Detroit Lions roster moves – Page 16

Lions sign OL Ryan McCollum from the Texans practice squad

McCollum is an undrafted rookie center from Texas A&M

Faced with serious injury issues on the offensive line, the Detroit Lions have signed lineman Ryan McCollum off the practice squad of the Houston Texans. Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle was the first to report the signing.

McCollum is an undrafted rookie signed by the Texans out of Texas A&M. He primarily played center for the Aggies but also saw time as their No. 6 lineman and getting action at guard. The 6-foot-5, 300-pound McCollum is more of a finesse player than a power-oriented blocker.

The move, made on the player’s day off in Detroit, is a clear sign that Pro Bowl center Frank Ragnow will indeed miss some time, as head coach Dan Campbell indicated on Monday.

The Lions have not yet made a corollary move, but OLB Romeo Okwara is expected to be placed on injured reserve with his torn Achilles.

Lions find no trade partners, release LB Jamie Collins

The Detroit Lions release LB Jamie Collins after not finding any trade partners

Jamie Collins is no longer a Detroit Lions linebacker. The Lions released the veteran LB on Tuesday after being unable to find another team interesting in trading for his salary.

Collins was inactive in Week 3 and has not been with the team since a poor showing in the Week 2 Monday night loss in Green Bay. The Lions announced he was effectively done playing for the team. Jalen Reeves-Maybin and rookie Derrick Barnes split Collins’ reps in the loss to the Ravens.

Releasing Collins carries some significant financial burden. The Lions added $7.3 million in dead salary cap room for 2021 and an additional $6.6 million for 2022, per Spotrac.

Lions swap out recent practice squad moves

Javon McKinley is back again amongst the Lions’ practice squad moves

Monday’s transaction notification from the Detroit Lions required some careful reading. It was easy to do a double-take and wonder if they mistakenly sent out the same press release that they did over the weekend.

It wasn’t the same, alas. Monday’s practice squad moves were the exact opposite of the ones that went down on Saturday.

On Saturday, the Lions added long snapper Beau Brinkley and punter Lac Edwards to the practice squad and released wide receiver Javon McKinley and tight end Jared Pinkney. Monday’s move brought back McKinley and Pinkney and spelled the end for the brief tenures of Brinkley and Edwards.

The moves on Saturday were made as insurance against a COVID-19 situation. With regular kicker Austin Seibert out due to COVID, the Lions were careful to have backups at the ready. Now that they weren’t needed, the team moved on from the veteran specialists and brought back the two young receivers.

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Lions sign LB Josh Woods from the Bears practice squad

The Lions poach Woods from the Bears’ practice squad

In the Detroit Lions’ ongoing movement at linebacker, the team has signed Josh Woods to the active 53-man roster from the Chicago Bears practice squad. Head coach Dan Campbell announced the move in his pre-practice press conference on Thursday.

Woods, 25, is in his third NFL season, all with the Bears. He was active in Week 1 for Chicago, playing 12 reps on special teams. Woods appeared in 15 games in 2020 as a fixture on Chicago’s special teams, but has just 46 reps on defense in his three seasons.

The Bears did not use their practice squad protection on Woods this week. Because the Lions signed him to the active roster, Woods must remain with Detroit through at least three game weeks.

While no corollary move has been announced yet, it’s a safe presumption that veteran LB Jamie Collins will be involved in one form or another. Campbell indicated the team is moving on from Collins and trying to trade the 32-year-old.

Lions sign Daryl Worley from practice squad, send Ifeatu Melifonwu to I.R.

Lions sign CB Daryl Worley from practice squad, send Ifeatu Melifonwu to I.R.

The Detroit Lions made another injury-related move in the secondary. Detroit signed veteran cornerback Daryl Worley from the practice squad to take the place of rookie CB Ifeatu Melinfownu, who was placed on injured reserve.

Melifonwu was injured in the second half of the Lions’ Monday night loss in Green Bay. he pulled up awkwardly after running down Packers WR Davante Adams on a deep pass route.

Worley joined the Lions practice squad last week. He was signed when Jeff Okudah went on I.R. for his Achilles injury suffered in Week 1. Melifonwu took over as the starter for Okudah.

The Lions sign OT Will Holden to active roster, bring OL Tommy Kraemer back to the practice squad

Kraemer was on the 53-man roster last week, and now he switches places with Holden on the practice squad

The personnel shuffling on the Detroit Lions offensive line continued on Thursday with a couple of moves.

The Lions signed tackle Will Holden to the active roster from the team’s practice squad. Holden joined the Lions a week ago in the wake of the injury to left tackle Taylor Decker. Now the fifth-year pro moves up to the 53-man roster to help deal with the injury crunch. He effectively replaces Tommy Kraemer on the active roster.

Kraemer was waived earlier this week, but the undrafted rookie from Notre Dame never left town. He’s back on the Lions practice squad after being inactive in Week 1. Kraemer’s ability to play guard or tackle provided some flexibility, and he’s still got the long-term potential to stick around the active roster the next time he’s signed up.

Lions waive rookie OL Tommy Kraemer

Lions waive rookie OL Tommy Kraemer one week after signing him to the active roster from the practice squad

The roster ride for Lions rookie offensive lineman Tommy Kraemer has taken another turn. Kraemer was waived on Tuesday in a move that was processed in time to make the NFL’s official transaction wire.

Kraemer, an undrafted rookie from Notre Dame, was initially on the Lions’ practice squad after the final roster cutdowns. He was signed to the active roster late last week after tackle Taylor Decker was placed on injured reserve with his finger issue. Kraemer was inactive during the Week 1 matchup with the 49ers.

The Lions did not make a corollary move as of press time. Detroit currently has two open spots on the 53-man roster after waiving Kraemer and placing CB Jeff Okudah on injured reserve. Expect to see Kraemer back on the practice squad if he clears waivers on Wednesday.

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Lions bring back Darren Fells and Dean Marlowe among roster maneuvers

The Lions used a roster manipulation to create space and quickly brought back Fells and Marlowe. Detroit also made several changes to the practice squad.

Lions fans whose blood pressure surged with the odd news of the team releasing two prominent veterans on Wednesday can relax. The Lions quickly re-signed tight end Darren Fells and safety Dean Marlowe in a series of roster maneuvers on Thursday.

Fells and Marlowe were never going anywhere. The Lions exploited the NFL’s rules that require a player to be on the active roster for a day before being placed on injured reserve. Detroit had two players destined for I.R. in Tim Boyle and Da’Shawn Hand, but they needed to wait a day. After claiming WR KhaDarel Hodge and PK Austin Seibert off waivers, GM Brad Holmes needed two quick, temporary roster spots, and waived the vested veterans Fells and Marlowe to create the space.

The Lions also made a few changes to the team’s 16-man practice squad. Holmes brought in five players who spent the preseason on other rosters:

OLB Jessie Lemonier
QB Steven Montez
CB Parnell Motley
TE Jared Pinkney
TE Shane Zylstra

To make room for the newcomers, the Lions released four players from the initial practice squad. All were with the Lions throughout training camp:

LB Rashod Berry
DT Miles Brown
TE Alize Mack
RB Dedrick Mills

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Roster moves: Lions release TE Darren Fells and safety Dean Marlowe

Fells was the oldest player on the roster and doesn’t appear to have a replacement on the team yet

The Detroit Lions announced two surprising roster moves on Wednesday afternoon. The team released veteran tight end Darren Fells and safety Dean Marlowe.

The moves were made in conjunction with the waiver wire claims of WR KhaDarel Hodge and PK Austin Seibert. Both Fells and Marlowe were signed as veteran presences and upgrades at their respective positions.

Neither played great in training camp or preseason, but it’s still surprising to see two respected vets waived for two younger players. Because they are vested veterans, they are not subject to waiver claims and are free to sign with any team. They could also re-sign with the Lions at any time.

Lions waive LB Jahlani Tavai

Tavai was a 2nd-round pick by the Lions in the 2019 NFL draft

It’s now officially the end of the failed Jahlani Tavai experiment in Detroit. The Lions have waived the linebacker in advance of Tuesday’s roster cutdown deadline, per numerous sources. The move is not a surprising one.

Tavai joined the Lions as a controversial second-round pick in the 2019 NFL draft out of Hawaii. It was significantly earlier in the draft than most had projected for Tavai. He struggled with the speed of the NFL game and at properly anticipating the action.

The LB remade his body this offseason, shedding almost 30 pounds and adding quickness. However, he continued to be on the wrong end of too many opposing highlights.

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Tavai is eligible to be claimed by another team. If not, he will be a free agent and could sign back to the Lions’ practice squad.