Tag: Detroit Lions roster moves

Lions re-sign two from the practice squad in playoff roster moves

Lions re-sign two from the practice squad, place two others on I.R. in playoff roster moves

The day before a Detroit Lions game is always full of some roster tweaking. That’s true with the Lions in the postseason too.

A day ahead of Detroit’s first-ever playoff game in Ford Field, the Lions made some moves to handle some injury situations on the active roster.

Two players were placed on injured reserve, as expected. Cornerback Jerry Jacobs and tight end James Mitchell were both already ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams with injuries.

The Lions signed two players from the practice squad to replace them on the 53-man active roster. Both CB Chase Lucas and TE Anthony Firkser had been on the Lions’ active roster earlier in the season but had been waived and then added back to the practice squad.

Detroit also elevated DT Tyson Alualu and fullback Jason Cabinda from the practice squad for the wild card game.

Lions activate Alim McNeill, C.J. Gardner-Johnson from I.R.

Lions activate Alim McNeill, C.J. Gardner-Johnson from I.R. for Week 18

The big man in the middle of the Detroit defensive line is back, and so is the instigator in the secondary.. Tackle Alim McNeill and Safety C.J Gardner-Johnson have been activated by the Lions in advance of the Week 18 regular season finale against the Minnesota Vikings.

McNeill had been on injured reserve for the minimum four weeks after suffering a knee injury. Head coach Dan Campbell noted that he expected McNeill to return this week, and the coach proved a man of his word.

The same is true with Gardner-Johnson, who has been out since Week 2. The verbose veteran is expected to have a part-time role in his return.

The Lions had two open roster spots from previous transactions, including waiving DT Isaiah Buggs and TE Anthony Firkser.

Detroit also elevated DT Tyson Alualu and FB Jason Cabinda from the practice squad for Sunday’s game against Minnesota. In addition, Firkser re-signed to the practice squad.

Lions waive TE Anthony Firkser, bring back DE to the practice squad

Lions waive TE Anthony Firkser, bring back DE to the practice squad

The Detroit Lions made another roster move on Thursday that indicates the team is ready to activate players from the injured reserve list. Alas, the Lions still haven’t officially activated anyone just yet.

Tight end Anthony Firkser was waived on Thursday. Firsker played just two offensive snaps in the last two games after being signed from the practice squad to replace injured Brock Wright. The veteran Firkser did play extensively on special teams.

Wright remains sidelined with a hip injury, but waiving Firsker is a sign that the Lions aren’t too concerned about not having their backup tight end for the Week 18 matchup with the Minnesota Vikings.

After also waiving Isaiah Buggs earlier in the week, the Lions now have two openings on the 53-man roster. Based on what head coach Dan Campbell indicated this week, those spots will be filled by DT Alim McNeill and DB C.J. Gardner-Johnson. They’re both eligible to be activated from the I.R. and have practiced this week.

The Lions did bring a defensive player back to the practice squad, too. EDGE Raymond Johnson is back after being released from the Lions’ practice squad earlier in the fall.

Bruce Irvin indicates he’s not on the Lions anymore

Irvin posted on social media that he’s no longer part of the Lions practice squad and is ready to move on

It appears Bruce Irvin’s time on the Detroit Lions practice squad is over. The veteran pass rusher indicated on a social media post that he’s no longer part of the team.

“As a 12-year vet, thank you for the opportunity to be apart (sic) of your team,” Irvin wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “However I’m looking forward to what’s next.”

Irvin was signed to the Lions practice squad in November. He was elevated for the maximum amount of three games when he took the field against the Cowboys in Week 17. In his three games, Irvin recorded one sack in his debut. He was among the Lions’ lowest-graded players by PFF in both Week 15 and Week 17.

Irvin could have still been elevated once the playoffs begin, but it seems the Lions are content to have James Houston returning from injured reserve in the pass rush specialist role Irvin has been filling.

Lions re-sign FB Jason Cabinda to the practice squad

Lions re-sign FB Jason Cabinda to the practice squad and confirm that DT Isaiah Buggs has been waived

On Monday, Lions head coach Dan Campbell indicated the team was hopeful that Jason Cabinda would be rejoining them this week. Sure enough, Cabinda is back with the Lions.

On Tuesday, the veteran fullback re-signed with the Lions on the team’s practice squad. It’s the culmination of a strange few days for Cabinda.

Last Thursday, the Lions activated the fullback from the injured reserve list after he had fought hard to return from a knee injury. But on Friday, he was waived. Cabinda passed through waivers without being claimed, and the Lions snatched him back onto the practice squad.

In the same transaction note, the Lions officially waived defensive tackle Isaiah Buggs, who had earlier indicated his time in Detroit was done.

Lions sign TE Anthony Firkser, elevate defensive vets for Week 17

Lions sign TE Anthony Firkser, elevate defensive vets Bruce Irvin and Tyson Alualu for Week 17

The Detroit Lions filled their vacancy on the 53-man roster by signing tight end Anthony Firkser from the practice squad. The move comes in advance of Saturday night’s game in Dallas against the Cowboys.

The move was necessitated by tight end Brock Wright being out with a hip injury. Firsker played two offensive snaps in Week 16 as a practice squad elevation. The six-year vet was added to the Lions practice squad earlier this season.

Detroit also elevated two veteran defensive players for the game in Dallas. EDGE Bruce Irvin and DT Tyson Alualu will be up on the active roster for the game. It’s Irvin’s third and final practice squad elevation and the first for Alualu.

Also, the Lions confirmed that CB Chase Lucas is back on the team’s practice squad after going unclaimed on waivers.

Lions waive freshly activated FB Jason Cabinda in a series of roster moves

Cabinda was activated from I.R. and then waived in a span of 24 hours

It’s been a weird 24 hours with the Detroit Lions on the NFL’s transaction wire. After making some moves on Thursday, primarily activating FB Jason Caibnda from the injured reserve, GM Brad Holmes and the Lions were busy on Friday.

Cabinda was waived on Friday in a surprising maneuver. Waiving Cabinda means he will not be eligible to rejoin the team in time for Saturday night’s game in Dallas.

Taking Cabinda’s spot on the 53-man roster is kicker Michael Badgley. That move was expected, with Badgley facing the final practice squad elevation for 2023 after being elevated the last two weeks. Detroit still has one other opening on the 53-man roster.

Also, the Lions shuffled the practice squad. The team released DL Chris Smith and brought back OL Michael Schofield to the practice squad.

Waiving Cabinda could be a move designed to protect other players at the bottom of the roster whom the Lions wish to keep. It’s unlikely any other team will claim Cabinda for a couple of reasons. First, few teams utilize a straight fullback like Cabinda; most already have their FB or use a hybrid TE or extra OL in the role, if needed. Secondly, Cabinda is coming off an injury and has bene sight unseen for any team that might be interested.

Lions activate FB Jason Cabinda, waive two defenders

Lions activate FB Jason Cabinda from I.R. and waive two defenders ahead of Week 17

Jason Cabinda is back on the Detroit Lion’s active roster. The team formally activated the veteran fullback from injured reserve on Thursday.

Cabinda has not played since getting injured in Week 3. He was designated to return from I.R. last week and will play against the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday night. Fellow I.R. returnee designation C.J. Gardner-Johnson remains out for another week.

To make room for Cabinda, the Lions waived two young defensive players. Cornerback Chase Lucas and rookie linebacker Trevor Nowaske were each waived and are subject to waiver claims. If they clear waivers, the Lions can add them back to the practice squad.

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The second opening figures to go to kicker Michael Badgley, who is still on the practice squad. Badgley has already utilized two of his maximum three roster elevations, and the team has not worked out any kickers since making Badgley the starter in Week 15. The Lions will announce the practice squad elevations for the week prior to Saturday night’s game in Dallas.

Report: Lions waiving CB Chase Lucas

Lucas has played 6 snaps on defense in two seasons in Detroit

When a player comes back from injured reserve, it unfortunately means another player will need to be waived to make room. While we don’t yet know which player the Lions are activating from I.R., we do know who will be the victim of the requisite roster shuffling.

Per a report from Mike Garafolo that has been widely validated, the Lions are waiving CB Chase Lucas. The second-year cornerback has played exclusively on special teams in 2023 and saw just six defensive snaps as a seventh-round rookie in 2022.

Lucas was one of the obvious candidates for the Lions to cut to make room for returning players like C.J. Gardner-Johnson or Jason Cabinda. Both are eligible to be activated at any time.

Brad Holmes noted as top-5 candidate for NFL executive of the year

Lions GM Brad Holmes noted as top-5 candidate for NFL executive of the year

Lions GM Brad Holmes is the architect of a team on the verge of hosting the franchise’s first home playoff game in over 30 years. His savvy drafting and shrewd moves have Holmes recognized as one of the leading candidates to be the NFL Executive of the Year, according to NFL.com.

The list, compiled by former NFL GM Scott Pioli, cites a lot of what Lions fans already know and love about Holmes in constructing the 2023 team. Pioli spotlights a couple of difficult decisions Holmes made that have paid off handsomely for Detroit,

Replacing Jamaal Williams and D’Andre Swift in the backfield with David Montgomery and rookie Jahmyr Gibbs has proven to be quite savvy. The Lions have also received key contributions from free-agent signings Graham Glasgow and Cameron Sutton, as well as the re-signing of Alex Anzalone, who leads the team with 108 tackles. I have always emphasized the importance of re-signing your own top players — that’s a critical part of free agency.

Of course, the impactful draft class gets its due attention, too.

The other GMs noted include Nick Caserio of the Texans, Miami’s Chris Grier, Eric DeCosta of the Ravens and Howie Roseman of the Eagles.