Tag: anthony Firkser

Stay or go: Predicting the fate of all the Detroit Lions free agents

Which of the 18 unrestricted free agents will the Lions keep, and which ones will be suiting up elsewhere in 2024?

One of the harder parts of the offseason for NFL front offices is deciding which free agents they want to keep and which ones will have to leave. It’s a process Lions GM Brad Holmes and his Detroit front office staff are facing in the coming days.

The Lions have already made a couple of decisions, bringing back LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin and K Michael Badgley as pending free agents. That brings the total of unrestricted free agents for the Lions to 18 when the new league year starts on Wednesday, March 13th at 4 p.m. ET.

Which of the 18 unrestricted free agents will the Lions keep, and which ones will be suiting up elsewhere in 2024?

Lions re-sign two from the practice squad in playoff roster moves

Lions re-sign two from the practice squad, place two others on I.R. in playoff roster moves

The day before a Detroit Lions game is always full of some roster tweaking. That’s true with the Lions in the postseason too.

A day ahead of Detroit’s first-ever playoff game in Ford Field, the Lions made some moves to handle some injury situations on the active roster.

Two players were placed on injured reserve, as expected. Cornerback Jerry Jacobs and tight end James Mitchell were both already ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams with injuries.

The Lions signed two players from the practice squad to replace them on the 53-man active roster. Both CB Chase Lucas and TE Anthony Firkser had been on the Lions’ active roster earlier in the season but had been waived and then added back to the practice squad.

Detroit also elevated DT Tyson Alualu and fullback Jason Cabinda from the practice squad for the wild card game.

Lions activate Alim McNeill, C.J. Gardner-Johnson from I.R.

Lions activate Alim McNeill, C.J. Gardner-Johnson from I.R. for Week 18

The big man in the middle of the Detroit defensive line is back, and so is the instigator in the secondary.. Tackle Alim McNeill and Safety C.J Gardner-Johnson have been activated by the Lions in advance of the Week 18 regular season finale against the Minnesota Vikings.

McNeill had been on injured reserve for the minimum four weeks after suffering a knee injury. Head coach Dan Campbell noted that he expected McNeill to return this week, and the coach proved a man of his word.

The same is true with Gardner-Johnson, who has been out since Week 2. The verbose veteran is expected to have a part-time role in his return.

The Lions had two open roster spots from previous transactions, including waiving DT Isaiah Buggs and TE Anthony Firkser.

Detroit also elevated DT Tyson Alualu and FB Jason Cabinda from the practice squad for Sunday’s game against Minnesota. In addition, Firkser re-signed to the practice squad.

Lions waive TE Anthony Firkser, bring back DE to the practice squad

Lions waive TE Anthony Firkser, bring back DE to the practice squad

The Detroit Lions made another roster move on Thursday that indicates the team is ready to activate players from the injured reserve list. Alas, the Lions still haven’t officially activated anyone just yet.

Tight end Anthony Firkser was waived on Thursday. Firsker played just two offensive snaps in the last two games after being signed from the practice squad to replace injured Brock Wright. The veteran Firkser did play extensively on special teams.

Wright remains sidelined with a hip injury, but waiving Firsker is a sign that the Lions aren’t too concerned about not having their backup tight end for the Week 18 matchup with the Minnesota Vikings.

After also waiving Isaiah Buggs earlier in the week, the Lions now have two openings on the 53-man roster. Based on what head coach Dan Campbell indicated this week, those spots will be filled by DT Alim McNeill and DB C.J. Gardner-Johnson. They’re both eligible to be activated from the I.R. and have practiced this week.

The Lions did bring a defensive player back to the practice squad, too. EDGE Raymond Johnson is back after being released from the Lions’ practice squad earlier in the fall.

Lions sign TE Anthony Firkser, elevate defensive vets for Week 17

Lions sign TE Anthony Firkser, elevate defensive vets Bruce Irvin and Tyson Alualu for Week 17

The Detroit Lions filled their vacancy on the 53-man roster by signing tight end Anthony Firkser from the practice squad. The move comes in advance of Saturday night’s game in Dallas against the Cowboys.

