Tag: Evan Brown

Lions vs Commanders: Best and worst PFF grades from Week 2

Here are this week’s best and worst PFF Week 2 performers for the Detroit Lions against the Washington Commanders.

The Detroit Lions secured their first victory of the season against the Washington Commanders with the help of impressive performances in every facet of the field. The grit and fight that the players showed were nothing short of inspirational.

Amon-Ra St. Brown put on a clinic on offense setting NFL records left and right, turning in the Lions top playmaker. Hutchinson secured his first three sacks of his short NFL career so far, while Rodriguez continues to impress for a sixth-round rookie. The coaches are designing and scheming to allow their players to succeed, especially when injuries wreaked havoc on certain areas. Still, they overcame as a team and walked away as the victors.

Here are this week’s best and worst PFF performers for the Lions in Week 2.

Updating the Detroit Lions offensive line options for Week 2

Sorting out all the possibilities for the Detroit Lions offensive line while dealing with injuries to Frank Ragnow and Jonah Jackson in Week 2

It’s only Week 2 but already the Detroit Lions are forced to test the limits of their offensive line depth. For a team that was projected to have one of the very best lines in the NFL with the presumptive starting five, it’s a huge blow.

Starting right guard Halapoulivaati Vaitai went on injured reserve before Week 1 and has subsequently had back surgery. His top replacement, Tommy Kraemer, missed Week 1 with a back injury of his own. He’s now on IR too.

Now with the Washington Commanders and their talented defensive line on the schedule in Week 2, the Lions will be without Pro Bowl center Frank Ragnow. No. 77 has been ruled out with a groin and foot injury.

Evan Brown will take over for Ragnow as he did for the final 13 games last season. But the injuries don’t stop there…

Pro Bowl left guard Jonah Jackson is questionable for Sunday’s game with a finger injury. Jackson missed considerable practice time during the week. Head coach Dan Campbell called Jackson “questionably probable” on Friday, but he said the same of Ragnow–who is out.

The Lions have yet to publicly reveal their plan if Jackson can’t play. They do have a few different options.

The easiest is to see what recent acquisition Drew Forbes can do. The Lions claimed Forbes off waivers from the Cleveland Browns during roster cutdowns, so he’s been in practices in Detroit for the last two weeks. Forbes has never taken a regular-season offensive snap since entering the league in 2019.

The Lions have another fresh body on the roster in Kayode Awosika, signed midweek from the Philadelphia Eagles practice squad. Awosika, like Forbes, is a college tackle with no practical experience at guard, however.

Then there’s the potential to kick right tackle Penei Sewell inside to guard. That would mean third tackle Matt Nelson would take over at right tackle, where he struggled all preseason. Logan Stenberg would likely shift from the current starting right guard to left guard (Jackson’s spot) in that scenario while keeping Sewell on the right side.

Awosika and Forbes can both theoretically step in at tackle too, but that’s asking a lot when facing Jonathan Allen, Montez Sweat and a very talented Commanders line.

On the practice squad, the Lions have three players who could see promotions to active duty on Sunday. Tackle Dan Skipper, guard Darrin Paulo and center Ross Pierschbacher provide the practice squad depth. With no other options who have even played center before, expect Pierschbacher to be promoted on Sunday in a reserve capacity.

 

Lions training camp position preview: Offensive line

One of the NFL’s better offensive lines from a year ago returns intact and fully healthy to start the 2022 training camp

Stability is a rare commodity for offensive lines in the NFL, but that’s just what the Detroit Lions have in 2022.

One of the NFL’s better offensive lines from a year ago returns intact and fully healthy to start the 2022 training camp. The Lions bring back all five starters and the top reserves across the line, too. OL coach Hank Fraley has established himself as one of the best in the business as a teacher, and the former NFL center has molded a cohesive group that has good chemistry.

Lions training camp position preview: Wide receivers

Lions training camp position preview: Quarterback

Lions training camp position preview: Tight end

Lions training camp position preview: Wide receivers

Evan Brown signs with the Lions for less than his RFA tender value

Brown really wanted to return to Detroit based on his contract choice

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Evan Brown must have really wanted to remain a Detroit Lions. In looking at the new one-year contract Brown signed to return as a reserve offensive lineman for Detroit, he took less money to stick with the Lions.

Brown is back in Detroit for one year at a base salary of $1.2 million, a deal he officially signed on Tuesday. With a $600,000 bonus fully guaranteed, that takes Brown’s compensation to $1.8 million. Per-game roster bonuses and a workout bonus tack on another $225,000, pushing the payout to $2.025 million. That’s a good deal for a reserve offensive lineman, especially one who played as well as Brown did in place of injured center Frank Ragnow in 2021.

But the deal looks even better when considering it’s less than Brown would have received if the Lions had placed the restricted free agent tender offer on him. Brown could have refused the agreed-upon deal and accepted the RFA tender at $2.43 million, becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2023. Instead, he took a little less overall money to stay in Detroit and forego free agency.

There are undefined playing time incentives in Brown’s deal that push the potential value higher. But with Ragnow returning to health and the Lions returning their starting guards intact, Brown will only play if there is an injury.

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Lions agree to terms with OL Evan Brown prior to free agency

Brown was set to be a restricted free agent but the Lions signed him prior to hitting the market

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The Detroit Lions are bringing back the entire offensive line from the 2021 team, the brightest position group on the roster. Reserve guard/center Evan Brown will be back in 2022.

Brown was slated to become a restricted free agent this week, but the Lions agreed to terms on a deal that will keep the valuable backup and fill-in starter in Detroit for another season. Terms were not immediately disclosed, but several reports indicate it’s a one-year contract.

Brown proved his value by starting 12 games for injured center Frank Ragnow and playing well. The 25-year-old allowed just one sack and had the second-highest pass blocking grade from Pro Football Focus amongst NFC centers. He was expected to receive interest from other teams despite being restricted in free agency.

Brown’s return keeps the line intact. All five starters are under contract through 2023, and Brown joins Matt Nelson, Ryan McCollum (signed last week), Dan Skipper, Tommy Kraemer and Logan Stenberg under contract as reserves.

Lions C Evan Brown returns from the reserve/COVID-19 list

Lions C Evan Brown returns from the reserve/COVID-19 list and the team also claimed CB Saivon Smith off waivers

After several days of adding players to the reserve/COVID-19 list, the Detroit Lions finally had someone come off the list on Wednesday. Starting center Evan Brown made his return from the reserve/COVID-19 list for Wednesday’s practice.

It’s a welcome return by Brown, who has played well since replacing injured Pro Bowler Frank Ragnow early in the season. Brown missed the Week 14 loss to the Broncos. He was replaced by undrafted rookie Ryan McCollum and there was a noticeable decline in pass protection on the interior.

The Lions still have several players on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Safety Tracy Walker and CBs Ifeatu Melifonwu, Corey Ballentine, Nickell Robey-Coleman, Bobby Price and Mark Gilbert are all still idled. Ballentine and Robey-Coleman are on the practice squad but played Sunday as elevations to fill in for others.

To help with the decimated secondary, the Lions claimed CB Saivion Smith off waivers from the San Francisco 49ers this week. He joins ex-Titans safety Brady Breeze as newcomers in the Detroit defensive backfield.

Lions dealing with illness outbreak, Jared Goff among those missing practice

The Lions dealing with illness outbreak, QB Jared Goff among those missing practice with the non-COVID bug

The action at Detroit Lions practice in Allen Park was a lot more subdued than usual on Wednesday. Instead of the crack of pads and full-speed reps, the Lions were forced into a walkthrough session due to an outbreak.

Starting quarterback Jared Goff was among those who were unable to participate in the practice session while dealing with the flu-like illness. Detroit head coach Dan Campbell spoke about the unwelcome bug biting the Lions over the last few days.

“This mess is going around right now,” Campbell said in his press conference. “It’s just kind of spreading through and I think we’re on the back half of it, I really do. I think we’re on the downward slope of this, but we’re just trying, if we can buy ourselves a day to try to flush this out, we just felt like we needed to do it. It was a little bit rough. Look, everybody’s dealing with sickness. This goes around. But yeah, so I just felt like we needed to adjust.”

Campbell made it clear it is not COVID-19, though he did acknowledge center Evan Brown’s presence on the reserve/COVID-19 list after the starting lineman tested positive on Monday.

“No, (the illness is) not COVID. We do have one that’s had COVID, which – it was Evan Brown. He was on the list, but it’s not COVID. This is more flu-related if you will.”

Wednesday’s official injury report from the Lions, which is estimated participation due to the walkthrough:

 

Lions place starting C Evan Brown on the reserve/COVID-19 list

Brown has played well since taking over for injured Pro Bowl C Frank Ragnow

The Detroit Lions are at least temporarily shorthanded on the offensive line once again. On Monday, the Lions placed starting center Evan Brown on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Per the NFL’s transaction wire, Brown was one of 11 players league-wide who tested positive for COVID-19. His vaccination status is unknown, but we will learn quickly based on how he progresses on the reserve list.

If Brown is vaccinated, he can return as soon as he produces two negative tests in 24 hours. However, if he is unvaccinated, Brown must be away from the facility for a minimum of 10 days. That would rule him out for at least the Week 14 trip to Denver to face the Broncos.

Brown has played well since taking over for injured Pro Bowl C Frank Ragnow. Rookie Ryan McCollum would take over for Brown if he cannot play.

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Lions vs. Rams: Best and worst PFF grades from Week 7

The Detroit Lions best and worst performers in PFF grades from their Week 7 loss against the Los Angeles Rams

Amongst their luggage, the Detroit Lions brought their bag of tricks against the Los Angeles Rams. It wasn’t enough to overcome the high-powered Rams as the Lions lost their seventh straight this season to a 28-19 defeat.

The majority of the populous did not give the Lions a shot at even competing with a potential Super Bowl contender, figuring they would get embarrassed out of Los Angeles. However, with two fake punts and a successful onside kick, the Lions were able to steal processions away and gave them a shot at potentially stealing this game away from the Rams. Unfortunately, the Lions were not able to capitalize on those efforts due to untimely mistakes but let me tell you, that is probably the most entertaining Lions game in quite some time.

Considering how often the Lions have been set as major underdogs this season, they have held tight against tough teams, giving some hope that the Lions are heading in the right direction. You can see the improvements the players are making and the coaching staff taking each loss as a lesson learned and applying for future matchups.

With this week’s top PFF performers, who can see the massive steps forward taken amongst the player, the bottom players are trying to find their footing.

Evan Brown earns some serious praise from PFF for his great game vs. Rams

Brown earned the highest pass-blocking grade of any center in Week 7 for posting a personal clean slate against the Rams

When Pro Bowl center Frank Ragnow went down with a toe injury that will force him to miss the rest of the 2021 season, it sure looked bleak for the Detroit Lions. His replacement is Evan Brown, a young journeyman who didn’t stand out in brief trials in his first two seasons while playing for four different NFL teams.

While he’s not Ragnow, Brown has more than acquitted himself nicely as the starting center for the rest of the season in his place. Brown, 25, was the leading component of a Lions line that played a very strong game against Aaron Donald and the Los Angeles Rams in Week 7.

Pro Football Focus noticed how well Brown played. Brown earned the highest pass blocking grade (85.2) of any center in the league in Week 7. PFF didn’t find a single pressure allowed by Brown against one of the NFL’s best pass-rushing defensive fronts.

Brown isn’t close to the run-blocking force Ragnow offers in the pivot, but for a backup wearing his fourth NFL uniform since going undrafted out of SMU in 2019, he’s playing some very good football. Give some credit to Lions offensive line coach Hank Fraley, who has worked closely with Brown and is a former center who played with a similar style and almost identical build.

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