Tag: Ifeatu Melifonwu

Lions activate Tracy Walker, AJ Parker among several roster moves for Week 15

Tracy Walker, AJ Parker and 2 other DBs are back in time to play vs. the Cardinals

The Detroit Lions finalized the game-day roster for the Week 15 visit from the Arizona Cardinals. And the additions reflect good news for the health of the team.

Detroit activated S Tracy Walker and CBs Ifeatu Melifonwu and Bobby Price from the team’s reserve/COVID-19 list. All are ready to play on Sunday. Walker is listed as questionable with illness.

In addition to the returns from the COVID-19 list, Detroit elevated three players from the practice squad:

RB Craig Reynolds

LB Curtis Bolton

OT Dan Skipper

Reynolds, who ran for 83 yards last week, is a standard elevation. The others are designated as COVID-19 replacements.

Rookie CB AJ Parker is also back. The Lions activated the starting slot CB from injured reserve. He hasn’t played since Week 11.

 

 

 

Lions place CBs Mark Gilbert and Ifeatu Melifonwu on reserve/COVID-19 list

The Lions now have 5 players on the reserve/COVID-19 list in addition to 12 players questionable with illness for Sunday’s game in Denver

The Detroit Lions are rapidly running out of healthy bodies for Sunday’s matchup with the Broncos in Denver. The team announced it has placed two more players on the reserve/COVID-19 list on Saturday.

Cornerbacks Mark Gilbert and Ifeatu Melifonwu join the growing crowd on the COVID list. Their appearance on the list comes less than 24 hours after the Lions placed RB Jamaal Williams and S Tracy Walker on the reserve list. Starting center Evan Brown was placed on the list earlier in the week.

All five will miss the Week 14 game against the Broncos.

The Lions have 12 more players who are questionable after suffering illness during the week. That does not count three players — LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin, OLB Julian Okwara and RB D’Andre Swift — who are out with injuries. Starting TE T.J. Hockenson is doubtful with a hand injury as well.

The Lions will have the ability to elevate players from the practice squad to fill in the roster spots for the quintet on the COVID-19 list.

Lions officially activate CB Ifeatu Melifonwu from IR

The Detroit Lions officially activate CB Ifeatu Melifonwu from injured reserve

One of the key building blocks in the young Detroit Lions secondary is back and ready for action. Rookie cornerback Ifeatu Melifonwu has been activated from injured reserve and added to the active 53-man roster.

The Lions announced Melifonwu’s activation on Monday after the short Thanksgiving weekend break. Melifonwu has not played since suffering a hamstring injury in Week 2, a game that was his first NFL start as a replacement for injured Jeff Okudah.

Head coach Dan Campbell indicated in his press conference that Melifonwu will begin back as a reserve. Fellow rookie Jerry Jacobs has performed above expectations as the starter on the outside and has earned the right to stay in the starting lineup, per Campbell. With regular slot corner AJ Parker now on injured reserve, it opens the potential for Melifonwu to slide inside.

In another move, the Lions also re-signed cornerback Parnell Motley to the team’s practice squad. Motley has been on and off the squad in the last month and is now back on.

Lions rookie CB Ifeatu Melifonwu is returning to practice

The Lions now have 21 days to activate Melifonwu and Ballentine to the active roster

There is some promising news out of Detroit Lions headquarters in Allen Park as the team returns to practice action following the bye week. Rookie cornerback Ifeatu Melifonwu is returning to action in practice on Wednesday in an attempt to come back from his thigh injury.

It’s the first step for Melifonwu to get activated off the injured reserve list. The Lions will have 21 days to either place their third-round rookie on the active roster or lose him to IR for the rest of the year. Melifonwu took over as a starter at outside CB following the injury to Jeff Okudah in Week 1, but the rookie from Syracuse couldn’t finish his first career start.

The Lions also announced that CB and return specialist Corey Ballentine is joining Melifonwu on the practice field and earning the designation to return from IR. Ballentine suffered a hamstring injury in Week 5 and was placed on injured reserve right away.

Melifonwu’s return is a good sign for a secondary that has relied upon undrafted rookies Jerry Jacobs and AJ Parker in starting roles for most of the season. While they’ve fared better than expected, getting Melifonwu back helps build broader experience and depth for 2022 and beyond.

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Dan Campbell offers hopeful update on injured CB Ifeatu Melifonwu

Campbell indicated Melifonwu could return from his thigh injury later this season

Ifeatu Melifonwu has been sidelined since Week 2 with an injury he suffered in his first career start. There has been very little news about the Lions’ rookie cornerback or his thigh injury ever since.

Detroit head coach Dan Campbell broke the silence on Melifonwu on Friday. Campbell offered up the chance that the promising third-round rookie can return before the end of the season.

“I still say we’re still a little ways away,” Campbell said of Melifonwu. “Now, what is that? I don’t know. Certainly, not before the bye, but he is progressing. He is getting better. He is getting better. I wish I could give you a timeline, but I do see him – I do feel like we can get him to return before the season’s out. I feel that way and I’m not a doctor, so don’t hold that on me.”

With Melifownu and 2020 first-round pick Jeff Okudah both out with injuries, the Lions have turned to undrafted rookie Jerry Jacobs as a starter at outside cornerback. Jacobs has been a pleasant surprise, but it will still be great if the Lions can get more out of Melifonwu by the end of the season.

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.

Lions sign Daryl Worley from practice squad, send Ifeatu Melifonwu to I.R.

Lions sign CB Daryl Worley from practice squad, send Ifeatu Melifonwu to I.R.

