker destined for NFI and Nate Sudfeld tearing his ACL. Of course, the team made many additional moves to get to the 53-man roster limit:

Released:

Waived:

WR Maurice Alexander
G Kayode Awosika
S Brady Breeze
C Brad Cecil
WR Dylan Drummond
DL Cory Durden
T Connor Galvin
S Brandon Joseph
CB Chase Lucas
LB Trevor Nowaske
T Max Pircher
K Parker Romo
DL Chris Smith
T Ryan Swoboda
CB Starling Thomas

Waived/injured:

RB Jermar Jefferson

Activated from PUP:

CB Emmanuel Moseley

Placed on reserve/NFI:

QB Hendon Hooker

Placed on reserve/suspended:

WR Jameson Williams

Placed on IR:

QB Nate Sudfeld

Released from IR:

WR Chase Cota

Craig Reynolds spent the past two seasons with the Lions, and he made the most of his opportunities while on the field. He was limited to 14 games across the two seasons, but the RB still posted 500 yards from scrimmage on 94 touches. With a new-look depth chart in 2022, Reynolds found himself on the outside looking in.

The same goes for Benny Snell, who joined the organization earlier this offseason. The running back has spent his entire career in Pittsburgh, starting five of his 63 appearances. He didn’t miss a game for Pittsburgh over the past three seasons, although he’s seen a drop in productivity. After compiling 429 yards from scrimmage during the 2020 campaign, Snell has only collected 218 yards in 34 games since.

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/9/23

January 9th, 2023 at 6:45pm CST by Ely Allen

18 teams had their seasons come to an end yesterday, and their front offices have already turned the page to the 2023 NFL seaon. This started today, as a number of players were signed to reserve/futures contracts, which allows organizations to retain (routinely) young, practice squad players throughout the offseason. Here are today’s reserve/futures contracts:

Arizona Cardinals

T Julien Davenport, S Juju Hughes, LB Blake Lynch, TE Chris Pierce, TE Bernhard Seikovits, G Lachavious Simmons, WR Auden Tate, S Josh Thomas, T Badara Traore, WR Javon Wims

Atlanta Falcons

WR Josh Ali, RB BJ Baylor, OLB Quinton Bell, DL Amani Bledsoe, LB Dorian Etheridge, TE Tucker Fisk, CB Javelin Guidry, CB Matt Hankins, OL Jonotthan Harrison, WR Ra’Shaun Henry, LB Nathan Landman, DB Dylan Mabin, CB Jamal Peters, TE John Raine, FB Clint Ratkovich, CB John Reid, OL Justin Shaffer, OL Tyler Vrabel

Buffalo Bills

WR Isaiah Coulter, DE Kendal Vickers

Carolina Panthers

G Deonte Brown, RB Spencer Brown, DE Kobe Jones, LB Arron Mosby, TE Giovanni Ricci, WR C.J. Saunders, TE Stephen Sullivan, DT Raequan Williams, WR Derek Wright

Chicago Bears

TE Chase Allen, S Adrian Colbert, LB Kuony Deng, T Kellen Diesch, DE Gerri Green, TE Jake Tonges, WR Nsimba Webster

Cleveland Browns

WR Daylen Baldwin, S Bubba Bolden, WR Mike Harley, LB Storey Jackson, DE Sam Kamara, RB John Kelly, TE Zaire Mitchell-Paden, DT Roderick Perry, WR Marquez Stevenson, T Tyrone Wheatley

Denver Broncos

WR Victor Bolden, G Parker Ferguson, CB Faion Hicks, CB Delonte Hood, S Devon Key, RB Tyreik McAllister, OLB Wyatt Ray, OL Hunter Thedford, LB Ray Wilborn

Detroit Lions

WR Maurice Alexander, WR Stanley Berryhill, T Obinna Eze, S Brady Breeze, CB Khalil Dorsey, RB Jermar Jefferson, WR Tom Kennedy, T Darrin Paulo, DT Demetrius Taylor, CB Jarren Williams

Indianapolis Colts

DT McTelvin Agim, S Henry Black, S Marcel Dabo, S Trevor Denbow, G Arlington Hambright, T Jordan Murray, LB Segun Olubi, LB Forrest Rhyne, RB Aaron Shampklin, WR Vyncint Smith, CB David Vereen, TE Jalen Wydermyer

Kansas City Chiefs

WR Ty Fryfogle

Las Vegas Raiders

CB Isiah Brown, CB Bryce Cosby, P Julian Diaz, S Jalen Elliott, TE Cole Fotheringham, G Vitaliy Gurman, T Sebastian Gutierrez, WR Chris Lacy, LB Kana’i Mauga, G Jordan Meredith, WR DJ Turner, RB Austin Walter, WR Isaiah Zuber

Los Angeles Rams

TE Roger Carter, DL T.J. Carter, CB T.J. Carter, S Richard LeCounte, T Max Pircher, WR Jaquarii Roberson, WR Jerreth Sterns, DE Brayden Thomas, DE Zach VanValkenburg

New Orleans Saints

G Yasir Durant, DT Prince Emili, RB Derrick Gore, CB Vincent Gray, TE Lucas Krull, QB Jake Luton, LB Nephi Sewell, DE Jabari Zuniga

New York Jets

OL Chris Glaser, CB Craig James, CB Jimmy Moreland, DL Marquiss Spencer, QB Chris Streveler, LB Chazz Surratt, WR Malik Taylor

Washington Commanders

CB Troy Apke, DE William Bradley-King, WR Alex Erickson, CB DaMarcus Fields, QB Jake Fromm, G Nolan Laufenberg, WR Kyric McGowan, T Aaron Monteiro, G Keaton Sutherland

Released:

Waived:

Waived/injured:

Placed on IR (designated for return):

Placed on reserve/PUP list:

Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Minnesota Vikings

Released:

Waived:

Waived/injured:

Activated from PUP:

Placed on reserve/NFI:

Placed on reserve/suspended:

Placed on IR:

Released from IR: