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Notes from Thursday’s Detroit Lions minicamp session on Jared Goff, UDFAs, punt return fun, an unexpected safety standout and more
Minicamp wrapped on Thursday after three days of practice sessions at the Detroit Lions team facility in suburban Allen Park.
The mood and action was more laid back in a last-day-of-school kind of vibe, to steal a take from Jeremy Reisman of Pride of Detroit. It even ended with a sort of “field day” fun competition between the offense and defense.
Here’s what I saw and heard in Thursday’s session.
Lions minicamp notebook, Day 2: Probing the depths of the roster
The Lions locked up nine of the players from their practice squad to reserve/future contracts on Monday
One of the first orders of business for NFL teams in the offseason is to handle the players who ended the season on the practice squad. Those players, who are not technically under contract to the team any longer, are free to do what they wish.
For the players the Detroit Lions and other teams wish to keep around to at least start the 2022 offseason, they can sign reserve/future contracts. They are effectively commitments by the team to bring the players back with a chance to compete for spots in the coming season.
The Lions locked up nine of the players from their practice squad to reserve/future contracts on Monday:
DE Eric Banks
LB Tavante Beckett
DE Bruce Hector
WR Javon McKinley
QB Steven Montez
CB Parnell Motley
OT Dan Skipper
CB Saivion Smith
TE Shane Zylstra
The Lions also activated OLB Austin Bryant from the reserve/COVID-19 list. Bryant missed the final two games.
Skipper spent the offseason with the Lions and has been on and off the team multiple times in the last four seasons
The Detroit Lions are bringing back Dan Skipper to the team’s practice squad. As first reported by Dave Birkett of the Free Press, Skipper has signed with the team to bolster the offensive line depth.
Skipper rejoins the Lions after a stint on the Las Vegas Raiders practice squad. The 6-foot-10 tackle has been on and off the Lions roster multiple times since the 2017 season, including several stints on the practice squad. Skipper was with the Lions this offseason but suffered an injury in the final preseason game, later being waived off injured reserve. In nine career games on the Lions active roster, Skipper has played just 19 total offensive snaps.
Skipper is back because there is growing concern over starting left tackle Taylor Decker, who missed Thursday’s practice with an elbow injury. Decker made his 2021 debut in the Week 10 tie with Pittsburgh, returning from a finger injury that cost him the first eight games. Matt Nelson, the starting right tackle in Decker’s absence (with Penei Sewell at LT), is dealing with an ankle injury suffered in Sunday’s tie.
Skipper knows the offense and can fill in on either side in a pinch. Expect him to be elevated to the active roster for Sunday’s game in Cleveland.
Lions waive OT Dan Skipper from injured reserve with an injury settlement
The Detroit Lions made a minor roster move on Monday. The team waived injured offensive tackle Dan Skipper from the injured reserve list. Skipper took an injury settlement in lieu of staying on Detroit’s I.R. list for the year.
Skipper injured his knee in the final preseason game and was waived with injury designation. When no other team claimed the 6-foot-10 reserve tackle, he reverted to the Lions’ I.R., the same status as fellow reserve OT Tyrell Crosby. It ended his season with the Lions.
Because Skipper took an injury settlement, he is now free to sign with another team and will be eligible to play in 2021 once he is healthy enough to pass a physical. Skipper played well enough in training camp and the preseason to merit legit consideration to making Detroit’s final 53-man roster and could garner some interest elsewhere if he can recover from the knee injury.
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Broncos claim ex-Lions CB Mike Ford off waivers, while two offensive tackles revert to the Lions’ I.R.
Of all the players the Detroit Lions waived this week, only one was claimed by another NFL team off the waiver wire. Cornerback Mike Ford is now a member of the Denver Broncos, who posted the successful waiver claim on Wednesday.
Ford joins the Broncos, who can use his speed on special teams and his ability to play both outside and slot CB. He spent the last three seasons in Detroit but did not play convincingly enough this summer to make the roster again.
Among the players the Lions waived but did not bring back to the practice squad, both Tyrell Crosby and Dan Skipper went unclaimed and reverted to Detroit’s injured reserve. They are eligible to accept an injury settlement and become eligible for signing with another team.
Offensive tackles Tyrell Crosby and Dan Skipper were each waived with injury status, ending their 2021 seasons in Detroit
The Detroit Lions got a sweeping start off on their roster cutdowns. The team made several moves on Monday in advance of the 4 p.m. Tuesday deadline to trim the active roster to 53.
