Category: Lions News

Report: Lions agree to terms with CB Darryl Roberts

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero is reporting that the Detroit Lions have agreed to terms with cornerback Darryl Roberts.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero is reporting that the Detroit Lions have agreed to terms with cornerback Darryl Roberts.

Roberts was originally drafted by the New England Patriots in the seventh round of the 2015 NFL Draft (pick No. 247 overall) but spent his rookie season on injured reserve, was released at training camp cutdowns in 2016, never playing an NFL snap for them.

After his release, Roberts was swept up by the New York Jets who added him to their active roster. He would spend the next four seasons with the Jets, earning a starting role in 2018, then a 3-year $18 million contract extension in the 2019 offseason, and was released just over 10 days ago.

He has played in 56 NFL games, starting 26, is 6-0 tall with 4.38 speed and the range to play corner and safety. Roberts earned above-average grades across the board from Pro Football Focus in 2017 and 2018 but took a step back in 2019.

Roberts is experienced enough to challenge Amani Oruwariye to start opposite Desmond Trufant and is likely viewed as an insurance option if the Lions are unable to land a top-tier cornerback in this draft class. The addition of Roberts should not keep the Lions from taking Ohio State’s Jeff Okudah at the top of the first round.

Lions Chris Lacy welcomes competition after the Geronimo Allison signing

Detroit Lions wide receiver Chris lacy welcomes competition with the signing of wide receiver Geronimo Allison signing

The Detroit Lions hold a solid top-half receiving corps with Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones, and Danny Amendola, but there are questions surrounding the depth and the future of the position with no receiver signed beyond the 2020 season.

Recently, the Lions added some depth to their receiving corps, agreeing to terms with former Green Bay Packer Geronimo Allison.

Allison opened last season with a bang, leading the Packers in catches, yards, and touchdowns over the first four weeks of the season. He then suffered a groin injury and it appeared to hinder his play for the remainder of the season. On the season, he logged 689 snaps with the Packers lining up in the slot 73-percent of the time.

For Allison to make the Lions roster, it will likely be as the fourth or fifth option at wide receiver but he will need to beat out several players who are familiar with the Lions’ system.

One of those returning players is welcoming the competition:

Lacy was on and off the Lions’ active roster last year, and after Marvin Jones was placed on injured reserve, Lacy was brought in to fill the vacant spot. Lacy went on to start two games, logging 128 snaps on offense but spending most of his time on special teams — which the Lions covet from their bottom of the roster personnel.

The Lions will almost assuredly take advantage of a deep draft class at wide receiver, and with eleven receivers currently on the roster, competition is going to be stiff.

Considering how little the Lions are spending — less than $2 million on Lacy and Allison combined — the financial commitment is next to nothing, but the gains could be significant if either one of them breaks out.

It will be an uphill battle for Lacy and/or Allison to make the roster, but hopefully, the competition will bring out their best. May the best man win.

How adding Tony McRae impacts the Lions special teams roster

With a busy first two weeks of free agency for the Detroit Lions, the addition of cornerback/gunner Tony McRae may have flown under the radar, but his presence could shake up the back end of the 2020 roster.

With a busy first two weeks of free agency, the addition of Tony McRae may have flown a bit under the radar but his presence could shake up the back end of the Detroit Lions 2020 roster more than originally thought.

McRae will be listed as a nickelback on the roster but his true value comes on special teams. Over the last three seasons in Cincinnati, McRae learned the nuances of how to be a gunner under new Lions’ special teams coordinator Brayden Coombs, a role he is surely expected to take on this season.

The competition

To get a better idea of how McRae will fit on the Lions special teams unit, let’s take a look at who held down the gunner roles last season.

In 2019, the Lions used a rotation of Dee Virgin (cornerback), C.J. Moore (safety) and Mike Ford (cornerback) to fill the two gunner spots — all three are under contract with the Lions in 2020.

