Tag: Hunter Bryant

Lions waive TE Hunter Bryant and LB Curtis Bolton

Bryant caught one pass in two injury-ravaged seasons in Detroit

The Detroit Lions did a little roster cleanup on the day before the 2022 NFL draft. Detroit waived tight end Hunter Bryant and linebacker Curtis Bolton from the team.

Bryant showed a little promise as a receiving TE as an undrafted rookie out of Washington in 2020, but injuries were a constant problem. He missed time with a concussion as a rookie and then missed all of 2021 with an injury suffered away from football. The Lions had previously waived him with a non-football injury designation and Bryant reverted to the team’s injured reserve. He also had a stint on the reserve/COVID-19 list while on IR.

Bolton played in five games for the Lions in 2021, all on special teams. The fourth-year LB has bounced around several NFL teams since going undrafted in 2019 out of Oklahoma.

Projecting the Lions current 53-man roster

Lions place injured TE Hunter Bryant on reserve/COVID-19 list

Bryant has been on the Lions IR all season after going unclaimed when waived last spring

There was a minor addition to the Detroit Lions’ reserve/COVID-19 list on Wednesday, one that probably elicits the “oh yeah, I wondered what happened to that guy” reaction.

The Lions placed tight end Hunter Byrant on the COVID list on injured reserve. Bryant has been on Detroit’s IR all season, reverting there after Detroit waived him from the non-football injury list this past spring. No other team claimed the former collegiate All-American at Washington.

Bryant suffered two significant knee injuries before coming to the Lions as an undrafted free agent in 2020, and the NFI designation also involved a knee issue. It’s interesting that Bryant is still around the team despite having no chance of playing for the Lions in 2021. He caught one pass in five games in 2020.

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Lions injury tracker: All the players on injured reserve entering Week 6

The updated Detroit Lions injury tracker includes 8 players who would be starters currently on IR

It’s been a very rough season for the Detroit Lions. Winless through five weeks, the team has suffered through a nasty wave of injuries to key players. And the list keeps growing.

Last week’s sobering look at how many players are unavailable to the team due to either injury or dead cap has expanded, unfortunately. Pro Bowl center Frank Ragnow will miss the rest of the season with a toe injury that required surgery. He was out for Week 5 as well but now officially joins the throng of Lions on the IR list.

Here’s the updated cadre of Lions either on the IR or non-football injury reserved lists as of October 13th:

  • Taylor Decker, starting left tackle
  • Frank Ragnow, starting center
  • Tyrell Williams, starting wide receiver
  • Quintez Cephus, starting wide receiver (in place of Williams)
  • Tyrell Crosby, offensive tackle (would start in place of Decker)
  • Tim Boyle, backup quarterback
  • Romeo Okwara, starting outside linebacker
  • Jeff Okudah, starting cornerback
  • Ifeatu Melifonwu, starting CB (in place of Okudah)
  • Da’Shawn Hand, defensive end
  • Kevin Strong, defensive end
  • Joel Heath, defensive end
  • Shaun Dion Hamilton, linebacker
  • Charlie Taumopeau, tight end (NFI)
  • Hunter Bryant, tight end (NFI)

That’s eight different players who would be starting right now, six of them regular projected starters. The list includes the team’s two best offensive linemen, the top wideout, the No. 1 and No. 2 cornerbacks and the WR leader in receiving yards after five games.

Hunter Bryant’s release opens door for Alizé Mack

Hunter Bryant’s release opens door for Alizé Mack at tight end for the Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions recently waived tight end Hunter Bryant with a non-football injury designation.

Bryant joined the Lions as an undrafted free agent immediately following the 2020 NFL Draft. From the start, he was projected to make the final roster as the team’s third or fourth tight end behind T.J. Hockenson, Jesse James, and Isaac Nauta.

Unfortunately for the undrafted rookie, a lingering hamstring injury sidelined him for most of training camp and kept him on injured reserve until Week 13.

His rookie campaign was a quiet one, but he made sure to make his one and only reception count. In the Week 15 loss to the Tennessee Titans, Bryant made a spectacular catch on a 44-yard throw by Matthew Stafford. In 2020, he was targeted three times on his 25 offensive snaps.

