Tag: Detroit Lions roster moves

Lions sign 3 from practice squad in huge series of roster moves ahead of Week 16

Lions sign 3 from practice squad and activate Melifonwu in a huge series of roster moves ahead of Week 16

The Detroit Lions made a litany of roster moves on Saturday, a day ahead of the team’s Week 16 trip to Chicago to play the Bears.

Detroit signed three players from its practice squad to the active roster:

LB Mitchell Agude

WR Tom Kennedy

DT Chris Smith

All three have been with the Lions all season, with Smith already spending time on the active roster.

The Lions also elevated two more players from the practice squad to the active roster for Sunday’s game. As expected, running back Jermar Jefferson earned an elevation with David Montgomery sidelined. Rookie safety Loren Strickland was also elevated.

In addition, the Lions activated safety Ifeatu Melifonwu from injured reserve for the second time this season. Melifonwu will continue to be questionable for Sunday as he returns from a hand injury that has kept him out for a month.

Those are all the additions. There were some subtractions from the roster, too.

First, the Lions waived safety Brandon Joseph and wide receiver Maurice Alexander. Joseph has been the team’s third safety with Melifonwu out all year, and his release is something of a surprise. Alexander had been filling the return man role previously occupied by now-injured Kalif Raymond. That role figures to become Kennedy’s, as the veteran slot has considerable special teams experience.

Finally, the Lions waived defensive lineman David Bada with an injury settlement. Bada has been on I.R. all season after suffering a preseason injury.

[lawrence-related id=117190]

 

Lions roster moves: 3 defenders placed on I.R., Anthony Pittman returns

Detroit Lions roster moves: 3 defenders placed on I.R., Anthony Pittman returns and some practice squad swapping

Tuesday is typically the player’s day off for the Detroit Lions at the team’s practice facility. It’s also often the day when player personnel moves get made, and this Tuesday after the Lions loss to the Bills was no exception.

As expected, the Lions placed three defensive players on injured reserve. All three were injured in Sunday’s 48-42 defeat:
DT Alim McNeill
CB Carlton Davis
CB Khalil Dorsey

McNeill (knee) and Dorsey (leg) are out for the season, while there’s a chance Davis could return from a broken jaw before the Super Bowl, should the 12-2 Lions make it that far.

The Lions added one player to the active roster. The previously reported move was signing former Lions LB Anthony Pittman from the Jaguars practice squad.

Detroit also made a swap on the practice squad. The Lions added cornerback Stanley Thomas-Oliver to the practice squad and released EDGE Isaiah Thomas.

That leaves two openings on the 53-man active roster heading into Wednesday’s practice to get ready for Sunday’s game at Chicago against the Bears.

 

Lions are bringing back LB Anthony Pittman

Pittman played in Detroit from 2019-2023 and has been on the Jaguars practice squad

In desperate need of healthy bodies to fill out an injury-ravaged defense, the Detroit Lions are turning to an old friend. The Lions are signing veteran linebacker Anthony Pittman to the active roster, poaching Pittman from the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad.

Pittman spent the first four years of his NFL career in Detroit, beginning in 2019 through 2023, with him taking off the COVID-19 year of 2020. A local product from D-II Wayne State, Pittman earned his spot as a special teams ace who played sparingly on defense in his time with the Lions.

The 28-year-old has played only on special teams as a practice squad elevation during his time in Jacksonville. That could be his role in his return to Detroit, where five of the top six linebackers on the Lions roster are currently injured entering Week 16.

The move has not been officially made yet, though numerous reports have confirmed Pittman’s rejoining Detroit. The Lions have several players heading to injured reserve, including DT Alim McNeill and CB Khalil Dorsey, who are each out for the season.

Lions elevate two, sign Maurice Alexander back for Week 14 vs Packers

Alexander is back on the 53-man roster, while Jamal Adams is set to make his Lions debut as a practice squad elevation

The announcement from the Detroit Lions came very late, but better late than never. Detroit announced its final roster moves for the Week 14 matchup on Thursday night against the Green Bay Packers.

Wide receiver Maurice Alexander is back on the active roster, just days after being waived in a roster manipulation move. Alexander figures to be the Lions primary return specialist, the role he played–quite well–against the Chicago Bears on Thanksgiving.

Two defensive players were elevated from the practice squad to the active roster. LInebacker Jamal Adams will make his Lions debut just days after signing, while OLB Mitchell Agude also gets his first elevation of the 2024 season.

Lions waive rookie DB ahead of Week 14 matchup with the Packers

Lions waive rookie DB Loren Strickland ahead of Week 14 matchup with the Packers

The Detroit Lions have waived rookie safety Loren Strickland ahead of the team’s Week 14 matchup with the Green Bay Packers.

Strickland made the Lions roster as an undrafted rookie but has played sparingly over the last few weeks and exclusively on special teams. The recent additions of linebackers Jamal Adams and Ezekiel Turner and the anticipated need to add more impactful help on the injury-riddled Detroit defense necessitated waiving Strickland.

Should he clear waivers, expect Strickland back on Detroit’s practice squad. His physical presence as a safety and on punt and kick coverage units has some real value and long-term developmental potential for the Lions.

Bucs pluck safety off Lions practice squad

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers pluck safety Kaevon Merriweather off Lions practice squad just two weeks after he signed in Detroit

Kaevon Merriweather, we hardly knew ye in Detroit.

The veteran safety was signed off the Lions practice squad by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Wednesday after reports came out on Tuesday. Merriweather had just recently signed with the Lions, joining the team’s practice squad on November 21st. He did not appear in any games with the Lions.

