Tag: Chris Smith

Lions add some familiar names and a newcomer to the practice squad

Lions add Chris Smith and Abraham Beauplan, plus a newcomer to the practice squad ahead of the Week 10 matchup with the Houston Texans

The Detroit Lions filled out all the vacancies on the team’s practice squad ahead of Wednesday’s practice session in Allen Park. With three spots open, the Lions brought back two familiar names and one new player–who has ties to this week’s opponent, the Houston Texans.

As expected, the Lions re-signed defensive tackle Chris Smith and linebacker Abraham Beauplan to the practice squad. The defensive duo had been on the practice squad all season before being signed to the active roster last week as Detroit dealt with an injury crunch. Smith played 10 snaps in the win over the Packers, while Beauplan didn’t get in on defense but played extensively on special teams while filling in for injured Malcolm Rodriguez.

The Lions also added veteran linebacker Ezekiel Turner to the practice squad. The 28-year-old spent the 2018 through 2023 seasons playing for the Arizona Cardinals, primarily on special teams. The Lions are his fourth team in 2024, with practice squad stints with the Texans and Seattle Seahawks during the regular season and offseason time with the San Francisco 49ers. He was on the Texans practice squad for the first four weeks of the season.

[lawrence-related id=114697]

Lions release Parker Hesse, sign two to active roster

The Lions made a few active roster moves Saturday.

The Lions effectively swapped tight ends Saturday. They released Parker Hesse while once again elevating Shane Zylstra from the practice squad.

Hesse appeared in five games this season for the Lions. He joined the team this season after three years with the Atlanta Falcons. Hesse has more or less been overtaken by Zylstra as the No. 3 tight end.

The Lions also added two players to the active roster, linebacker Abraham Beauplan and defensive lineman Chris Smith.

Beauplan had been on the Lions’ practice squad since the end of the preseason after joining the team during training camp. He spent his rookie season in Minnesota.

Smith is in his second season with the Lions. He appeared in the season opener against the Rams but was cut and later added to the practice squad a few days later.

Lions add DT Kyle Peko to the active roster in series of roster moves

Peko played over 30 snaps in Detroit’s Week 1 win as a practice squad promotion

Welcome to the active 53-man Detroit Lions roster, Kyle Peko.

The veteran defensive tackle was signed to the Lions roster from the team’s practice squad ahead of Wednesday’s practice session. Peko replaces fellow DT Chris Smith on the roster. Smith was waived earlier this week and is now back on the practice squad.

Peko played 37 snaps in Detroit’s Week 1 win over the Rams, recording one tackle as a practice squad promotion.

The move to swap Peko and Smith in Week 2 was almost certainly a salary cap maneuver designed to keep Peko’s veteran contract form being fully guaranteed. All vested vets who are on the Week 1 active 53-man roster have their deals secured. By waiting a week, it saves the Lions some long-term money.

Detroit also made the practice squad signing of kicker Greg Joseph official. And with that, the Lions roster is once again at capacity.

Lions waive defensive lineman they just signed to the active roster

Lions waive defensive lineman Chris Smith, who they just signed to the active roster before Sunday night’s game against the Rams

The stint on the Detroit Lions 53-man active roster didn’t last long for Chris Smith. The Lions waived the young defensive tackle on Monday, after the team’s overtime win over the Los Angeles Rams.

Smith was signed to the active roster from the practice squad on Saturday as a reinforcement for the defensive front. The second-year DT from Notre Dame played eight defensive snaps against the Rams.

No immediate correlating move has been made yet by the Lions. It is expected that Smith, who joined the Lions as an undrafted free agent in 2023, will rejoin Detroit’s practice squad now that he cleared waivers.

Lions bolster the defensive line in surprising final Week 1 roster moves

Lions bolster the defensive line in surprising final Week 1 roster moves that also includes elevating a WR from the practice squad

The Detroit Lions fortified the defensive line a day ahead of Sunday night’s season opener in Ford Field. In a series of roster moves, the Lions added two defensive linemen and a wide receiver to the mix for the Week 1 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams.

The Lions signed defensive tackle Chris Smith from the practice squad to the active 53-man roster. Detroit had a vacant spot on the roster and filled it with Smith, an undrafted rookie in 2023 who played well this summer.

Signing Smith to the active roster wasn’t necessarily the expected move. Many thought it would be veteran DT Kyle Peko, who took most of the first-team reps in training camp with newcomer DJ Reader still sidelined. Peko was elevated from the practice squad for the Rams contest. Reader is questionable for Sunday night’s game.

The Lions also elevated wide receiver Tom Kennedy for the game. That’s also a bit of an unexpected turn at a positon where a practice squad move was widely anticipated. Vets Tim Patrick, Allen Robinson and Donovan Peoples-Jones all offer more size and outside ability at wideout, but Kennedy instead gets the nod.

https://twitter.com/Lions/status/1832511494652637629

James Madison looking to poach Giants assistant OL coach Chris Smith

Holy Cross is looking to hire New York Giants assistant offensive line coach Chris Smith to oversee their OL.

Editor’s note: Art Stapleton of USA TODAY reports that Smith is being hired by James Madison.

If you thought the New York Giants and head coach Brian Daboll had their staff set ahead of the 2024 season, think again.

Matt Zenitz of 247Sports and CBS Sports reports that James Madison is looking to hire Giants assistant offensive line coach Chris Smith to oversee their OL.

Smith had been serving as the Holy Cross offensive coordinator when hired by the Giants last March. It was a position he held for five seasons.

Prior to that, Smith served as their offensive line coach, run game coordinator, and recruiting coordinator.

During his time at Holy Cross, Smith helped develop several offensive linemen who went on to receive All-Patriot League honors. Among them are James Murray, Brett Boddy, Brian Foley, and Nick Olsofka.

Smith was part of a staff that has led the Crusaders to three consecutive Patriot League championships. They also earned an NCAA football championship subdivision berth in 2019, which was the first for the program in 10 years.

In addition to his time with Holy Cross, Smith, who played center for the school before graduation, also had stints with New Haven, Northern Colorado, and Buffalo.

Unfortunately, that success didn’t carry over with the Giants. Smith joined offensive line coach Bobby Johnson and the pair oversaw a unit that surrendered 85 sacks, the second-most in NFL history.

Johnson was fired on Black Monday and replaced by Carmen Bricillo.

[lawrence-related id=725250,725247,725238]

Tom Kennedy among 11 players signed to reserve/future deals by the Lions

The Detroit Lions signed 11 players to reserve/future contracts, including WR Tom Kennedy and OT Connor Galvin

One of the first orders of business for all teams in the offseason is to sign players to reserve/future contracts. With the Lions season not ending until after the NFC Championship game, it took longer than other years.

The Lions added 11 players to reserve/future deals on Tuesday. 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. Typically, they are players coming off the practice squad or unsigned street free agents who had some connection to the team.

The biggest name is wide receiver Tom Kennedy, who has been on and off the Lions roster since the 2019 season.

The full list:

  • LB Mitchell Agude
  • WR Maurice Alexander
  • OL Matt Farniok
  • RB Jake Funk
  • OT Connor Galvin
  • CB Craig James
  • S Brandon Joseph
  • WR Tom Kennedy
  • OL Michael Niese
  • DT Chris Smith

[lawrence-related id=102852]

 

Lions bring back DL to the practice squad

Lions bring back rookie DL Chris Smith to the practice squad

As the Lions nation anxiously awaits word on the fate of EDGE James Houston, the team did make a roster move involving the defense on Wednesday. The team announced it has brought rookie DT Chris Smith back to the practice squad.

It’s the third stint on the practice squad in Detroit for Smith. He joined the team as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Notre Dame. Smith showed some ability as an undersized (he’s 290 pounds) interior rusher during training camp. He never signed with any other NFL team after being released from the Lions practice squad twice during the season.

The Lions had an opening on the practice squad after last weekend’s roster moves. Detroit will determine the fate of Houston on Thursday; the pass rusher’s activation window from injured reserve ends on that day. The Lions must either activate him to the 53-man roster or else Houston’s season is over.

Lions waive freshly activated FB Jason Cabinda in a series of roster moves

Cabinda was activated from I.R. and then waived in a span of 24 hours

It’s been a weird 24 hours with the Detroit Lions on the NFL’s transaction wire. After making some moves on Thursday, primarily activating FB Jason Caibnda from the injured reserve, GM Brad Holmes and the Lions were busy on Friday.

Cabinda was waived on Friday in a surprising maneuver. Waiving Cabinda means he will not be eligible to rejoin the team in time for Saturday night’s game in Dallas.

Taking Cabinda’s spot on the 53-man roster is kicker Michael Badgley. That move was expected, with Badgley facing the final practice squad elevation for 2023 after being elevated the last two weeks. Detroit still has one other opening on the 53-man roster.

Also, the Lions shuffled the practice squad. The team released DL Chris Smith and brought back OL Michael Schofield to the practice squad.

Waiving Cabinda could be a move designed to protect other players at the bottom of the roster whom the Lions wish to keep. It’s unlikely any other team will claim Cabinda for a couple of reasons. First, few teams utilize a straight fullback like Cabinda; most already have their FB or use a hybrid TE or extra OL in the role, if needed. Secondly, Cabinda is coming off an injury and has bene sight unseen for any team that might be interested.

Arkansas football announces plans to honor Chris Smith, Ryan Mallett and Alex Collins

Hunter Yurachek shared how Arkansas plans to honor Chris Smith, Ryan Mallett and Alex Collins this season.

After the tragic passings of Chris Smith, Ryan Mallett and Alex Collins over the summer, Arkansas fans have shared numerous tributes for the three legendary players.

Fans have also offered countless ideas for how the football team could honor each this season. Today, Hunter Yurachek shared one way the school plans to remember Mallett and Collins, and how Smith will be honored later this year.

In a tweet, Yurachek shared that Collins and Mallett’s initials will be painted on the sidelines for every home game this year. The initials “AC” will be featured on the 3-yard line at each end of the field and the initials “RM” will be on the 15-yard line. The yard line coinciding with the jersey number that each player wore while at Arkansas.

Following the tweet, many fans asked what the school planned to do to honor Chris Smith. Yurachek announced shortly after that Smith’s family will serve as honorary captains later this November when the Razorbacks host Auburn in Fayetteville.

Saturday will mark Arkansas’ first true home game of the season. The Razorbacks will kickoff against Kent State at 3:00 p.m. and it will be televised on SEC Network.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=128]