After earlier releasing WR Breshad Perriman and CB Mike Ford, the Lions announced more cuts from head coach Dan Campbell prior to taking the practice field on Monday. The most notable is offensive tackle Tyrell Crosby, who was waived with injury designation.
Crosby was the team’s starting right tackle in 2020 and was projected to be the top reserve offensive lineman in 2021, but he’s battled an injury throughout training camp. He played poorly in the third preseason game, allowing an easy sack in the loss to the Indianapolis Colts.
Campbell did not mince words in talking about the decision to waive Crosby.
We didn’t feel like he was one of the best guys,” Campbell said.
The same fate befell offensive tackle Dan Skipper, who would have been the proverbial “next man up” behind Crosby. Skipper suffered a bad leg injury in Friday night’s preseason finale against Buffalo.
Both Crosby and Skipper will revert to the Lions’ injured reserve if they are not claimed by another team. They will not be eligible to return for Detroit in 2021.
The other players released on Monday:
None of the players released are expected to be candidates for the Lions’ practice squad.
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With PFF’s grades released, here are the top performers for the Detroit Lions against the Colts as well as the preseasons top players
The Detroit Lions finished their preseason winless after dropping to the Indianapolis Colts 27-17. However, in a game where coach Dan Campbell decided to rest a fair amount of starters, it gave players fighting for a roster spot one last chance to make an impression.
Pro Football Focus has released grades for the top offensive and defensive performers for the Lions against the Colts. PFF gives you a general feel on how well some of the fringe roster players performed.
It is nice to see a rebound from Fells after the debacle against the Steelers, considering how thin the Lions are at tight end with disappointing performances from Alize Mack and Brock Wright. It was unfortunate to see Skipper (wish him well) carted off because he had a solid game especially run blocking. It might be too late for Allison, but you can’t say he is not putting up a fight. Stenberg should slot in as a reserve guard, but his status is up in the air without knowing the severity of his injury.
Elder saw his roster chances diminish after getting pushed down the depth chart. Still, he made the most of his last opportunity to make an impression by securing the only Lions interception this preseason. Hector was thought of as nothing more than a camp body, but he has made a chances count and put his name into considering as a depth defensive tackle. Bryant has been a force on the edge, and if he can stay healthy, he will give the Lions good depth on the outside. Berry provided good pressure against the Colts, but it is hard to see him slotting out a role as a late addition. With the safety group questionable, it is good to see Marlowe performing well in hopes of providing a solid presence down the field.
Noteworthy players:
Penei Sewell is not having a preseason as he hoped for, finishing as the lowest graded offensive player vs. the Colts and near the bottom for the entire preseason. With the transition to right tackle and not having seen a lick of football in nearly two years, he is obviously still getting his feet under him.
Thankfully the Lions got ahold of Derrick Barnes or talked about how bad the inside linebacker corps is. Once again, Jalen Reeves-Maybin and Jahlani Tavai finish as the two worst defensive players against the Colts. It’s hard to see Tavai making the team, and if it weren’t for Reeves-Maybin’s special team’s abilities, it could see that fate as well.
Also, for your viewing pleasure, here are the top performers over the entire preseason.
In one of the most heated battles this preseason, Reynold and Mills finish as the top two offensive performers. They have given the coaching staff plenty to think about in the roster construction. Goff finishing this high should tell you how well the Lions backup quarterback position has gone this preseason.
Fells did have a hiccup against the Steelers, but other than that, he has been solid as the second tight end behind T.J. Hockenson. McKinley has had a rollercoaster of a preseason, and he may fall short for a roster spot, but he should be destined for the practice squad.
Elder only played one game this preseason, but he did make it count and could provide a veteran presence behind A.J. Parker. Marlowe has been the lone bright spot in the safety group and should look on as a steady contributor meaning the deep part of the field.
Onwuzurike proved to be as advertised after returning from his injury as a powerful force on the defensive line and gave the offense a nice punch in the mouth. Barnes has been the single biggest breath of fresh air with the linebacker corps and should look to contribute immediately behind Jamie Collins and Alex Anzalone. With the hype surrounding Bruce Hector and Kevin Strong, Brown has flown under the radar providing a stable body up the middle. With the number of injuries surrounding a few players on the defensive line, he could be a sneaky addition.
The Detroit Lions suffered another defeat at the hands of the Pittsburgh Steeler, but these 6 players improved their roster odds this week
The Detroit Lions suffered another preseason defeat, this time at the hands of the Pittsburgh Steelers, losing 26-20. Even though the score may seem close, it was nowhere near the performance the Lions were hoping for, especially in the first half.
