HEADLINES

George Winn

Lions Release Leshoure, Roster To 53

August 30th, 2014 at 2:50pm CST by Luke Adams

2:50pm: The Lions have announced their remaining cuts, per Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com. In addition to the players listed below, the following players have been let go:

1:45pm: The Lions have let go of one of Matthew Stafford‘s favorite targets, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports (via Twitter) that the team has released wideout Kris Durham.

The 26-year-old finished 2013 with career-highs in receptions (38) and yards (490). He also led all of the Lions offensive skill players in snaps, even topping All-Pro Calvin Johnson.

The Lions weren’t done there, as they released an additional six players:

11:40am: The Lions’ starting running back from 2012 is no longer on the roster, as the team informed Mikel Leshoure today that he’s being waived as the 53-man cutdown deadline nears, tweets Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. While the move leaves a little dead money on Detroit’s cap, the team avoids having to pay the running back his non-guaranteed base salary for 2014.

Leshoure wasn’t the only veteran among the Lions’ cuts today. Here’s the complete running list:

NFC North Links: Neal, Peppers, Lions, Bears

August 16th, 2014 at 1:53pm CST by Rob DiRe

Packers‘ running back Rajion Neal has been impressive this preseason, but he must return quickly from injury if he wants a chance of making the team’s final roster, writes Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. Neal is currently behind Eddie Lacy, James Starks, and DuJuan Harris on the depth chart, even though a knee injury forced him out of the preseason opener and will cause him to miss this week’s game as well. He will have to come back and impress in the final two games if he intends to convince the Packers to keep a fourth back on the roster.

Here are some other links from around the NFC North:

  • New Packer Julius Peppers saw limited action in the preseason opener, and failed to make his impact known, writes Demovsky. He has vowed to improve on his performance. “It matters, it matters,” said Peppers. “We all are going to need these reps to get ready for the season, which is going to be upon us pretty soon. It’s a chance to get better. We have a couple more opportunities to try to accomplish those goals.” 
  • The Lions have a running back who is also looking to make a 53-man roster, in George Winn, who has been impressive this offseason according to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com. Winn has a reputation as a hard runner, scoring a touchdown from the one-yard line, and had two special teams tackles against the Raiders.
  • The wide receivers competing to make the Lions‘ roster after Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate will likely come down to some extremely tough decisions, writes Twentyman. Jeremy Ross, Kris Durham, Ryan Broyles, and Corey Fuller have all made a case for a roster spot during the preseason thus far.
  • The Bears have transformed from a defensive minded team to an offensive force over the years, but they could see an improvement on defense from linebackers Jon Bostic and Shea McClellin, writes Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun Times.

NFC North Notes: Packers, Finley, Lions

July 16th, 2014 at 5:23pm CST by Zachary Links

Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com runs down the Packers‘ situation at wide receiver. Sederrick Cunningham and longtime mainstay James Jones are gone and Green Bay will be turning to rookies Davante Adams (second-round pick), Jared Abbrederis (fifth-round pick), and Jeff Janis (seventh-round pick) to support Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, Jarrett Boykin et al. More from the NFC North..

  • Agent Blake Baratz says client Jermichael Finley is facing a choice between a $10MM no-tax disability policy or returning to football, but Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk says that’s not entirely accurate. The former Packers tight end has gotten multiple offers from the Steelers but claims that the deal isn’t lucrative enough for him.
  • The Lions signed running back George Winn earlier today and cut guard D.J. Morrell, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Morrell, a UDFA out of Old Dominion, was praised in scouting reports for his size and work ethic.
  • ESPN.com’s Michael Wright says that the Bears‘ addition of longtime Cardinals safety Adrian Wilson should add some much-needed competition at the position during training camp. Wilson is in his mid-30s and coming off a major injury, but he also isn’t far removed from his most recent Pro Bowl season (2011), so it’s reasonable to think the former third-round pick could contribute if he’s healthy.