The Detroit Lions made another injury-related move in the secondary. Detroit signed veteran cornerback Daryl Worley from the practice squad to take the place of rookie CB Ifeatu Melinfownu, who was placed on injured reserve.

Melifonwu was injured in the second half of the Lions’ Monday night loss in Green Bay. he pulled up awkwardly after running down Packers WR Davante Adams on a deep pass route.

Worley joined the Lions practice squad last week. He was signed when Jeff Okudah went on I.R. for his Achilles injury suffered in Week 1. Melifonwu took over as the starter for Okudah.

Lions options for replacing Ifeatu Melifonwu at cornerback

It’s not a good time to need CB help around the NFL, but the Lions are in need with injuries to Melifonwu and OIkudah

Already down one starting cornerback, the Detroit Lions suffered another significant blow in the Week 2 loss to the Green Bay Packers. Rookie CB Ifeatu Melifonwu left Monday night’s game with a lower-body injury that head coach Dan Campbell deemed significant enough to keep Melifonwu out for some time.

Melifonwu rose up to the starting lineup to replace the injured Jeff Okudah, who is out for the year with a torn Achilles suffered in Week 1. Now the Lions are faced with replacing the replacement, no easy task.

Internal options

Bobby Price took over on Monday night in Green Bay. He’s a work in progress, still converting from safety in his second NFL season. Undrafted rookie Jerry Jacobs saw limited action as well and notably committed an obvious defensive pass interference penalty.

Another rookie, AJ Parker, was the bright spot in the secondary in both games so far. He has primarily been in the slot but could kick outside. The Lions do have veteran slot CB Nickell Robey-Coleman on the practice squad. Signing him to the active 53-man roster seems a foregone conclusion.

The Lions did bring in veteran Daryl Worley to the practice squad late last week. He’s another option to get called up to the active roster now that Worley has had time to settle in a little bit. Detroit also has youngster Parnell Motley on the practice squad at CB.

Quinton Dunbar

The Lions acknowledged they were looking at bringing Dunbar back into the den last week, but nothing has materialized to this point. Dunbar signed with the Lions in the offseason and was a projected starter at outside CB before a personal issue forced him away from the team.

Dunbar has a workout scheduled with the Buffalo Bills, so if the Lions are going to act here, it needs to happen swiftly.

External options

The current crop of unsigned veteran free agent CBs isn’t great, but there are a few who merit at least a workout to see if they might fit.

Richard Sherman has made it known he’s ready to return to action. His offseason legal issues complicate matters for the Lions and head coach Dan Campbell’s “no turd” policy, and Sherman, now 33, has battled injury issues for several seasons as well.

Darqueze Dennard carries some name-value recognition as a former first-round pick (Bengals in 2014) from Michigan State. He’s not played like a first-round talent but does have experience and can play either inside or outside.

Another former first-round pick, Gareon Conley, is also still out there. Conley hasn’t played since 2019, spending 2020 on injured reserve. If the 26-year-old is healthy, and that’s a big “if”, he could help in a pinch like the Lions find themselves in right now.

Damarious Randall is yet another former first-rounder (Green Bay in 2015) who could help. He’s primarily played safety in his NFL career but played CB while with Seattle over the summer and has a cornerback background.

Lions injury update: CB Ifeatu Melifonwu suffers ‘a bad one’

Lions coach Dan Campbell declared Melifonwu ‘out for a little bit’ after the game

An already thin Detroit Lions cornerback group just took another significant hit. Rookie Ifeatu Melifonwu left Monday night’s loss to the Green Bay Packers with a lower body injury, and Lions head coach Dan Campbell did not sound optimistic about the prognosis after the game.

“Yeah it’s a bad one,” Campbell said. “Looks like he will be out for a little bit.”

Melifonwu got the start in Green Bay due to top CB Jeff Okudah going on I.R. after tearing his Achilles in Week 1. He came up lame after attempting to break up an Aaron Rodgers pass to Davante Adams in the third quarter of Monday night’s game in rainy Green Bay.

He was replaced in the lineup by Bobby Price, a second-year player who was a safety until early August.

 

Aaron Rodgers looking to test the young Lions secondary

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers looking to test the young Lions secondary in Week 2

When Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was asked what he knew about the young Detroit Lions cornerbacks, Rodgers offered a simple quip.

“A couple long last names.”

With a starting duo of Amani Oruwariye and Ifeatu Melifonwu, Rodgers is right about the names. And he also hasn’t seen much of either player. Oruwairye is in his third NFL season but is the greybeard of the cornerback group. Melifonwu is taking over for injured Jeff Okudah in just his second NFL game. A.J. Parker is the starting slot CB, and he’s an undrafted rookie. The backups are rookie Jerry Jacobs, newcomer Corey Ballentine and Bobby Price, a converted safety in his second season.

“I do have some familiarity with some of those guys, played against them last year,” Rodgers said this week. “I think the scheme is one that can help them. They do play similar coverages to the Saints with (Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn). But I think they’re improving guys. I thought they did a nice job last year of getting better, being kind of thrust into the situation and last year they just played a bunch of man to kind of see what they had.”

Rodgers and the Packers had a terrible Week 1 against those Saints, but expect things to be different on Monday night. The greenhorns in the Detroit secondary will have their hands full — and Rodgers knows it.

“Anytime you’ve got young guys, you’re going to test them,” Rodgers said.

The split-safety look Glenn brought with him from New Orleans should help the young corners, as will the more aggressive pass rush scheme up front. But the young Lions will need to make plays against the Packers. Rodgers will challenge them until they make the reigning MVP stop.