Merriweather rejoins the Buccaneers, where he played the first two seasons of his career. The Bucs have a rash of injuries of their own, with as many as three safeties potentially out for Week 14. Merriweather’s familiarity with their defensive scheme and special teams experience led Tampa Bay to poach him from Detroit.

Because he was signed directly off the Lions practice squad, Merriweather must spend at least the next three weeks on Tampa Bay’s 53-man roster.

Lions waive WR, place two defenders on I.R. and sign 3 in busy day of roster moves

Lions waive WR, place two defenders on I.R. and sign 3 in busy day of roster moves following Week 13 win over Bears

Saturday was a very active one for the Detroit Lions on the roster move front. The Lions made several moves to deal with injuries across the defense.

As expected, the Lions placed LB Malcolm Rodriguez and DL Mekhi Wingo on injured reserve. Both were lost for the season with knee injuries suffered in Thursday’s Week 13 win over the Chicago Bears.

The Lions added reinforcements to the defense, signing three players from opposing practice squads to bolster the depth. The newcomers:

DL Myles Adams (Seahawks)
LB Kwon Alexander (Broncos)
DL Jonah Williams (Rams)

The acquisitions of Alexander and Williams were previously reported. Adams played for Seattle in the Week 4 matchup with Detroit, recording three tackles. The Seahawks waived Adams last week and signed him back to their practice squad, but the Lions have now poached him for the active roster.

All three of the players signed from other practice squads must remain on the Lions’ 53-man active roster for at least three weeks.

To make room for Adams, the Lions waived wide receiver and return man Maurice Alexander. Detroit had signed Alexander for Week 13 from its own practice squad to replace injured Kalif Raymond. Alexander handled return duties in the win over the Bears and averaged over 10 yards per punt return. He is eligible to return to the Lions practice squad if unclaimed by another team on Monday.

 

#Lions announce roster moves: Waived WR Maurice Alexander. Placed LB Malcolm Rodriguez and DL Mekhi Wingo on Reserve/Injured. Signed DL Myles Adams (From SEA Practice Squad), LB Kwon Alexander (from DEN Practice Squad), and DL Jonah Williams (from LAR Practice Squad) to the Active Roster.

— Detroit Lions (@detroitlions.bsky.social) November 30, 2024 at 4:25 PM

[lawrence-related id=116153]

Lions add veteran DT from the Rams practice squad

The Detroit Lions add veteran DT Jonah Williams from the Rams practice squad

The Detroit Lions are bringing in more reinforcements for the injury-ravaged defense. The team is signing veteran defensive lineman Jonah Williams, as first reported by Tom Pelissero.

Williams is a familiar player for GM Brad Holmes. With the Los Angeles Rams, Holmes was part of the scouting staff that brought in the 6-foot-5, 275-pound Williams as an undrafted free agent back in 2020. Williams played collegiately at Weber State.

Despite being on the Rams practice squad at the time of the Lions signing him, Williams was a full-time starter in Los Angeles last season. He bagged two sacks and 49 tackles while starting 16 games in his third season with the Rams. Williams can play both inside and outside, spending most of his time playing over the offensive tackle. He signed this offseason with the Minnesota Vikings but failed to make their roster out of camp.

Williams adds more help to a Lions defense that has been devastated by recent injuries, including linemen Josh Paschal and Levi Onwuzurike in Thursday’s win over the Bears.

Lions sign 2 players from the practice squad, elevate Jamarco Jones vs Bears

The Lions had two roster openings after placing Kalif Raymond on I.R. and they filled them internally ahead of Thanksgiving

The Detroit Lions were busy with some roster moves on Wednesday, the day before the team hosts the Chicago Bears in Ford Field.

As was previously reported, the Lions placed wide receiver and return man Kalif Raymond on injured reserve. Raymond suffered a foot injury returning a punt in the Week 12 win over the Colts.

To fill Raymond’s spot, the Lions signed wideout Maurice Alexander from the team’s practice squad. Alexander also has considerable experience returning punts and kicks, which has been Raymond’s primary role of late.

The Lions also signed linebacker David Long from the practice squad to the active roster. Long made his Detroit debut in Week 12 as a practice squad elevation, playing 13 defensive snaps in the win in Indianapolis. His roster spot was opened when the Lions released James Houston on Tuesday.

For the Thanksgiving game, the Lions also elevated veteran offensive tackle Jamarco Jones from the practice squad. It’s the second elevation for Jones, who played left tackle for an injured Taylor Decker in the win in Houston. Decker is injured again, this time with a leg injury suffered during a play in Week 12. Decker has been ruled out for Thursday’s game.

 

Lions are releasing EDGE James Houston ahead of Week 13

It just didn’t work out for Houston after a spectacular 6 weeks in his rookie season

The Detroit Lions are letting go of EDGE James Houston ahead of the Week 13 matchup with the Chicago Bears. Numerous reports of Houston’s release were confirmed by Lions head coach Dan Campbell.

It’s a disappointing end to three star-crossed seasons in Detroit for Houston. A late-round pick out of Jackson State, Houston initially failed to make Detroit’s roster as a rookie in 2022. But midway through the season, Houston earned reps and quickly proved a very effective pass rusher.

Houston stampeded to eight sacks in six weeks to cap the 2022 season. He wasn’t able to sustain the success, unfortunately.

He played his way down the depth chart the following summer, and Houston then suffered a severe ankle injury playing special teams early in 2023.

After another uninspiring offseason, Houston was a surprise to make the Lions in 2024. His inability to generate pressure in limited reps led to the EDGE-needy Lions pulling the plug after the Week 12 win over the Colts

“It just didn’t (work out),” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “We had James up for a number of games, came back off the injury and got back, and it just never quite worked out. And look, wish him the best of luck. Sometimes you just need a fresh start, and this could be great for him.”