Tag: Detroit Lions roster moves

Lions to add pass rusher from Bengals

The Detroit Lions are signing EDGE Isaiah Thomas from the Bengals practice squad

The Detroit Lions are bringing in a new pass rushing presence to help compensate for the losses of Marcus Davenport and Aidan Hutchinson. Per a report from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Lions are signing Isaiah Thomas from the Bengals.

Thomas is currently on the Bengals practice squad, but he’s been with the Cleveland Browns for the first two seasons of his NFL career. Thomas was a seventh-round pick by the Browns in the 2022 NFL Draft out of Oklahoma. He’s played in 10 career games, recording one sack and nine tackles, and spent the 2023 season on Cleveland’s practice squad.

At 6-5 and 265 pounds, Thomas fits the Lions’ desired physical profile of a defensive end.

Lions shuffle up the practice squad coming out of the bye week

Lions shuffle up the practice squad coming out of the bye week, adding two players and releasing two others

The Detroit Lions made some roster changes to the practice squad coming out of the bye week. Two new players have signed on, while the Lions released two current members of the practice squad.

Detroit added EDGE Al-Quadin Muhammad and LB Cam Gill to the practice squad on Monday.

Muhammad is a familiar face for Dan Campbell and Aaron Glenn from their Saints days. He was a 6th-round pick by New Orleans in 2017, though he bounced around several NFL teams since. He was most recently on the summer roster of the Dallas Cowboys, whom the Lions face this week.

Gill fits more as a SAM LB type. The 26-year-old has played three seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and also spent time with the Carolina Panthers.

To make room, the Lions said goodbye to safety Erick Hallett and kicker Matthew McCrane from the practice squad. Neither player had been elevated during the season and both joined Detroit after the season started following preseason action on other teams.

Lions place S Ifeatu Melifonwu on I.R. after missing first 3 games

Melifonwu has barel practiced since suffering the injury in mid-August

There was a bit of a surprise on the Detroit Lions final game status report for Week 4. Safety Ifeatu Melifonwu was not listed with an injury status for the Monday Night Football matchup with the Seattle Seahawks.

That’s because Melifonwu was placed on the injured reserve list by the Lions on Saturday. Melifonwu has missed every practice but two since suffering an ankle injury in Detroit’s second preseason game in Kansas City. He was limited participant in two practices in Week 1 but has not participated at all since.

Melifonwu played quite well down the stretch in 2023, including the postseason. However, injuries have dogged his four-year Lions career. He’s now missed 21 of a possible 55 games with various ailments since the Lions drafted him in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

There was no immediate addition to the 53-man roster. Melifonwu will now miss at least the next four games, including Week 4.

Lions add another veteran WR to the active roster

The Lions moved up Allen Robinson and also brought back a practice squad linebacker

The Detroit Lions have added another veteran wide receiver to the 53-man active roster. It’s a familiar name: Allen Robinson.

Fresh off his Lions debut, in which Robinson played exactly one snap against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 3 as a practice squad elevation, Robinson joins the main club in Detroit. The Lions had an opening already after placing EDGE Marcus Davenport and LB Derrick Barnes on injured reserve earlier this week. Robinson joins Tim Patrick in making the move from the practice squad to the Lions’ 53-man roster ahead of Monday night’s game in Detroit against the Seattle Seahawks.

The Lions filled the practice squad vacancy by bringing back linebacker Abraham Beauplan, who was with the team in the latter stages of training camp and the preseason.

Lions bring in another kicker to the practice squad

Lions bring in another kicker to the practice squad, signing free agent Matthew McCrane

Fresh off losing Greg Joseph to the New York Giants active roster, the Detroit Lions have added a new kicker to the team’s practice squad.

The Lions announced they signed kicker Matthew McCrane to the opening on the practice squad roster. The 30-year-old McCrane hasn’t kicked in the regular season since 2018, though he has bounced around several practice squads and training camps in the stead.

McCrane takes over for Joseph as the veteran mentor and aide to the precocious Jake Bates, who remains perfect through his first two NFL games.

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 add veteran kicker to the practice squad

Greg Joseph joins Detroit’s practice squad as a big-legged veteran kicker to help mentor Jake Bates

The Detroit Lions are bringing in a veteran kicker to help mentor young Jake Bates. Detroit is adding Greg Joseph to the team’s practice squad, per his agent, Brett Tessler.

Joseph was the Minnesota Vikings kicker for the last three seasons. He made 80.6 percent of his field goal attempts in that span. The native South African has also kicked for the Browns and Titans. Joseph, 30, spent this offseason with the Green Bay Packers.

Like Bates, Joseph is known for his outstanding leg strength. He’s made a 61-yarder in a game back in 2022 and has hit five career field goals from 55 yards or beyond.

Bates was perfect in his Detroit debut, including a game-tying FG with under 30 seconds to play in the Lions’ Week 1 overtime win against the Rams. The team has floated the idea of bringing in a veteran mentor and confidant, and not a direct competitor, for Bates for some time.

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 place John Cominsky on I.R., add receiver to practice squad

Lions place DT John Cominsky on I.R., add receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones to the practice squad

As has been the expectation for weeks, the Detroit Lions have placed defensive lineman John Cominsky on the injured reserve list.

Cominsky tore a tendon in his knee during the early portion of training camp and is expected to miss most of the season. The Lions held off on placing Cominsky on I.R. until after roster cutdowns, not using one of the two designated-to-return spots ahead of this week’s roster cutdowns. Those went to DT Brodric Martin and CB Emmanuel Moseley.

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The Lions also officially added wideout Donovan Peoples-Jones to the practice squad, a move that was reported on Wednesday but didn’t happen until Thursday morning. Because Peoples-Jones is a vested veteran and the Lions already had the maximum of six vets on the practice squad, Detroit had to release safety CJ Moore from the practice squad to accommodate Peoples-Jones.

The Lions still have one open spot on the practice squad, and it cannot be used on a veteran. However, the team is expected to sign DT Kyle Peko to the active roster before Week 1 to fill the void left by Martin and Cominsky being on I.R.

Report: Lions are signing WR Tim Patrick from the Broncos

A report indicates the Lions are signing former Broncos WR Tim Patrick

The Detroit Lions left an extra spot on the initial 53-man roster, leaving just 52 players after the 4 p.m. cutdown. We now know why.

A report out of Denver indicates the Lions ate signing veteran wide receiver Tim Patrick. The 30-year-old Patrick was released by the Broncos ahead of the cutdown. Because he is a vested veteran, Patrick is free to sign immediately.

Patrick has not played in the NFL since 2021, battling a series of serious injuries.

Update: Reports have clarified that Patrick will sign to the Lions practice squad once that becomes available at 12 p.m. ET on Wednesday