Between poor defensive performances and questionable quarterback play, the Lions found it difficult to get anything going to muster up any fight against the Steelers. However, the second half was a different story. The Lions seemed to find their roar after halftime. Even coach Dan Campbell was questioning some players that have been viewed as roster locks and praising some underdogs.
It may not seem like all sunshine and rainbows, but a few players performed quite well, making some decisions harder than some may have thought initially.
Here are six players who raised their odds on finding a way on the 53-man roster.
The Detroit Lions have placed DL Da’Shawn Hand on injured reserve, activated OL Hal Vaitai from I.R., and signed OT Dan Skipper.
The Detroit Lions have placed defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand on injured reserve, activated offensive lineman Hal Vaitai from injured reserve, and signed offensive tackle Dan Skipper off of the practice squad. With only three games remaining, Hand’s season is over.
For the third December in a row, Hand has finished the Lions season on injured reserve. In 2018 Hand’s knee cost him the final few games, last year it was a lingering ankle injury, and this year his ankle came back to bite him again.
Over the last two years, Hand has had to fight through a plethora of injuries, from the elbow and ankle injuries costing him 13 games last season to the chest, groin, and yet another ankle injury this season costing him another six games.
Hand was able to play through his chest injury this year, but it did limit his play on the field. He would finish the season with 19 tackles, just one tackle for loss, a forced fumble, along with zero sacks and zero quarterback hits. Hand’s last sack came during Week 9 of his rookie season.
Vaitai is returning from his stint on injured reserve at just the right time.
While he was replaced by Oday Aboushi at right guard in Week 12, he likely won’t return to guard this week. Instead, with right tackle Tyrell Crosby (ankle) being ruled out, Vaitai will likely take over there, pushing Matt Nelson back to the bench.
Skipper, having exhausted his practice squad elevations, has been signed off the practice squad for offensive line depth and so the Lions can take advantage of a new 2020 game-day roster rule. He will take the roster spot opened up after Jeff Okudah was placed on injured reserve earlier this week.
His signing gives the Lions 10 offensive linemen on their active roster, but with Crosby ruled out, and Frank Ragnow downgraded to out, the Lions only have eight healthy offensive linemen — which is the exact minimum amount of offensive linemen they need to have active in order to expand their game-day roster from 46- to 48-players.
The Detroit Lions made a series of practice squad moves on Tuesday, protecting the same four players as last week and releasing running back Dalyn Dawkins.
The Detroit Lions made a series of practice squad moves on Tuesday, protecting the same four players as last week — OT Dan Skipper, EDGE Kareem Martin, DT Albert Huggins, and S Bobby Price — and releasing running back Dalyn Dawkins.
Last week, after protection, Skipper, Martin, and Price were all elevated to the game-day roster and all four protected players have been elevated at least once this season.
Skipper has been elevated twice — Week’s 10 and 14 — and has exhausted his elevation eligibility. If the Lions want him to play again this season, they will need to sign him to the active roster. That could be a possibility this week, with Tyrell Crosby’s health uncertain, and Hal Vaitai still on injured reserve — though he is eligible to be removed this week, if healthy.
Price has also been elevated twice this season — Week’s 13 and 14 — but unlike Skipper, he still has one eligibility elevation remaining. Last week, Price was elevated as a COVID-19 replacement for Everson Griffen, which does not count towards the standard elevation count. Price is a candidate for elevation this week, as C.J. Moore is still dealing with an ankle injury and his status is up in the air. Price has seen 35 special teams snaps over the last two weeks, including getting some run as a starting gunner.
With Griffen out, Martin saw 11 snaps on the edge last week. And with Griffen — who announced via Instagram that he had contracted the COVID-19 virus — likely to miss this week’s game, Martin could be elevated once again. Working against him is the fact that EDGE Julian Okwara (still on IR) has been practicing for two weeks and is a candidate to return to action soon, and EDGE Trey Flowers (also still on IR) has been moving towards a potential return as well.
The Lions are getting healthier at defensive tackle — though Da’Shawn Hand still looked limited last week — but with John Penisini the only rostered nose tackle, protecting Huggins looks like an insurance move.
After three different stints on the practice squad, the Lions quietly moved on from Dawkins last night. This gives the Lions an open spot on the practice squad — which could go to RB Kerrith Whyte, who has been on the practice squad IR since the fourth week of the season.
Another potential option is quarterback Jordan Ta’amu, who had a try out with the Lions yesterday — his second try out with Detroit this season:
This is the second time this year QB Jordan Ta’Amu has had a try out with the Lions https://t.co/CZoSkpQBwR
— Erik Schlitt (@erikschlitt) December 15, 2020
