Tag: Detroit Lions roster moves

Lions place 2 players on I.R., officially add LB Joel Iyiegbuniwe

The Detroit Lions placed WR Tre’Quan Smith and LB Malik Jefferson on I.R. and officially add LB Joel Iyiegbuniwe

A day after the addition was known to be coming, the Detroit Lions made it official. The team signed free agent linebacker Joel Iyiegbuniwe to a one-year contract ahead of the Lions’ final preseason game.

Iyiegbuniwe has years of considerable special teams experience in the NFL, though the one-time Bears fourth-round pick has barely played on defense in his six years in the league.

He fills the roster spot of linebacker Malik Jefferson, who was one of two players the Lions placed on injured reserve. Jefferson and veteran wideout Tre’Quan Smith had their Lions seasons ended with the move to I.R.

Detroit also reached injury settlements with two undrafted rookies who were previously waived, DB Morice Norris and LB DaRon Gilbert.

The Lions are signing another linebacker to the preseason roster

The Lions are signing another linebacker to the preseason roster in veteran Joel Iyiegbuniwe, who last played in the UFL

The roster tinkering during Detroit Lions training camp continues, and it rolls forward with another linebacker joining the den.

The Lions are signing veteran LB Joel Iyiegbuniwe. A 2018 fourth-round pick by the Chicago Bears out of Western Kentucky, the 28-year-old has 65 games of NFL experience between the Bears and Panthers franchises. He was most recently with the San Antonio Brahmas of the UFL.

Iyiegbuniwe has played almost exclusively on special teams throughout his NFL career. He racked up over 1,300 snaps on punt and kick units but saw the field for less than 50 defensive snaps in his five active NFL seasons.

The roster move is not official yet, nor have the Lions made any corresponding releases from the roster.

Detroit recently added LBs Malik Jefferson, Ty Summers and Abraham Beauplan since the start of training camp. All are effectively special teams specialists.

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The Lions added some serious speed to the secondary in Javelin Guidry

The Lions added some serious speed to the secondary in Javelin Guidry, who clocked one of the fastest 40 times in Scouting Combine history

In a roster move that slid under the radar because it took place just before Wednesday’s practice, the Detroit Lions added cornerback Javelin Guidry to the den. Guidry spent the last four seasons with the New York Jets, including the entire 2023 season on the Jets’ injured reserve.

The 5-foot-9 Guidry immediately takes the throne of “fastest man on the Lions defense.” He’s one of the fastest players in NFL Scouting Combine history. Coming out of Utah in the 2020 NFL Draft, Guidry clocked a blazing 4.29 40-yard dash. Guidry also posted 21 reps on the bench press, by far the most of any player who has ever broken the 4.3-second mark in the 40.

To this point, that’s been the career apex for Guidry, who went undrafted despite the incredible speed. He started five games over three seasons with the Jets, playing in all 17 games in 2021. Just as was the case at Utah, Guidry’s considerable athletic gifts just didn’t translate effectively to playing defense consistently. He allowed a QB Rating of over 120.0 in all three seasons, and also sports a career missed tackle rate of 10 percent. Guidry did play some on special teams but has never been a returner, not even at Utah.

He tore ligaments in his knee during joint practices with the Buccaneers last summer and reverted to the Jets’ injured reserve. With only a handful of practices and two preseason games left, it’s going to be very tough for Guidry to prove he’s anything more than a healthy body for a team missing its top three cornerbacks from practice due to injuries.

The 26-year-old Guidry is taking the roster spot of another injured cornerback, undrafted rookie Morice Norris, who was waived with injury status on Wednesday. Norris had played well early in camp.

Lions add veteran CB, waive rookie LB DaRon Gilbert with injury

Injuries continue to force the Lions to shuffle the roster, adding veteran slot CB Essang Bassey

Injuries have claimed another spot on the Detroit Lions roster, and the team went out and filled it with a player who can help cover injury issues at a different spot.

First, the bad news. Undrafted rookie linebacker DaRon Gilbert, a Detroit native, has been waived with injury designation. Gilbert was injured in the preseason loss to the Giants and has not practiced since Saturday’s game.

Gilbert had shown real potential as he continued his transformation from college safety at Lafayette to linebacker at Northern Illinois and then the Lions. The Detroit Brother Rice alum was a very good candidate for the team’s practice squad in 2024.

Replacing Gilbert on the roster is veteran cornerback Essang Bassey. A 26-year-old who played collegiately at Wake Forest, Bassey has spent time with the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers since entering the NFL in 2020. He’s actually had multiple stints with each team, starting one game for both in 2023. The 5-foot-10 Bassey has primarily played as a slot corner and has considerable special teams coverage experience.

Lions sign a new quarterback, waive Antoine Green with an injury

Lions sign veteran QB Jake Fromm and LB Ty Summers, waive Antoine Green with an injury

The Detroit Lions have made a necessary addition at quarterback in advance of Monday night’s practice session. With Hendon Hooker sidelined with a concussion suffered in the preseason opener, the Lions have added Jake Fromm in a series of roster moves.

Fromm was a fifth-round pick out of Georgia in the 2020 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills. He has only played in three games, bouncing to the New York Giants in the 2021 season. In two starts, Fromm threw one touchdown and three interceptions, including a pick-six. He was last with the Washington Commanders.