The Lions punted 77 times last year and used Virgin as a gunner on 91-percent of those snaps, Moore saw 90-percent, while Ford cleaned up the remaining 19-percent. Meanwhile, in Cincinnati, McRae saw 73-percent of the Bengals gunner snaps, missing some time due to injury.

All four players have plenty of experience starting at the gunner position, but there isn’t likely room on the final 53-man roster for all of them, which will for quite a battle in training camp.

Examining value

McRae’s nearly three year’s worth of experience with Coombs will surely give him an early advantage, and his ability to contribute on defense (197 snaps in 2019) will also help, but he will still have to earn a starting gunner role.

Virgin, who saw the most gunner snaps of this group in 2019, is the most talented of the returning Lions, but, his biggest downfall will be his lack of defensive contributions.

Moore seized the opportunity to earn a starting gunner role after going undrafted last season and when injuries occurred at safety he played on 77 defensive snaps. With offseason additions of safeties Duron Harmon and Jayron Kearse, his role on defense could be minimized in 2020.

Ford has the most experience on defense, playing on 482 defensive snaps over the last two years, even getting a start and stepping up against Kansas City in Week 4 last season. But he has often only been used in a supplemental role at gunner, rather than a weekly contributor.

Projecting the fallout

The Lions will likely be looking for two primary gunners, with a third option on the roster in case of injury or decline in performance.

There is still a lot to prove and we are far from seeing the Lions declare a winner, but based on their performances from last season, the early front runners are likely McRae and Virgin, with Ford penciled in as the insurance option.

Now, this doesn’t mean Moore is out of a job — he is still holding down the fifth safety position, could be the insurance option, or win the job outright — but it also means his position may not be as safe as it was before the addition of McRae.

If Moore is in trouble, it could mean the Lions will be exploring safeties on Day 3 of the draft, hoping to add more depth/competition on both defense and special teams.

Geronimo Allison: What the Lions are getting in their new WR

Geronimo Allison: Scouting report on what the Lions are getting in their new WR signed from the Green Bay Packers on Sunday

The newest Detroit Lions wide receiver is a familiar one for fans who have paid attention to the NFC North rival Green Bay Packers lately. Geronimo Allison defected from the Packers to join the Lions den.

The team confirmed the signing on Sunday morning. While the Lions did not disclose terms of the deal, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports it’s a one-year deal for $910,000, the veteran minimum for a player of Allison’s NFL experience.

What are the Lions getting in Allison?

He’s had an interesting career arc. Allison was initially a feel-good success story, making the Packers as an undrafted rookie out of Illinois and earning early playing time. The 26-year-old brings size (he’s every bit of 6-3/202) and some ability to separate down the field.

After catching 35 passes in his first two seasons, including the finale in his rookie season where he torched the Lions for four receptions, 91 yards and a TD, expectations raised in Green Bay.

His third season got off to a flying start, posting 19 receptions, 289 yards, 2 TDs — all of which led the team — in the first four weeks. He then suffered a nasty injury, tearing a muscle in his groin. While he recovered well enough to play in all 16 games in 2019, he did not have the quick burst that helped him be so effective earlier.

Allison caught a career-high 34 passes, but his yards-per-catch plummeted from over 15 in his first three seasons to just 8.4. A devastating hit from Tracy Walker, who was controversially penalized on the play, knocked him out (literally) from the Packers officiating-aided win over the Lions in October.

The Allison from 2019 will struggle to make the Lions. The hope is another year of recovery from the groin injury and surgery allows him to get back his field-stretching legs. That’s a role the Lions desperately need filled.

I watched Allison flash those jets firsthand during the 2016 Shrine Game week. There wasn’t a cornerback in St. Pete that could stay with him, and he confidently released off jams with unexpected strength in his shoulders. I saw some of that Allison during his Packers days, particularly pre-injury in 2018.

He’s not the most sure-handed receiver. Pro Football Focus had him for five drops against his 34 receptions in 2019. Judging from social media reactions, Packers fans will tell you it was worse than that.