The move was necessitated by tight end Brock Wright being out with a hip injury. Firsker played two offensive snaps in Week 16 as a practice squad elevation. The six-year vet was added to the Lions practice squad earlier this season.

Detroit also elevated two veteran defensive players for the game in Dallas. EDGE Bruce Irvin and DT Tyson Alualu will be up on the active roster for the game. It’s Irvin’s third and final practice squad elevation and the first for Alualu.

Also, the Lions confirmed that CB Chase Lucas is back on the team’s practice squad after going unclaimed on waivers.

Lions elevate two from practice squad to face the Vikings in Week 16

Lions elevate Michael Badgley and Anthony Firkser from the practice squad to face the Vikings in Week 16

In advance of Sunday’s matchup with the Vikings in Minnesota, the Detroit Lions have elevated two players from the practice squad to the active roster.

As expected, kicker Michael Badgley was promoted for the Week 16 game. It’s the second elevation in a row for Badgley, who beat out Riley Patterson in an in-season kicking competition. Players are allowed three elevations per season.

Tight end Anthony Firsker was also elevated. It’s the first elevation for the 6-year vet, who has not played yet in 2023. He will fill the role of reserve TE Brock Wright, who has been ruled out with an injury for the game after not practicing throughout the week.

The Lions did not elevate EDGE Bruce Irvin for the game. He will not play against Minnesota

Lions shuffle up the veterans on the practice squad

Lions shuffle up the practice squad, adding veterans Anthiny Averett and Anthony Firkser to the mix

On a day where the Lions did not have a practice, Detroit made some changes to the team’s practice squad.

The Lions brought in two experienced vets to the unit, adding TE Anthony Firkser and CB Anthony Averett. To make room, Detroit dumped CB Darius Phillips and WR Trey Quinn from the practice squad.

Firkser is a 28-year-old who has played for several NFL teams since entering the league out of Harvard in 2017. He was last with the Patriots on their practice squad. He’s caught 115 passes in his career.

Averett brings starting experience of his own, as well as some special teams and postseason work in his time with the Ravens.

Neither Phillips nor Quinn appeared in a game for the Lions, though Quinn did have some action in the preseason.

Texans work out TE Anthony Firkser, RB Darrel Williams among others

The Houston Texans worked out former Tennessee Titans tight end Anthony Firksey among others as Week 2 kicks off.

With a commitment to constant improvement comes continuous pursuit of bettering the roster. One of the ways the Houston Texans can upgrade their roster and practice squad is by taking a look at available talent not currently with any NFL team.

The Texans held workouts for six players Friday. There was a theme of skill positions involved as the Texans worked out two tight ends, two running backs, a receiver, and a quarterback.

Here is a look at the six veterans the Texans took a look at as part of their workouts.

Madden 24 ratings for every Patriots tight end

Here’s how the Patriots’ tight ends rated in the upcoming “Madden NFL 24” video game.

The New England Patriots haven’t given up on their pursuit of reviving the tight end position. So they ditched the Jonnu Smith bandwagon and attached themselves to a new wagon altogether.

“Madden NFL 24” will feature Hunter Henry and newly-signed Patriots tight end Mike Gesicki. The hope is that the two form the sort of one-two punch that Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez created on the field back in 2011.

Gesicki doesn’t provide much in the way of blocking, but he basically acts as another wide receiver on the field, which is exactly what the Patriots need after failing to land a big, elite outside target. The combination of Henry and Gesicki should be able to mask the other issues to some degree.

Here’s a look at the ratings for every Patriots tight end in the upcoming Madden 24 video game:

Reading the room: Evaluating tight ends on Patriots’ roster

It’ll be the Hunter Henry and Mike Gesicki Show at tight end, but others could contribute at the position for the Patriots.

The New England Patriots have always loved their tight ends, and they doubled down at the position in 2021 by signing Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith at the same time.

Fast forward to 2023, and Smith is in Atlanta, while the Patriots brought in Mike Gesicki as a replacement.

Offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien pioneered 12 personnel for the Patriots in his first stint with the team. He brought in Will Lawing, who has followed him in his previous stints, to coach the tight end position. There’s hope the two can work together to create a new gold standard at the position.

For now, here’s what things look like for the Patriots’ 2023 tight end group: