Category: Lions News

Lions fill out practice squad with TE Darrell Daniels

The Detroit Lions fill out the 16-man practice squad by re-signing TE Darrell Daniels after releasing him last week

The 16-man Detroit Lions practice squad is now fully stocked in advance of the team’s Week 1 matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs. The Lions brought back veteran tight end Darrell Daniels on Friday to complete the inaugural practice squad for 2023.

Daniels was released during the final roster cutdowns. Daniels was primarily a blocking tight end throughout his summer in Detroit, though he did show some receiving chops in the red zone in the joint practices against the Jaguars. The six-year vet counts as one of the vested veterans permitted on the practice squad.

The 16-man practice squad technically has 17 for Detroit due to offensive lineman Max Pircher being an exemption from counting. Pircher is part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway program. Twelve of the 17 players, including Daniels, were with the Lions at some point in the offseason, with five players signed after spending their preseasons on other teams.

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Jersey numbers for the Lions latest player additions

The latest player additions for the Detroit Lions have decided on their jersey numbers, as well as number switches from last season.

The Detroit Lions have finalized their 53-man roster and practice squad, but as we all know, this could change at any moment. The roster now includes a mix of new and old players, and we’re excited to see what jersey numbers they’ll be wearing this season. Some players have even decided to switch their numbers from last year.

Below is the list of jersey numbers for the new players, as well as the players who have switched their numbers for this season.

Teddy Bridgewater takes over No. 10, previously held by Nate Sudfeld

Jerry Jacobs previously was 39 but switched to No. 23.

Steven Gilmore switched to No. 24 after sporting 36 through the preseason

Michael Badgley goes back to No. 17, which he held last season.

David Blough will be No. 18 this year. He previously was 10 when he was with the Lions before.

Zonovan Knight will hold No. 28 after the departure of Jermar Jefferson

Raymond Johnson will be No. 52 after the release of Christian Covington

Michael Niese will take over No. 62 with the departure of Ryan Swoboda

Darice Fountain will hold No. 84, which was previously held by Avery Davis

Quinton Bohanna will be No. 90 after Cory Durden was waived

Brad Holmes refutes any Lions interest in trading for QB Trey Lance

Detroit GM Brad Holmes refutes any Lions interest in trading for QB Trey Lance

In his first official press conference since the NFL draft, Lions GM Brad Holmes refuted any reports that he or the Lions were involved in any of the trade talks surrounding QB Trey Lance. The 49ers traded Lance to the Dallas Cowboys and there were reports linking the Lions to being a potential suitor.

Not so, says Holmes.

“The Trey Lance thing in particular, I never reached out. I never inquired about the player or anything,” Holmes stated.

Holmes continued,

“I think the report was that us and some other teams were like, in that group of being interested. But I never actively pursued the player. I can’t speak to the accuracy of the reports.”

The report from Dianna Russini of The Athletic indicated that the Lions “showed interest” in potentially acquiring the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft.

Lions scouts already checking out 2024 NFL draft prospects

College football kick off in earnest this weekend and the Lions scouts were already in the field to watch two games on Thursday night

College football is back in full force this weekend. After a teaser in what was known as Week 0, the Week 1 slate fired up on Thursday night.

Aside from the thrill of live football being back, it also means it’s time for the NFL scouts to hit the road and examine players in person. The Detroit Lions had scouts confirmed at one game on Thursday night: Florida at Utah.

From a draft standpoint, the biggest standout was Utah safety Cole Bishop. One of 10 Utes on the preseason Senior Bowl watchlist, Bishop showed range and a nose for the ball all night in Utah’s suffocating 24-11 win. He had 11 tackles, a sack, a pass breakup and a forced fumble on a great hit. Right tackle Sataoa Laumea had a good night sealing holes open and showing his power. Laumea is projected to kick inside to guard in the NFL.

Florida’s nine prospects on the Senior Bowl watchlist didn’t have a collectively prosperous night. Wideout Ricky Pearsall hauled in eight catches for 92 yards, but he and QB Graham Mertz didn’t have a lot of visible chemistry yet. Mertz is a transfer from Wisconsin and showed a strong arm but lacked mastery of the offense and struggled under pressure.

There were also unconfirmed reports of the Lions scouting North Carolina State at UConn. The Huskies feature one of the best offensive guard prospects for the 2024 NFL draft in Christian Haynes, who is a nice schematic fit for the Lions offense,

 

Lions roster moves: Craig Reynolds re-signed, Julian Okwara to I.R.

The Lions re-sign RB Craig Reynolds and place EDGE Julian Okwara on I.R. following the roster cutdowns

The initial 53-man roster for the Detroit Lions only had two running backs on it. That lack of depth didn’t last long, as the team has re-signed RB Craig Reynolds to the active roster.

Reynolds was released on Tuesday at the roster cutdown deadline. The veteran reserve was not subject to waiver wire claims, which made him a good candidate to cut and then safely bring back once the waiver claims around the league were processed. This is a procedural maneuver that NFL teams are increasingly utilizing.

The corresponding move for signing Reynolds is another that was a calculated one by the Lions. Detroit placed EDGE Julian Okwara on injured reserve. Okwara left the preseason finale with an injury and did not return. He will miss at least the first four weeks.