So how does his release impact the Detroit Lions’ roster?

Hockenson will still be the top option at tight end and newly-signed Josh Hill will be used primarily as a blocker. Behind them are two young players: Alizé Mack and Hunter Thedford.

Mack may be the most likely to win the backup tight end job given both his skill set and familiarity with head coach Dan Campbell.

While Campbell was the tight ends coach for the New Orleans Saints, they selected Mack out of Notre Dame in the seventh round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Though he only stuck around on the roster until the end of September, it’s clear that Campbell saw something in him and wanted to kick the tires on the young tight end.

Mack had bounced around from practice squad to practice squad in 2019 and was unsigned in 2020. Despite never appearing in a regular season game, he does have a strong athletic profile and could be a good choice for a young player to develop on the roster over the next season.

In many ways, Mack is a very similar player to Bryant. He plays more like a big-bodied wide receiver than a prototypical tight end in the NFL and can use his size to his advantage to beat defenders on deep routes. He was used often as a vertical threat at Notre Dame and could easily be used in that same role in Detroit.

Thedford could also be an option should the Lions opt not to roll with Mack as a backup. Thedford is a 6-foot-8 blocking tight end who would be used primarily as a blocker in the run game. He played three years at SMU before transferring to Utah and later went undrafted in 2020. He’s a raw prospect that fits Dan Campbell’s mold for a blocking tight end and could stick around if the coach sees something special in him.

Lions cut TE Hunter Bryant with non-football injury designation

Lions cut TE Hunter Bryant with non-football injury designation

With the 2021 NFL draft less than a day away, the Detroit Lions opened up another roster spot. The team released tight end Hunter Bryant on Wednesday.

Bryant was released with a non-football injury designation, per the NFL’s transaction wire.

He joined the team as an undrafted free agent from Washington after last year’s draft. In five games, Bryant caught one pass for 44 yards.

Cutting Bryant leaves the Lions with just two tight ends with NFL experience on the 90-man roster entering the draft, T.J. Hockenson and Josh Hill. The team also has Alize Mack and Hunter Thedford at tight end.

Detroit Lions Week 17 Rookie report: One last game to make an impression

There’s just one game left of the 2020 season, and the Detroit Lions’ rookie class is set to face off against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 17.

There’s just one game left of the 2020 season, and the Detroit Lions’ rookie class is set to face off against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 17.

With the team being eliminated from the playoffs, this is the time for these young players to get more playing time and get their final evaluations before the upcoming offseason.

The eight rookies remaining on the Lions’ roster have had very different seasons, but all could have a chance to make an impact on Sunday afternoon.

RB D’Andre Swift

Detroit is down to just three running backs and Swift is the clear number one as they prepare for Minnesota.

The rookie has struggled in recent weeks, due in part to the team going against some of the top defenses in the league. In each of the last two games, Swift had a fumble and has averaged 81 total yards from scrimmage.

Luckily for Swift, Minnesota is coming off a game where they allowed six touchdowns from a running back. This could open the door for the second-round pick from Georgia to have a big game.

OL Jonah Jackson and Logan Stenberg

Jackson had a spectacular start to the season and played well at both right and left guard on Detroit’s starting offensive line.

Much like Swift, he’s struggled in recent weeks, but still has only allowed four sacks on the year. At this point, it’s all but certain that Jackson remains as Detroit’s starting left guard for the foreseeable future.

Stenberg, on the other hand, has not had as great of a rookie season and is once again inactive for this game.

The fourth-round pick has only been active for two games and still couldn’t get any snaps on offense despite Detroit having more than their fair share of injuries to the offensive line.

EDGE Julian Okwara

Okwara returned from injured reserve last weekend and went on to record his first career stats.

Taking 20 defensive snaps against Tampa Bay, Okwara managed to make two tackles, one of which went for a loss of yardage.

He and Austin Bryant will serve as Detroit’s JACK linebackers against the Vikings. Expect about the same amount of production out of Detroit’s third-round pick in the final game of the season.

