Tag: active roster

Lions promote WR Chris Lacy, place WR Marvin Hall on IR

The Detroit Lions announced they have promoted wide receiver Chris Lacy from the practice squad and placed wide receiver Marvin Hall on injured reserve in a corresponding move.

The Detroit Lions announced they have promoted wide receiver Chris Lacy from the practice squad and placed wide receiver Marvin Hall on injured reserve in a corresponding move.

Lacy initially made the Lions 53-man roster after a strong training camp and preseason, but after only seeing the field for five snaps over two games, he was released and re-added to the practice squad in Week 3 of the regular season.

Lacy will step into the Lions fourth wide receiver role but, like earlier in the season, he will need to be looking over his shoulder as the team may want to get an extended look at some of their younger wide receivers currently on the practice squad, namely rookies Travis Fulgham and Tom Kennedy.

When Lacy was released from the Lions active roster, it was Hall who replaced him. Hall wasted no time making an impact on the Lions roster and what he lacked in volume, he made up for in big-play production.

Through his first five catches with Matthew Stafford at the helm, Hall was averaging a stunning 40.2-yards per reception. When Jeff Driskel took over, Hall caught three more passes but saw his per catch average dip to a still impressive 37.3-yards per catch average.

Hall is signed through the 2020 season and figures to enter the offseason as one of the Lions top four options at wide receiver.

Lions promote TE Isaac Nauta to active roster

The Detroit Lions announced that they have promoted tight end Isaac Nauta to the active roster, filling the vacated spot after releasing offensive tackle Dan Skipper.

The Detroit Lions announced that they have promoted tight end Isaac Nauta to the active roster, filling the vacated spot after releasing offensive tackle Dan Skipper on Thursday.

The Lions are dealing with a plethora of injuries — six players have already been ruled out for Sunday — so they waited to make this decision until they had a better understanding of their roster needs for this weekend’s game.

Punter Sam Martin has been dealing with an abdomen injury for the last several weeks, and while he has yet to miss a game, he has been limited in practice — so much so, that the Lions signed punter Matt Wile to the practice squad to give Martin rest.

If Martin was unable to play, the Lions likely would’ve needed to use the final remaining roster spot on Wile. Fortunately, the rest did Martin some good and he is not listed with an injury designation and is expected to play on Sunday.

With Martin good to go, the Lions decided to address another weak spot on their roster: fullback. Starter Nick Bawden was placed on injured reserve this week, and Nauta has been promoted to fill his roles.

Nauta has experience playing H-back in college, as well as with the Lions this offseason and could find himself lining up in the Lions backfield this Sunday. The bigger role Nauta is likely to fill though is on special teams where Bawden was averaging around 18 snaps a game.

The Lions seventh-round draft pick is a stout run blocker and a reliable option in the passing game, but lack of regular experience at fullback and long speed could limit his role.

Nauta has a lot of potential and the Lions have high hopes for him as a prospect — he could easily find himself on the Lions regular-season roster for the remainder of the season.

 

Lions activate EDGE Austin Bryant from IR

The Detroit Lions announced they have removed EDGE rusher Austin Bryant from injured reserve and placed him on the active roster.

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The Detroit Lions announced they have removed EDGE rusher Austin Bryant from injured reserve and placed him on the active roster.

Bryant was selected in the 4th round out of Clemson, with hopes of him bringing some much-needed pass-rushing capabilities off the edge. After requiring offseason surgery, Bryant missed all of spring camp and entered training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list. It wasn’t long into camp before he was removed from the PUP list and able to take the field.

A defensive end in college, Bryant was transitioning to a JACK linebacker role with the Lions, with hopes that his ability to rush from a standing position would translate. Things were going well until Bryant was once again injured and unable to practice.

Bryant would remain injured, but on the 90-man roster throughout the preseason, with the hope that he would be able to return at some point in the regular season. By waiting to place him on injured reserve until after the 53-man roster cut-downs, the Lions had the option to return him from injured reserve when he was fully healthy.

Three weeks ago, the Lions activated a 21-day evaluation period where Bryant was allowed to practice with the team while they evaluated his progress and determined his overall health. That period has come to a close, and the Lions were required to make a decision on his status — thus his addition to the active roster today.

Bryant may still be getting up to speed with the Lions scheme — as he transitions to a new role and has only practiced with the team minimally — so he may not be active on game days right away. But when he is up to speed, and healthy, he will bring another pass rushing element to the Lions front that they desperately need.

Lions promoted RB Bo Scarbrough, release RB Paul Perkins

The Detroit Lions announced they have promoted running back Bo Scarbrough to the active roster and released running back Paul Perkins in a corresponding move.

The Detroit Lions announced they have promoted running back Bo Scarbrough to the active roster and released running back Paul Perkins in a corresponding move. Additionally, the team has re-signed punter Matt Wile to the practice squad, filling the opening created after the Scarbrough move.

It’s fitting Scarbrough was promoted this week, as he will get a chance to play against the Dallas Cowboys, the team who drafted him in the seventh round (pick 236) of the 2018 NFL Draft.

Scarbrough is a power runner who plays to contact, something that is missing in the Lions’ current backfield. He can contribute in the passing game — he’s an excellent blocker — which will get him opportunities to see the field on Sunday, but it’s important to set your expectations for him accordingly.

Positives

  • Bruising back who runs behind his pads
  • Won’t shy away from contact and often falls forward
  • Creates extra yards with power in both short game and at the end of long runs
  • Terrific pass blocker

Negatives

  • He rarely makes defenders miss due to his upright running style
  • He is often injured as his running style forces his body to take a pounding
  • He won’t be a threat as a pass-catcher
  • He can be explosive but it takes him time to get up to speed

The Lions have a clear two options at the top of the running back rotation with Ty Johnson and J.D. McKissic. When Johnson left the game last week with an injury, third running back Paul Perkins only saw the field for 12 offensive snaps. When Johnson was healthy the week prior, Perkins only saw three snaps total.

With Johnson clearing the NFL’s concussion protocol today, both he and McKissic are fully healthy heading into tomorrow’s game. That should make snaps difficult for Scarbrough to come by and he may be relegated to situational work.

Wile being added back to the practice squad could be a preemptive move to give Sam Martin rest early in next week’s practices, but this is his second stint with the Lions in the last three weeks, indicating there’s something about his game that they like. With Martin in a contract year, Wile may be getting an extended try out for a contract this offseason.