For the veteran minimum, Allison is a smart signing for Detroit. If the speed returns to his game, I have little doubt that Allison becomes the No. 3 outside WR in 2020. But the Lions cannot depend on that, hence the small contractual obligation. He’s a calculated gamble for a rebound season in a role the team desperately needs.

Lions agree to terms with WR Geronimo Allison on a 1-year deal

The Detroit Lions announced they have agreed to terms with former Green Bay Packers wide receiver Geronimo Allison on a 1-year deal.

The Detroit Lions announced they have agreed to terms with former Green Bay Packers wide receiver Geronimo Allison.

The Lions did not announce the terms of the deal, but NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport is reporting that it’s a veteran minimum one-year deal for $910,000 including a $137,500 guaranteed signing bonus.

“Allison spent the last four seasons (2016-19) with the Green Bay Packers after signing with the team as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Illinois in 2016,” the Lions said in a press release. “He has appeared in 46 career games (14 starts) and has logged 89 receptions for 1,045 yards (11.7 avg.) and six touchdowns.”

At 6-3, 202 pounds, Allison operated mainly as a big slot with the Packers in 2019, but he does have the ability to play outside as well. He doesn’t provide much help on special teams, so he will likely have to win a job outright on offense in order to make this roster. Allison gives the Lions a different body type on the interior and has a chance to earn a job as the Lions fourth or fifth wide receiver on the current roster.

Making sense of the Lions roster overload at linebacker

After adding Reggie Ragland and Elijah Lee, the Detroit Lions have 11 LBs on the roster. Here’s how they sort out.

After adding Reggie Ragland from the Super Bowl champion Chiefs and Elijah Lee from the team Kansas City bested, the 49ers, the Lions can now deploy a defense comprised entirely of linebackers. With 11 linebackers currently on the roster, Detroit could have a backer at every single spot.

They won’t, of course, though coach Matt Patricia might be tempted to trot out a 2-8-1 formation just for the chaos factor. But there is certainly a deep mix of LBs to sort through.

The current list of LBs on the Lions roster:

  • Jamie Collins
  • Jarrad Davis
  • Jahlani Tavai
  • Christian Jones
  • Reggie Ragland
  • Jalen Reeves-Maybin
  • Elijah Lee
  • Jason Cabinda
  • Steve Longa
  • Anthony Pittman
  • Christian Sam

How they sort out

Collins will start at one spot, that is certain. The Lions didn’t pay him $30 million to defect from New England and then not play a significant role. He’s experienced at playing the SAM (strongside) role behind a 4-man front, which the Lions seem to be trending to play more often under new defensive coordinator Cory Undlin.

Tavai projects as the likely starter at middle LB, a role he grew in as a rookie in 2019. The Lions run defense did improve when he took over the primary ILB spot.

Jones and Davis now seem to occupy the weakside role, or WILL. If the defense deploys four LBs, they could both be on the field. Jones offers more versatility and is a more reliable all-around player, while Davis should now be able to play in more of a specialist role. That could be a boon for his struggling career.

Davis played his best football in 2018 as a pass-rushing LB behind DT Damon Harrison. With Danny Shelton now manning the nose, Davis could get more looks in that role as a rusher or an assignment-specific nickel backer. Outside of Collins, Davis remains the most athletic and fastest LB on the roster.

Ragland has become an effective run-stuffing ILB in the Chiefs’ version of a 4-man front. His coverage skills are weaker than Tavai, Jones or Collins (who excels in covering TEs). I expect to see him in place of Davis or Jones in short-yardage situations or when the opposing team uses a fullback or two-TE set.

Reeves-Maybin offers potential in nickel packages or 4-LB sets. Lee is the same sort of player, so they are likely dueling for the same roster spot. Lee played well on special teams in San Francisco and that could give him a leg up.

The rest are unlikely to have any role beyond special teams. Longa and Cabinda could be competing for the same backup MLB/ILB role, but the team may opt to not carry than many LBs. Pittman should stick on the practice squad, where he spent his entire rookie season before making his debut in Week 17. Sam is only on a reserve/future contract and might never don a Lions uniform, his Patriots heritage be damned.