WR Quintez Cephus

Even with Kenny Golladay out, Cephus has not been able to capitalize on the extra offensive snaps that he’s been receiving.

Luckily for Cephus, he’s in a good situation to step up in this upcoming matchup. The rookie is the only currently active wide receiver under contract in Detroit past this season, meaning that the Lions may want to get some extended looks at him.

Marvin Jones, Danny Amendola, and Mohamed Sanu all top the receiver depth chart, and all three are over 30 years old. This leaves a window open for the 22-year-old rookie to come in and make an impact on offense.

Cephus has 18 receptions for 298 yards and a score on the season and could record his second career touchdown on Sunday afternoon.

DL John Penisini

Penisini has anchored the defensive line as nose tackle for most of the season, but that could change now that top free-agency acquisition Danny Shelton is back on the active roster.

The rookie lineman took nearly three-fourths of the defensive snaps last weekend and recorded four tackles.

So far, the sixth-round rookie has exceeded expectations and has proven that he can be versatile from the interior of the defensive line. Penisini has four tackles-for-loss and a sack so far this season as well as one quarterback pressure and just one missed tackle.

Expect him to still have a bigger role on defense, but his snap counts will go down with Shelton back in the starting lineup.

TE Hunter Bryant

The undrafted rookie has one career reception for an impressive 44 yards. Right now, Bryant is the third tight end on the roster and is expected to have a very limited role.

S Bobby Price

With the release of Jayron Kearse, Price was signed to the active roster, but unfortunately, he was declared inactive for this game.

Detroit Lions Week 16 rookie report: Julian Okwara returns to the defense

Exploring the expectations for the Detroit Lions rookies in Week 16, as they face off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Detroit Lions are taking on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 16 and over the final two games of the season, it will be a prime opportunity for their rookies to get some extra looks.

Let’s take a look at what their expectations are for this game.

RB D’Andre Swift

The rookie running back is set to start against Tampa Bay’s stout run defense. This season, the Buccaneers defense has allowed an average of 3.4 yards-per-carry against them, including just one 100-yard rusher.

Swift is coming off a very good week with two touchdowns and 67 yards on the ground. At the top of the depth chart, the second-round rookie will continue playing in his new role as Detroit’s all-purpose back.

With Matthew Stafford questionable and several starting offensive linemen dealing with injuries, Swift may have a harder time at running the ball, but he should still be an integral part of the offense.

EDGE Julian Okwara

The younger of the two Okwara brothers will take the field for the first time since Week 6. The rookie had a very limited role on defense, taking a mere 30 defensive snaps in the four games he was active. Okwara did not record any tackles, sacks, or pressures in that span.

He will serve as a JACK linebacker on Detroit’s defense, likely being Austin Bryant’s backup. As he has been on injured reserve for most of the year, it is hard to know what to expect from the third-round rookie.

Detroit’s pass rush has been less than optimal in 2020 and regardless of how many snaps Okwara plays, it will be good to have more bodies at the edge.

OL Jonah Jackson and Logan Stenberg

As mentioned earlier, the Lions have a slew of injuries to their starting offensive line.

Pro Bowl center Frank Ragnow will miss his second straight week after suffering a fractured throat. Right tackle Tyrell Crosby already has been ruled out, while Halapoulivaati Vaitai and Taylor Decker are listed as questionable heading into this game but are expected to start.

Luckily, rookie Jonah Jackson is healthy and will continue serving as Detroit’s starting left guard. The rookie out of Ohio State has allowed just four sacks on the 910 offensive snaps he’s played.

Stenberg has yet to see the field on offense, even when the Lions were struggling with offensive line injuries. He is inactive once against this week.

WR Quintez Cephus

Cephus has cemented his role as the fourth receiver on the depth chart.

Though he hasn’t been putting up big numbers, he has come through for some big plays. Last week, he caught just one pass for 36 yards, showing that he has the ability to contribute, but needs some more time to develop and learn the offense.

Expect Cephus to make a few catches against Tampa Bay, but don’t expect a big showing from the rookie.

DL John Penisini

Penisini has exceeded expectations as a sixth-round rookie. At the beginning of the season, many thought he’d take a small share of snaps while serving as Danny Shelton’s backup. Instead, he rose up the ranks and began seeing big shares of playing time on the defensive line.

In each of the last two games, the rookie nose tackle has recorded a tackle-for-loss. He has to develop more as a pass rusher, but he he has been able to put some pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

Expect Penisini to record a few tackles and make some plays against the run. Luckily for him and the defensive line, Tampa Bay will be without starting running back Ronald Jones.

TE Hunter Bryant

After two very quiet games as Detroit’s third option at tight end, Bryant showed up in a big way with a 44-yard reception from the slot receiver role.

Bryant garnered plenty of hype as an undrafted rookie, and though he has just one career reception, it gave us a look at what he could be capable of down the line. He’s a versatile tight end with a unique skill set who could find himself with a bigger role next season.

Don’t expect too much from Bryant this week as he still is last in line on the tight end depth chart. The undrafted rookie should bring in one or two receptions as Detroit tries to gain a win in Tampa Bay.

Detroit Lions Week 15 Studs and Duds: D’Andre Swift scores twice

Identifying the Detroit Lions Week 15 Studs and Duds following their loss to the Tennesse Titans.

The Detroit Lions lost a tough one against the Tennessee Titans. In this high-scoring matchup, the Lions missed some opportunities and could not overcome Tennessee’s offense.

This was not a pretty game by Detroit’s defense by any means, but the offense sure did put their best effort into this one.

Sitting now at the bottom of their division, there’s not a lot to be optimistic about with the Lions and it feels like there’s plenty of blame to go around. Still, there were some stellar performances by some players in the 46-25 loss.

Stud: D’Andre Swift

Don’t let his goal-line fumble make you think that the rookie running back had a bad game. Swift more than made up for that error by punching in two other short-yard runs for touchdowns.

His vision and patience in the backfield was a nice change of pace for the offense and supplemented Stafford and the passing game well.

The rookie had 67 yards on the ground and another 15 in the air against Tennessee.

Dud: Duron Harmon

Harmon struggled in coverage and then failed on a horrendous tackle attempt, causing Tennessee’s Corey Davis to make a 75-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown on the first snap of the Titans’ second offensive drive.

The veteran safety looked lost pre-snap, and even after he got his footing, he still struggled to cover Davis.

Stud: Hunter Bryant

The undrafted rookie’s first career catch will be one to remember.

From the slot, the tight end out of Washington ran a beautiful route and made quite the catch over a Titans defender for a 44-yard gain and helped set up the Lions in good field position.

Dud: Alex Myres

The second-year cornerback was elevated from the practice squad for this matchup and struggled hard in the second quarter. Playing at the cornerback spot opposite Amani Oruwariye — after a Mike Ford injury –, the young defender committed a costly pass interference penalty that gave the Titans excellent field position. A few plays later, karma came his way when he took a brutal stiff arm from Derrick Henry.

His entire career has been spent on practice squads, and Myres did not have a nice welcome to the NFL in this game.

Stud: Romeo Okwara

After a heartbreaking fumble at the goal line by D’Andre Swift, the Titans had the ball up 21-7 with a few minutes before the half.

Ryan Tannehill took the snap and stepped back into the endzone, and defensive end Romeo Okwara was able to blow past the left tackle and take Tannehill down for Detroit’s first safety of the year.

It may have not been a game-saving play, but it sparked some new life into the defense and gave them some extra rest on the sidelines before halftime.

Dud: Matt Prater

Prater has not looked like himself this season, and his missed extra point following D’Andre Swift’s first-half touchdown added to his list of struggles in 2020.

Stud: Marvin Jones

Jones was the most impressive of Stafford’s weapons in this game. The 30-year-old receiver made some big plays throughout the first half, bringing in seven receptions for 75 yards and a touchdown.

Watch: Hunter Bryant gets his 1st NFL catch and it’s a beauty

The UDFA from Washington gained 44 yards on a perfect throw from Stafford

Congratulations to Detroit Lions rookie tight end Hunter Bryant! The undrafted free agent from Washington pulled down his first career reception in the Lions’ Week 15 matchup with the Tennessee Titans. And it’s worthy of the highlight reel.