The other roster addition is linebacker Ty Summers, who has bounced around the NFL since 2019. Summer was most recently with the New Orleans Saints, playing in 15 games–exclusively on special teams.

In other moves, the Lions waived second-year wide receiver Antoine Green. The 2023 seventh-round pick from North Carolina suffered a brain injury in the preseason opener.

Detroit also released veteran OL Ike Boettger.

Lions sign veteran offensive lineman among roster moves

Lions sign veteran offensive lineman Jamarco Jones among roster moves that includes sending two injured players to I.R.

After two players suffered season-ending injuries in the preseason opener in New York, the Detroit Lions added two new players to the training camp roster ahead of Sunday’s practice session.

The Lions signed veteran offensive lineman Jamarco Jones and linebacker Abraham Beauplan to the 90-man roster. They will take the place of injured offensive tackle Connor Galvin and EDGE Nate Lynn, each of whom is now out for the season after the Lions loss to the Giants. Galvin suffered a knee injury while Lynn is lost to a shoulder problem.

Jones, 28, was a fifth-round pick by the Seahawks in the 2018 NFL Draft after a strong career at Ohio State. He’s primarily a right tackle but also has some NFL experience at left guard. Jones hasn’t played since suffering a torn pectoral muscle in the 2022 training camp with the Titans. He’s finished four of his five NFL seasons on the injured reserve, including Jones missing all of his rookie seasons with a severe high-ankle sprain.

Beauplan also has a lengthy injury history of his own. Signed as an undrafted rookie out of Marshall by the Minnesota Vikings in 2023, he was placed on I.R. after the preseason and then waived. He spent the offseason with Minnesota but was waived in late July. He’s a 240-pound off-ball linebacker who was known for his prolific run defense at Marshall.

Lions add two linemen, place Netane Muti on I.R.

Lions add two linemen to the roster, one of them a former Detroit draft pick, and place Netane Muti on I.R.

The Detroit Lions have made a couple of additions to the training camp roster and placed another on injured reserve prior to Thursday’s practice session in Allen Park.

The Lions added offensive lineman Jake Burton and defensive lineman Pat O’Connor.

Burton is a tackle who has bounced around several training camps and practice squads since finishing his college career at UCLA in 2019. He played for the Michigan Panthers of the UFL as well. During his time with the Bruins, he played under current Lions offensive line coach Hank Fraley.

O’Connor is a more familiar name for Lions fans. He was a seventh-round draft pick by Detroit back in the 2017 NFL Draft, though he failed to make the team as a rookie. Now 30, the Eastern Michigan product has spent the last several seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, bouncing between the practice squad and active roster.

The Lions also placed offensive lineman Netane Muti on injured reserve with a shoulder injury suffered in Tuesday’s practice.

Lions add veteran LB in series of roster moves

Lions add veteran LB Malik Jefferson in series of roster moves that also includes rookie Christian Mahogany

Even on a Saturday, the Detroit Lions were busy on the NFL’s transaction wire. The Lions added a veteran linebacker among a flurry of roster moves after the fourth training camp session.

The Lions added Malik Jefferson, a linebacker who played for the Dallas Cowboys in 2023. Detroit is Jefferson’s sixth team in as many NFL seasons since being selected in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. The 27-year-old Jefferson has played in 39 career games but appeared almost exclusively on special teams.

The Lions created room on the roster by placing kicker Michael Badgley on the injured reserve. Badgley tore a hamstring in Thursday’s practice and will miss the season.

Detroit also placed sixth-round rookie guard Christian Mahogany on the active/non-football illness list. Mahogany has yet to appear in training camp while dealing with an undisclosed illness. He is eligible to be activated at any time, but going on official list is a sign that Mahogany might be out a little while longer.

The Lions also waived offensive lineman Matt Farniok with an injury settlement. Farniok was previously waived during the week but now gets the designation of an injury settlement. His injury was not revealed by the team.

Lions waive veteran OL at the start of training camp

Lions waive veteran OL Matt Farniok at the start of training camp

In a series of moves relating to the Detroit Lions roster at the start of the team’s training camp, the Lions also made a roster change to the offensive line. Veteran lineman Matt Farniok was waived on Wednesday.

Farniok ended the 2023 season on the Lions practice squad and was signed to a future/reserve contract in the offseason. The 26-year-old had a brief stint with the Chicago Bears in 2023 before coming to Detroit, but is best known for his two seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. Farniok started two games for Dallas back in the 2022 season.

He was a longshot to stick on the Lions roster. Farniok became expendable when the Lions signed veteran Ike Boettger earlier this week.

Lions waive veteran cornerback with injury status

Lions waive veteran cornerback Craig James with injury status as OTAs near their end

The Lions made a roster move in advance of Tuesday’s OTA session in Allen Park. Detroit waived veteran cornerback Craig James with an injury designation.

James, 28, signed to the Lions practice squad last December after being released by the New York Jets. He played in two games for New York in 2023 but didn’t see a lot of action with the Jets. The Lions signed James to a future/reserve contract this offseason. He had been wearing No. 25.

James has been in the NFL since 2018, bouncing around several teams. His exact injury is not known, though James was not present for last week’s minicamp session that was open to the media.