Variables

It seems extremely unlikely the Lions will draft any linebackers with any reasonable expectation of making the active roster in 2020. It doesn’t rule out a developmental talent on Day 3, but anything more than that would appear to be a redundant case of draft resource wastefulness.

While I don’t expect it to happen, the possibility of Jarrad Davis being traded does at least merit consideration. His inexpensive salary means there is no real point in cutting the 2017 first-rounder. Davis is well-respected in the locker room and deserves a chance to try and salvage his Lions career in Undlin’s new defense. His trade value would appear to be quite low.

Jones signed a two-year contract extension in November, an indication of some level of commitment. It’s a team-friendly contract if they opt to remove Jones, who did not play well in 2019, before the season. Dumping the veteran would eat just under $2.2 million in cap room in 2020 and about $1.1 million in 2021.

 

Breaking down new Lions LB Reggie Ragland with Chiefs Wire

Breaking down new Lions LB Reggie Ragland with Chiefs Wire and editor Charles Goldman

The Detroit Lions made an interesting roster move on Friday. They signed free agent linebacker Reggie Ragland, along with fellow LB Elijah Lee.

Ragland is the more renowned of the two new Lions. He was a popular object of Detroit fans in the 2016 NFL Draft wanting the physical LB from Alabama. Four years later, they land Ragland. It will be his third NFL team.

To find out more about why the Chiefs, like the Bills before them, moved on from such a touted prospect and impactful LB at Alabama, I turned to my good friend Charles Goldman. He is the editor of Chiefs Wire and someone I know has spent a lot of time watching Ragland.

Here’s what Goldman sent me via messaging when I asked him for his thoughts on Ragland and the fit in Detroit:

I’d have figured that Ragland would be a natural fit for the role that free-agent addition Jamie Collins is set to play for the Lions. It seems like Detroit has something else in mind or they’re stockpiling players with like skill sets.

Ragland has played a few different roles for the Chiefs over the years. Most recently in Steve Spagnuolo’s 4-3 under, he lined up as the SAM linebacker. He had some repetitions during the course of training camp as the MIKE & JACK linebacker spots but played them sparingly if ever during the regular season. In Bob Sutton’s 3-4 scheme, he was primarily utilized as a two-down thumper.

He’ll bring some juice rushing the quarterback and physicality against the run. He’s shown the ability to read the eyes of the QB and has a good feel for spacing in zone coverage drops, just don’t expect a lot of production there. He definitely doesn’t have the long speed to carry routes too far in man coverage.

In 2019, I think the thing Ragland proved is that he can be a team player. He played in the fourth preseason game, which usually is the kiss of death, especially as a veteran player. He made through roster cuts but was a healthy scratch through the first two weeks of the season. He didn’t play until Week 3 and even then it was only special teams snaps, and he hadn’t played ST before in Kansas City. Eventually, he worked his way up to a bigger role and started a total of seven games.

Thanks to Goldman for the detailed insight!

Report: Lions have agreed to terms with LBs Reggie Ragland and Elijah Lee

Multiple sources are reporting that the Detroit Lions have agreed to terms with linebackers Reggie Ragland and Elijah Lee.

Multiple local and national sources are reporting that the Detroit Lions have agreed to terms with linebackers Reggie Ragland and Elijah Lee.

Ragland was a popular choice among Lions fans in the 2016 NFL Draft, after a successful career at Alabama. He was selected 41st overall by the Buffalo Bills after they traded up to get him. Unfortunately, he missed his entire rookie season due to injury.

In 2017, the Bills went through a regime change, felt Ragland no longer fit their 43 scheme, and traded him to the Kansas City Chiefs for a fourth-round pick. Ragland would spend the next three seasons with the Chiefs and was part of their Super Bowl victory last season.

At 6-2, 251, Ragland — who was on our Playoff free agency watchlist — is a downhill thumper who has flashed strong run defense and the ability to blitz when given the opportunity.

Ragland is a part-time rotational off-the-ball linebacker, but he has the skill set to play at MIKE, WILL, and JACK — fitting the offseason narrative that the Lions are adding linebackers with positional fluidity, ala Jamie Collins.

Lee was originally selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the seventh round (pick 232 overall) of the 2017 draft but was released at cut-downs his rookie season. San Francisco seized the opportunity to snag Lee and over the next three seasons, he would play 38 games for them, starting six. The 49ers opted not to pick up his restricted free agent tender — which would have been over $2 million — and he became an unrestricted free agent.

At 6-2, 229, Lee is primarily a special teams player and depth at MIKE and WILL, likely challenging Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Steve Longa, and Jason Cabinda for a spot(s) on the 53-man roster.

Report: Lions agree to terms with WR Geremy Davis on 1-year deal

Justin Rogers of the Detroit News is reporting that the Detroit Lions have agreed to terms with wide receiver Geremy Davis on a 1-year deal.

Justin Rogers of the Detroit News is reporting that the Detroit Lions have agreed to terms with wide receiver Geremy Davis on a 1-year deal.

Originally drafted by the New York Giants in the sixth round of the 2015 draft. He was active for 10 games his rookie season, playing mostly on special teams and scoring a touchdown on one of his two receptions on offense.

In 2016, he was signed to the Giants practice squad for two months before the Chargers came calling, signing him to their active roster. Davis would bounce back-and-forth between the Chargers practice squad and active roster in 2017, but by 2018 he became a regular contributor on the 53-man roster.

Last season, a hamstring injury limited him to only seven games, and he was placed on injured reserve in November.

At 6-3, 216 pounds Davis is a tremendous athlete, but his primary value is on special teams, as he contributes on all-four punt and kickoff units. He has some emergency experience on offense, operating both on the outside and as a big slot receiver, but he will likely only be valued as a WR5.

In Detroit, Davis’ biggest competition will come from Chris Lacy, Travis Fulgham, and Jon Duhart.

Lions’ Matthew Stafford and Kyle Caskey aiding communities amidst COVID-19 crisis

The Detroit Lions community is making the neighborhoods of Michigan are taken care with the COVID-19 crisis through various resources

The COVID-19 crisis is impacting neighborhoods across the world, there is a lot of doom and gloom in the world right now. But there are quite a few inspirational stories of people coming to the aid of others, assisting in any way possible.

Courageous medical staffs are putting aside their needs to help the welfare of the sick, educators are diligently working on shifting gears to online learning programs, while others provide food to families who can’t afford them at this time.

Thankfully, we have of those stories in the Detroit Lions community as well.

Matthew and Kelly Stafford have shown their generosity numerous times in the Detroit area, and they have stepped in once again during this ongoing dilemma. According to a report from local new channel four, the Stafford’s said they will be providing free meals to brave medical staff personnel at a local Wahlburgers:

“The couple said they will cover up to $5,000 in orders made by first responders, including doctors, nurses, police officers, and firefighters, during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.”

Kelly went on to state this won’t be their only stop in and will do this across the state.

“We will be doing this at multiple restaurants in Michigan,” Kelly said. “I will announce them tomorrow here on my Instagram with all the details, so if you work at a hospital, please go grab a meal on us and please stay safe and healthy.”

Once again, the Staffords have shown their heart and kind spirit through these difficult times and the appreciation they deserve can not be measured.

Another individual in the Lions community who is trying to make a difference is Lions’ running back coach Kyle Caskey, who with his wife Kayla, has created a “virtual food drive” to help families in need during this pandemic.

The Caskeys have teamed up with Gleaners, a local food bank, aiming to raise $20,000 to assist neighborhoods in the Detroit area, as the majority are unable to leave their households at this time.

Below is a video Caskey and his wife posted on Twitter about the food drive:

If you are able, please consider donating. The link to donate is coach Caskey’s tweet below and for every one dollar donated, three meals will make their way to much-needed families.

The Staffords and Caskeys have shown the pure heart of Detroit, by finding positive ways to make an impact. With how morbid the world might be, it is genuinely aspiring to see individuals step up and make a difference in their communities.