Bryant made a nice move to create some space for himself and a throwing lane for quarterback Matthew Stafford. No. 9 delivered a picture-perfect throw, hitting Bryant on the hands on the dead run down the seam.

Look at the soft hands Bryant shows in snatching the ball from the air just before taking a hit. The big rookie shook off the first tackle attempt and tacked on several extra yards, too. The play gained 44 yards and set up the Lions in the Titans’ red zone.

Lions Week 15 rookie report: Where will Jonah Jackson line up?

Projecting the roles for the Detroit Lions rookies during their Week 15 matchup with the Tennessee Titans.

As the season comes closer to the end, the Detroit Lions seem to have fewer and fewer rookies available on their roster due to injuries.

Luckily for Detroit, most of the ones who are still healthy will be playing major roles for the team as they get ready to play against the Tennessee Titans in Week 15.

Here’s what to expect from the rookies this Sunday afternoon:

RB D’Andre Swift

For the first time in weeks, Swift’s status for an upcoming game is not in question. The rookie will get the start against Tennessee but could have some struggles against their defense.

The Titans have prevented opposing teams for rushing over 100 yards six times so far this season and have been fairly effective at shutting down running backs in the passing game as well.

The rookie has averaged just 35 rushing yards per game this year and also has hauled in 35 receptions for 301 yards. He has also found the endzone seven times in his 10 games.

Swift will have to put on a strong showing as the starter to help out the Lions offense. With massive change-ups happening at three spots on the offensive line, it’ll make it that much harder for the rookie.

OL Jonah Jackson and Logan Stenberg

As mentioned earlier, some major changes will be happening on the offensive line for Detroit.

After suffering a fractured throat last weekend, Frank Ragnow has been ruled out, leaving some uncertainty as to who will start at center.

Third-round pick Jonah Jackson had previously played center during his time at Rutgers before transferring to Ohio State and could be named the starting center after starting at both left and right guard throughout this year.

Right now, it is a toss-up between Jackson and Joe Dahl, who has practiced at center many times over his career in Detroit but has never played the position in a regular season game. Whoever wins the job at center, the other will play left guard.

With a lack of depth now for the interior offensive line, Logan Stenberg may have a window to get himself onto the gameday roster. He had taken a few special teams snaps in two games this season, and now could serve as Detroit’s backup guard and center in their matchup against Tennessee.

WR Quintez Cephus

With Kenny Golladay out once again, Cephus will likely see more playing time at the wide receiver position.

The rookie has had a very up-and-down season, especially in recent weeks. Two weeks ago against Chicago, he had two receptions for 63 yards and a touchdown. The following week, he took more snaps on offense but came away with the same number of receptions but for just 16 yards.

Cephus is the clear fourth option at receiver behind Marvin Jones, Danny Amendola, and Mohamed Sanu. His size and versatility to play both the outside and the slot will help his chances of getting a good share of snaps in this game, but it’ll be up to him for how he will perform.

The rookie has dropped 11-percent of passes that have come his way and has 16 receptions for 253 yards on the season. If he can become more reliable, he will be a solid asset to the passing game.

DL John Penisini

The rookie nose tackle is once again listed as questionable as the Lions prepare for this game.

Nose tackles are not known for impressive stat lines on defense, and that remains true for Penisini. Last week against Green Bay, he had just two tackles, one of which went for a loss of yards.

If he can play, he will be Detroit’s starting nose tackle. Unfortunately for him and the rest of the defensive line, they will be facing off against the NFL’s best running back, Derrick Henry. Tennessee’s star rusher is coming off a 215-yard, two score game last week, and is now set to face one of the league’s worst-ranked defenses.

If active, Penisini will have a lot on his plate this week as he tries to prevent Henry from trampling the defense.

TE Hunter Bryant

Bryant will once again serve as Detroit’s third tight end behind T.J. Hockenson and Jesse James. The undrafted rookie has appeared in two games this season, taking a total of nine offensive snaps without even a single target.