Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Our practice squad tracker is updated.
The Seattle Seahawks lost their second-year outside linebacker Tyreke Smith this week when he was signed by the Arizona Cardinals off their practice squad. The team has just announced that they’ve signed former Oregon State defensive end Hamilcar Rashed to take Smith’s place.
This morning's @Seahawks roster moves: https://t.co/2ZQzqH7gUB
— Seahawks PR (@seahawksPR) December 15, 2023
Our practice squad tracker is updated (Dec. 15).
Here’s a quick rundown of today’s transactions.
The Seattle Seahawks will be starting their first practice of Week 1 in a few minutes. Before they take the field at the VMAC the team has announced a series of roster moves, though.
Here’s a quick rundown of today’s transactions.
Potential replacements for DeShon Elliott at safety now that he’s left the Lions for the Dolphins in free agency
Detroit Lions safety DeShon Elliott is the first of the team’s free agents to sign to a new team.
Elliott has reportedly agreed to terms with the Miami Dolphins on a one-year deal. This departure leaves a hole at the safety position for the Lions.
With options in-house, plenty of free agents available, and the draft coming up, the Lions have plenty of routes that they can go to address this area of need.
On the roster, Detroit currently has Tracy Walker and Kerby Joseph penciled in as starters. While this is passable for most teams, Detroit does tend to operate in three-safety sets. This means they will need to find one more capable safety to take significant snaps on defense.
There are two available options under contract at the moment: Ifeatu Melifonwu and Brady Breeze.
Melifonwu was a third-round pick in 2021 who converted from cornerback to safety after his rookie year.
He appeared in 10 games in 2022 and had one start at safety in place of Elliott. His coverage skills leave much to be desired, but he is a physical tackler and much better suited against the run.
Breeze was also a 2021 draft pick, but by the Tennessee Titans. He has been with the Lions on and off since December of that season. He has appeared in six games over the past two seasons for Detroit, recording six tackles. While there isn’t much film on him, Breeze has stuck around long enough that the coaches must see something of value in him.
There are plenty of free-agent options available as well.
As Detroit doesn’t need a true starter, they won’t need to look for the top safety talent in the free-agent pool.
One name to watch is safety Nick Scott. Scott was a draft pick by the Rams back when general manager Brad Holmes was still with that organization. He became a full-time starter in 2022 and had a decent season with 86 tackles and a pair of interceptions.
With the way he’d be used in Detroit, he’d still get plenty of playing time on defense. With that said, his price tag would come in the $3 to $4 million range.
One other option at safety is P.J. Locke, formerly of the Denver Broncos. Locke is a versatile player who can line up at both free and strong safety while also being able to play in the slot as a nickel or dime defender. He played a small role in Denver’s defense and mainly took the field on special teams snaps, but he’d be available to the Lions on a very cheap deal.
If Detroit doesn’t want to use one of their rostered players or go out and sign a safety, there are still some options to look for in the draft.
Alabama’s Brian Branch is one potential player who could be selected with the 18th overall draft pick. Another player who has been garnering some attention lately is Illinois safety Sydney Brown. Brown is projected to go around the third round and could learn the ropes of Detroit’s defense in that third safety role.
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The Detroit Lions signed 10 players from the team’s practice squad to reserve/future contracts, including WR Tom Kennedy
In the first official order of business of the offseason, the Detroit Lions signed 10 players who finished the season with the team to reserve/future contracts.
All 10 completed the season on the Lions’ practice squad and were technically street free agents free to sign with any team. A reserve/future contract is a commitment by the team to bring the players back with a chance to compete for spots in the coming season.
The 10 players the Lions signed to reserve/future contracts on Monday:
WR Maurice Alexander
WR Stanley Berryhill
S Brady Breeze
CB Khalil Dorsey
OT Obinna Eze
RB Jermar Jefferson
WR Tom Kennedy
OL Darrin Paulo
DT Demetrius Taylor
CB Jarren Williams
The reserve/future contracts do not count against the Lions salary cap.
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Breeze helps provide depth with starting safety DeShon Elliott ruled out with a shoulder injury
The weekly ritual of last-minute roster tweaks for the Detroit Lions carried into Week 17. Saturday saw the Lions elevate safety Brady Breeze from the practice squad to the active roster for Sunday’s matchup in Ford Field against the Chicago Bears.
