Category: Lions News

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.

‘100% False’ Jarrad Davis trade rumor reminds fans to be careful who you trust

Information can come from anywhere, but the recent “100% False” Jarrad Davis trade rumor reminds fans to be careful who you trust.

Social media can be an incredibly valuable resource, but unless you know which sources to trust, it can lead you down a rabbit hole of broad speculations and inaccurate information.

This morning, an individual on Twitter who presents themselves as “NFL Aficionado” stated that Detroit Lions linebacker Jarrad Davis had “fallen out of favor with Matt Patricia’s coaching staff” and was “available via trade”.

Several Lions fans reached out to Lions Wire editors for confirmation of this claim.

Initially, we were confused by the suggestion as we had heard nothing to suggest the idea had any merit. Furthermore, Lions coaches have consistently only had positive things to say about Davis, both on and off the record, adding more conflicting evidence to the situation.

Then, as they did with the Matthew Stafford trade rumors, the team reached out to a small group of local reporters and shut the door on the rumor, calling it “100% False”.

That’s a swift and emphatic denial, directly from the Lions.

Accurate information can come from a lot of sources, and everyone can make a mistake, but the Davis trade rumor offers fans a reminder to be careful who you trust.

Best and worst moves of the Lions’ free agent haul

The Detroit Lions were very active during free agency, but which moves did they nail and which ones were lacking

The first week of 2020 free agency was a very memorable one, as we have seen elite players from around the league traded away or signing with new franchises. The Detroit Lions were right in the mix of it, agreeing to terms with eight new players and executing two trades.

With signings slowing down, several media organizations took time to analyze last week’s movement, including Pro Football Focus, who went through each team moves and gave their opinion on the best and worst transactions.

Let’s start with the good news. PFF landed on the Desmond Trufant addition as the Lions’ best move after signing him to a reasonable contract, 2-year, $20 million contract.

PFF highlights Trufant as one of the most valuable cornerbacks since 2013, pointing to how highly regarded his man-to-man coverage abilities are: “Trufant will fit perfectly within Matt Patricia’s defense and adding Jeff Okudah with the third overall pick — a player who is easily the best press-man corner in this draft class — would form a top-tier duo in their secondary.”

Even though Trufant will fit perfectly into what the Lions’ are looking to do with their defense — and they are saving a truckload of money by swapping Slay for him — I would not consider this as the Lions’ best move.

My choice would have been the trade for Duron Harmon. He will bring the Lions’ defense to the next level by giving them a true single-high safety, something they have been missing since the departure of Glover Quin. Add in the fact he is very familiar with Coach Matt Patricia’s scheme and he will fit into this defense with ease.

The move that didn’t tickle the fancies of the PFF crew was the Halapoulivaati Vaitai signing, calling it one of the more shocking signings in free agency.

PFF pointed to the contract, a 5-year, $50 million deal, as being a bit high for what some would consider an inconsistent player. PFF analyzed how subpar Vaitai was in pass-protection saying, “In Vaitai’s career, he ranks just 56th of 61 tackles in PFF pass-block grade on true pass sets and allowed a double-digit pressure rate at 10-percent.”

I would not consider the Vaitai signing as the Lions’ worst move. The actual numbers for Vaitai’s contract turned out to be $45 million instead of the initial reported $50 million, with an easy out after two years — a much easier pill to swallow.

Even though Vaitai is sub-par in pass protection, he excels in run blocking and that is precisely why the Lions brought him. I also give him a pass on experience, as he was playing behind two potential Hall of Famers in Philadelphia, and it’s not his fault he never got a real chance to start and show his true potential.

My choice for the worst move is the lack of moves to fill in the holes after the departures of Graham Glasgow and Logan Thomas.

Glasgow has been an integral cog in the Lions’ offensive line since he was drafted, leaving a massive hole at right guard. While Thomas played well above his contract and was considered by some as the Lions’ second-best tight end. The team may believe Isaac Nauta is ready to fill in as the Lions’ third tight end, but it is hard to ignore how laissez-faire the Lions have been with the guard spot.

With how active the Lions were in free agency, none of the moves screamed out as an overpay, but the lack of moves is what is more concerning. No reason to panic quite yet — free agency is still young and the draft is on the horizon — especially for how unpredictable this offseason has been so far.

Lions agree to terms with OL Oday Aboushi on a 1-year deal

Justin Rogers is reporting that the Detroit Lions have agreed to terms and will bring back offensive lineman Oday Aboushi on a one-year deal.

As first reported by the Detroit News’ Justin Rogers and later confirmed by the Detroit Lions, the team has agreed to terms with offensive lineman Oday Aboushi on a one-year deal.

A seven-year veteran, Aboushi was originally selected in the fifth round (No. 141 overall) by the New York Jets in 2013 and was with the team for two seasons before moving on to the Houston Texans. After two years with the Texans, Aboushi spent a year with the Seattle Seahawks in 2017 and Arizona Cardinals in 2018, before joining the Lions.

Aboushi signed with the Lions in 2019 and served as their fifth interior offensive lineman, spending the first half of the season as a gameday inactive or on the bench. He saw sporadic work due to injury in Weeks 9, 12 and 15, before taking over in the starting lineup in Weeks 16 and 17.

Currently, the Lions have Frank Ragnow and Joe Dahl returning to their starting roles at center and left guard respectively, but there is still a massive hole at right guard after the departure of Graham Glasgow (who signed with the Denver Broncos) and Kenny Wiggins (still an unsigned unrestricted free agent).

If the Lions don’t add another player, Aboushi and Beau Benzschawel would likely be considered the front-runners for the right job role — but that seems like an unrealistic expectation at this time, as more additions (via free agency or the draft) are sure to follow.

At a minimum, Aboushi appears to be a solid veteran depth addition who can push younger players in camp and potentially claim a backend role on the 53-man roster.