Had the Lions placed Okwara on I.R. prior to the roster cutdown, he would have been out for the entire season. By doing this now, the fourth-year LB is eligible to be activated from I.R. after Week 4.

Lions fans react to the Vikings paying TE T.J. Hockenson big money

The Minnesota Vikings made former Lions TE the highest-paid player at his position in NFL history. Lions fans had things to say about that.

Former Lions tight end T.J. Hockenson got exactly what he wanted. Hockenson and his new team, the Minnesota Vikings, agreed to a lucrative new contract that will make Hockenson the highest-paid tight end in NFL history.

Hockenson will earn $68.5 million in his four-year extension, with a record-setting $42.5 million guaranteed.

The rich new extension caused quite a reaction in Lions land. Most of the social media response from Detroit fans and media reflected joyous glee that it wasn’t the Lions who paid Hockenson, while also being happy for a player who performed well in Detroit.

Just not that well…

Here are some of the best reactions from X (formerly Twitter) on the Vikings paying Hockenson like no other TE has ever been paid before.

David Blough signs with the Lions practice squad

Blough is back where he spent 2019-2021 as a reserve QB

Welcome back to Detroit, David Blough!

The veteran quarterback is back in a Lions uniform after signing to the team’s practice squad on Thursday. Blough rejoins the Lions a year after he was cut from the team and opted to sign on the Minnesota Vikings practice squad.

It’s a reunion for the team’s backup quarterback from 2019-2021. Blough, now 28, started five games in Matthew Stafford’s absence at the end of the 2019 season, losing all five. He got two more starts for the Arizona Cardinals late in 2022 after that team signed him off the Vikings’ practice squad.

Blough fills the void for the No. 3 quarterback after the Lions placed Nate Sudfeld on injured reserve and waived rookie Adrian Martinez. Ironically, Sudfeld was signed a year ago to replace Blough. As someone who has an understanding of the Lions offense and familiarity with much of the receiving corps, bringing Blough back as a bridge to when third-round rookie Hendon Hooker is activated from the NFI list makes total sense.

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Lions signed DE Raymond Johnson III to the practice squad

The Detroit Lions have made another addition to their practice squad with the signing of DE Raymond Johnson III

The Detroit Lions have made another addition to their practice squad with the signing of edge Raymond Johnson III.

The news was first reported by Jay Morrison.

Johnson spent the offseason with the Cincinnati Bengals, where he performed exceptionally well. Despite this, the Bengals released him, and it came as a surprise to many. During the preseason, he was the third-highest-ranked edge defender, according to PFF. Johnson was a UDFA who initially signed with the New York Giants, but he was eventually released and then signed with the Bengals last year.

The Bengals have a crowded edge group, which includes Joseph Ossai, Myles Murphy, Sam Hubbard, and Trey Hendrickson. Johnson faced tough competition, and it would have been challenging for him to make the roster. The Bengals had to make the difficult decision to let Johnson go. Their plan was to move him to the practice squad, but given his impressive preseason, it was going to be challenging.

The Lions decided to keep seven edge rushers on their initial 53-man roster, so it will be interesting to see if Johnson can earn a spot. Since the Lions did not have any edges on the practice squad, Johnson’s addition to the team will bolster their defense. With this signing, the Lions have four vacant spots left to fill for their practice squad.

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The Lions are still one of the NFL’s youngest teams

The Lions average player age has gone up but Detroit still fields one of the NFL’s youngest rosters

The third season of the Brad Holmes/Dan Campbell regime in Detroit sees the Lions maturing into a team most everyone expects to be a playoff squad in 2023. The maturity is starting to show in the average age of the team, too.

This year’s initial 53-man Lions roster carries an average age of 25.7 years old. Jimmy Kempski of the Philly Voice tabulates the average age of the 53-man rosters every year and quickly tallied up the ages of the NFL rosters after Tuesday’s final cutdown. Detroit’s 25.7 average age is tied for 10th-youngest with the Bears, Dolphins and Giants.

Last year, the Lions were the second-youngest team in the tabulation. The average age was 25.2 years old in 2022.

Detroit still doesn’t have a single defensive player over 30 years old, but the Lions did get more seasoned on the offensive side of the ball.

This year, the Green Bay Packers are the youngest at 25.0 average years, while the New Orleans Saints are the oldest with an average age of 27.4. As Kempski notes, there isn’t a correlation between average age and the success of the team.

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Lions add WR Daurice Fountain to the practice squad

The Lions add veteran WR Daurice Fountain to the practice squad

The Detroit Lions have added another wide receiver to the mix. The Lions have signed veteran wideout Daurice Fountain to one of the remaining practice squad vacancies.

The news was first reported by Jordan Schultz.

Fountain spent the offseason with the Chicago Bears, where he performed well in the preseason. The 27-year-old has been in the NFL since 2018, when he was a fifth-round pick by the Indianapolis Colts after a brilliant college career at Northern Iowa. He spent the 2022 season on the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice squad.

The 6-foot-2 Fountain has just two receptions in his NFL career, both with the Colts in 2020. He joins a Lions practice squad that also features WRs Maurice Alexander and Dylan Drummond.