It’s the second week in a row Breeze has been elevated. He was on the field for 19 special teams reps in Carolina, though Breeze did not play on defense vs. the Panthers. With starting safety DeShon Elliott ruled out with a shoulder injury, Breeze offers some needed depth on the back end of the defense.
The Lions also placed rookie offensive tackle Obinna Eze on the practice squad injured reserve list, effectively ending his season.
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Lions elevate S Brady Breeze and TE Garrett Griffin for Week 16
The Detroit Lions, as they do most every week, bolstered the depth chart a little in advance of Saturday’s game. Safety Brady Breeze and tight end Garrett Griffin were elevated from the team’s practice squad to the active roster for Detroit’s Week 16 game against the Carolina Panthers.
The moves correlate to the Lions injury report. Safety DeShon Elliott and fullback Jason Cabinda have been ruled out for the game. Breeze can help provide depth in the secondary and on special teams, while Griffin is the closest thing to a fullback the Lions have to replace Cabinda.
The Lions departed early for Charlotte due to the inclement weather.
#Lions elevated S Brady Breeze and TE Garrett Griffin from the Practice Squad to the Active/Inactive list
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) December 23, 2022
Breeze played in four games for Detroit in 2021
Brady Breeze is back in Detroit. The veteran safety signed with the Lions practice squad on Tuesday.
Breeze played for the Lions in 2021, appearing in four games after being scooped up from Tennessee. The 25-year-old played extensively on special teams but only saw 14 snaps on defense. He was with the Lions during the summer but was waived with injury status in training camp and took an injury settlement. Breeze has been bouncing around on the tryout circuit before signing with the Lions, and that includes an audition with Detroit last week.
The Lions kept the tryout door open on Tuesday as well. Per the NFL’s transaction report, Detroit held a tryout for WR Rico Gafford and CB Troy Pride. Neither was signed immediately.
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The Lions held tryouts for a few defenders on Tuesday, including two former Detroit players
Tuesday was an off day for practice at the Detroit Lions team facility, but there was still activity in the building. The Lions held a tryout for four defensive players and wound up signing one to the team’s practice squad.
Detroit signed veteran defensive back J.R. Reed to the practice squad after the tryout. Reed, 26, is a safety who played collegiately at Georgia. He’s been in the NFL for the last two-plus seasons, most recently with the Las Vegas Raiders practice squad. Reed played 16 games in 2020-2021, splitting time between the Los Angeles Rams and New York Giants. He played for the Denver Broncos all offseason and preseason.
The other players Detroit auditioned on Tuesday include a couple of ex-Lions, S Brady Breeze and DL Eric Banks, as well as DB Adrian Colbert. Banks and Breeze both played for the Lions in the 2021 season.
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Breeze was waived with injury status last week and is now free to sign with another team
In a little bit of accounting cleanup, the Detroit Lions have waived injured safety Brady Breeze from the team’s injured reserve list.
Breeze was waived with injury status as part of the Lions’ roster trimming from 90 to 85 players last week. When Breeze went unclaimed on the NFL’s waiver wire, he reverted to Detroit’s IR.
Now that he has agreed to an injury settlement, Breeze is free to sign with any other team. His contractual ties and obligations to the Lions are now complete, and Breeze is ineligible to re-sign with the Lions during the 2022 season. The former Titans player played primarily on special teams in Detroit in 2021 after being claimed off waivers from Tennessee.
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The Detroit Lions waived S Brady Breeze and WR Josh Johnson to get to the 85-man roster limit
The Detroit Lions have trimmed their roster down to the required 85-player limit on Tuesday, waiving safety Brady Breeze and wide receiver Josh Johnson.
Breeze was claimed off of waivers by the Detroit Lions last season after he was let go by the Tennessee Titans. He was waived with injury status after being hurt early in the preseason opener.
He was drafted by the Titans in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft and appeared in five games for them before being waived. Breeze played in four games for Detroit and recorded six tackles on defense and special teams. He had some competition throughout training camp, against offseason additions such as Kerby Joseph and JuJu Hughes.
Johnson signed with Detroit as an undrafted free agent out of Tulsa and had an uphill battle to even be a candidate for the practice squad. He was waived with an injury settlement.
There isn’t much to say about the young wide receiver, as he did not play in the preseason game against Atlanta and has had a fairly quiet training camp.
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