Category: Roster News

Lions roster moves: Tom Kennedy released, Morice Norris back on practice squad

Lions roster moves: Tom Kennedy released, Morice Norris back on practice squad

The Detroit Lions made a couple of roster moves on Thursday in advance of Sunday night’s matchup with the Minnesota Vikings.

Wide receiver Tom Kennedy was released after a stint on the active roster. Kennedy has served as the Lions primary return man for the last two games.

The Lions also brought back DB Morice Norris to the team’s practice squad. Norris made his NFL debut on special teams in the Week 17 win over the 49ers. He was released on Tuesday and cleared waivers.

Kennedy’s release could be a sign that regular return man Kalif Raymond is ready to return from injured reserve.

Lions waive rookie DB after win over 49ers

Lions waive rookie DB Morice Norris after the win over 49ers, perhaps an indication that Alex Anzalone is ready to return

On Monday night, Morice Norris made his NFL debut as a Detroit Lions defensive back. An undrafted rookie from Fresno State, Norris played on special teams in the Lions’ Week 17 win over San Francisco after being signed to the active roster over the weekend.

Norris’ stay on the Lions active roster was a brief one. The Lions released Norris on Tuesday.

With no correlating roster move, waiving Norris could be a sign that the Lions are poised to activate LB Alex Anzalone from the injured reserve list. Head coach Dan Campbell indicated after Monday night’s win that Anzalone is close to being ready. Adding the team captain and starting linebacker into the lineup after missing several weeks with a broken arm would be a great boost for the Lions in the winner-take-all matchup against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.

Lions activate Jalen Reeves-Maybin for the 49ers game, elevate 2 from practice squad

Lions activate Jalen Reeves-Maybin for the 49ers game, elevate 2 from practice squad for Week 17

Jalen Reeves-Maybin is back on the Lions active roster. The Lions activated the veteran linebacker and special teams standout from the injured reserve list ahead of Monday night’s game against the 49ers in San Francisco.

Reeves-Maybin has been sidelined for several weeks with a neck injury. He was listed as questionable for Monday’s game after practicing for the last two weeks.

Detroit also elevated running back Jermar Jefferson and defensive tackle Chris Smith from the practice squad for the Week 17 game. It’s the second straight elevation for both players.

 

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Lions add rookie CB, bring back Kwon Alexander

Lions add rookie CB Morice Norris to the active roster and bring back LB Kwon Alexander to the practice squad

It wouldn’t be a Lions weekend without some roster moves. With the Lions heading to San Francisco for a Monday night date with the 49ers in Week 17, Detroit added one player to the active 53-man roster and brought another back to the practice squad.

Defensive back Morice Norris was signed from the practice squad to the active roster. Norris is an undrafted rookie from Fresno State who has played both safety and slot CB for the Lions during training camp and preseason. In college, the 5-11 dynamo was known for his blitzing ability — he led the Bulldogs in plays behind the line of scrimmage in his senior season.

The Lions also brought back linebacker Kwon Alexander to the practice squad, as was expected when Detroit let the veteran go earlier in the week. Alexander played in two games for Detroit as an emergency linebacker due to rampant roster injuries.

Lions waive another LB, officially add Teddy Bridgewater to active roster

Lions waive another LB, Kwon Alexander, and officially add Teddy Bridgewater to active roster

Teddy Bridgewater is officially back with the Detroit Lions. The team signed the quarterback out of retirement and added Bridgewater to the active 53-man roster on Thursday.

The veteran was at practice on Thursday before the signing was even made officially public. Bridgewater rejoins the Lions after retiring following the 2023 season. He had been coaching his high school alma mater, Miami Northwestern, and led them to a state title in Florida just last weekend.

To make room on the roster, the Lions released linebacker Kwon Alexander. It was a short stint in Detroit for Alexander, who was signed as an injury replacement in early December. The veteran played in two games for Detroit and was inactive in the Week 16 win over the Chicago Bears.

Detroit also added linebacker DaRon Gilbert to the practice squad. Gilbert was with the Lions in the offseason as an undrafted rookie from Nothern Illinois. He was waived with an injury designation back in August.

Lions waive veteran LB, bring back Maurice Alexander to the practice squad

The move is an indication that the Lions appear ready to activate a linebacker off the injured reserve list

In a move that indicates the team is getting a healthy return to the defensive lineup, the Detroit Lions released veteran linebacker David Long on Tuesday.

Long, 28, spent five weeks with the Lions after coming from the Miami Dolphins. The off-ball backer started one game, the Thanksgiving win over the Bears, and saw action on defense in three others. Long only played on special teams in the Week 16 rematch against the Bears.

In total, Long recorded seven tackles, one TFL and recovered one fumble.

With Jalen Reeves-Maybin already into his 21-day activation window, the move is a sign that Long’s services are no longer needed by the Lions.

Detroit also brought back wide receiver/kick returner Maurice Alexander to the practice squad.

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Lions sign 3 from practice squad in huge series of roster moves ahead of Week 16

Lions sign 3 from practice squad and activate Melifonwu in a huge series of roster moves ahead of Week 16

The Detroit Lions made a litany of roster moves on Saturday, a day ahead of the team’s Week 16 trip to Chicago to play the Bears.

Detroit signed three players from its practice squad to the active roster:

LB Mitchell Agude

WR Tom Kennedy

DT Chris Smith

All three have been with the Lions all season, with Smith already spending time on the active roster.

The Lions also elevated two more players from the practice squad to the active roster for Sunday’s game. As expected, running back Jermar Jefferson earned an elevation with David Montgomery sidelined. Rookie safety Loren Strickland was also elevated.

In addition, the Lions activated safety Ifeatu Melifonwu from injured reserve for the second time this season. Melifonwu will continue to be questionable for Sunday as he returns from a hand injury that has kept him out for a month.

Those are all the additions. There were some subtractions from the roster, too.

First, the Lions waived safety Brandon Joseph and wide receiver Maurice Alexander. Joseph has been the team’s third safety with Melifonwu out all year, and his release is something of a surprise. Alexander had been filling the return man role previously occupied by now-injured Kalif Raymond. That role figures to become Kennedy’s, as the veteran slot has considerable special teams experience.

Finally, the Lions waived defensive lineman David Bada with an injury settlement. Bada has been on I.R. all season after suffering a preseason injury.

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Lions roster moves: 3 defenders placed on I.R., Anthony Pittman returns

Detroit Lions roster moves: 3 defenders placed on I.R., Anthony Pittman returns and some practice squad swapping

Tuesday is typically the player’s day off for the Detroit Lions at the team’s practice facility. It’s also often the day when player personnel moves get made, and this Tuesday after the Lions loss to the Bills was no exception.

As expected, the Lions placed three defensive players on injured reserve. All three were injured in Sunday’s 48-42 defeat:
DT Alim McNeill
CB Carlton Davis
CB Khalil Dorsey

McNeill (knee) and Dorsey (leg) are out for the season, while there’s a chance Davis could return from a broken jaw before the Super Bowl, should the 12-2 Lions make it that far.

The Lions added one player to the active roster. The previously reported move was signing former Lions LB Anthony Pittman from the Jaguars practice squad.

Detroit also made a swap on the practice squad. The Lions added cornerback Stanley Thomas-Oliver to the practice squad and released EDGE Isaiah Thomas.

That leaves two openings on the 53-man active roster heading into Wednesday’s practice to get ready for Sunday’s game at Chicago against the Bears.

 

Lions are bringing back LB Anthony Pittman

Pittman played in Detroit from 2019-2023 and has been on the Jaguars practice squad

In desperate need of healthy bodies to fill out an injury-ravaged defense, the Detroit Lions are turning to an old friend. The Lions are signing veteran linebacker Anthony Pittman to the active roster, poaching Pittman from the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad.

Pittman spent the first four years of his NFL career in Detroit, beginning in 2019 through 2023, with him taking off the COVID-19 year of 2020. A local product from D-II Wayne State, Pittman earned his spot as a special teams ace who played sparingly on defense in his time with the Lions.

The 28-year-old has played only on special teams as a practice squad elevation during his time in Jacksonville. That could be his role in his return to Detroit, where five of the top six linebackers on the Lions roster are currently injured entering Week 16.

The move has not been officially made yet, though numerous reports have confirmed Pittman’s rejoining Detroit. The Lions have several players heading to injured reserve, including DT Alim McNeill and CB Khalil Dorsey, who are each out for the season.

Lions waive rookie DB ahead of Week 14 matchup with the Packers

Lions waive rookie DB Loren Strickland ahead of Week 14 matchup with the Packers

The Detroit Lions have waived rookie safety Loren Strickland ahead of the team’s Week 14 matchup with the Green Bay Packers.

Strickland made the Lions roster as an undrafted rookie but has played sparingly over the last few weeks and exclusively on special teams. The recent additions of linebackers Jamal Adams and Ezekiel Turner and the anticipated need to add more impactful help on the injury-riddled Detroit defense necessitated waiving Strickland.

Should he clear waivers, expect Strickland back on Detroit’s practice squad. His physical presence as a safety and on punt and kick coverage units has some real value and long-term developmental potential for the Lions.