Tag: John Penisini

The Lions waive DT John Penisini from the reserve/retired list

Penisini retired due to medical issues last June

John Penisini’s time with the Detroit Lions has now officially come to an end, long after the defensive tackle last played for the team.

Penisini retired from football last summer due to a medical issue that impacted his shoulders. The nose tackle had played a rotational role in his first two seasons after being a sixth-round pick in the 2020 NFL draft, but he was unable to keep playing.

On Wednesday, the Lions waived Penisini from the reserve/retired list. It’s a procedural formality that released the Lions from any contractual ties to the player. Penisini passed through waivers unclaimed on Thursday and is now a free agent able to sign with any team if he chooses to try and make a return to the NFL.

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Lions sign free agent DT Isaiah Buggs

Lions sign free agent DT Isaiah Buggs and officially announce John Penisini’s retirement

There will be another defensive tackle in the Detroit Lions training camp mix. The Lions announced they have signed free agent Isaiah Buggs to a contract.

Terms of the deal with Buggs are undisclosed. Buggs, 25, was a sixth-round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2019 NFL draft. He played in 29 games in three seasons in Pittsburgh, logging 31 total tackles. Buggs played collegiately at Alabama and also had a brief stint earlier this offseason with the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Lions also made John Penisini’s retirement official by placing him on the reserve/retired list. Penisini himself announced his retirement in June.

 

Who fills the NT opening for the Lions after John Penisini’s retirement?

John Penisini’s retirement leaves the Lions light at nose tackle behind Alim McNeill. Who could step into the role?

With the unplanned retirement of John Penisini, the Detroit Lions now have a hole at nose tackle. The starting role is in very good hands with Alim McNeill, who is coming off an all-rookie team debut and looks like a player capable of earning Pro Bowl recognition sooner than later.

But after McNeill, the Lions are light — quite literally.

McNeill is 6-2 and 330 pounds, though he wears that weight quite well. He is the only defensive lineman on the roster listed at more than 297 pounds. While the emphasis on being more aggressive and attacking favors lighter linemen, there are times when the defense will require an “immovable object” type of presence in the middle of the line. That was Penisini’s (6-2/335) niche.

Internal options

There are a few internal candidates to step into the role.

During last week’s minicamp, third-year vet Jashon Cornell took a lot of reps in the nose tackle role. Cornell is listed at 297 but he looked visibly stouter than he had in prior years. He’s missed almost all of his first two seasons with injuries since being a seventh-round pick out of Ohio State in the 2020 NFL draft.

In the Lions’ new 4-man line, Cornell’s old spot of 5-technique end no longer exists other than in specific sub-packages. He does have good power and base strength, so it makes sense to see if Cornell can handle the reserve NT role. It might be his best (or only?) shot to make the team.

Undrafted rookie Demetrius Taylor is the most natural nose tackle left in terms of build and mindset. I wrote this on Taylor after Thursday’s practice,

Nose tackle Demetrius Taylor made his mark, as much as can be done by a lineman with no pads on. He’s squatty at 6-1 and 290 pounds but he’s got good lateral quickness. Taylor consistently shot the gap and eliminated backside cuts in the run game. I wish the Appalachian State product was bigger, but he’s got some undeniable skills.

The other heavier players on the current Lions roster don’t really fit as a 0/1 tech line anchor. Bruce Hector, Levi Onwuzurike and Michael Brockers are the only other players over 285 listed pounds and none would ever be confused for being a nose tackle. Onwuzurike could man the job in odd-man fronts against pass-heavy sets. Maybe.

Outside options

The free agent market does have some intriguing names. Two jumped out from the list of unsigned veterans.

Linval Joseph is an absolute behemoth at 6-4 and 330 pounds. Joseph is a very adept run defender with excellent recognition skills. He made two Pro Bowls (2016-2017) for the Vikings and remained an effective player last year for the Chargers at 33 years old.

One-time Lions first-rounder Ndamukong Suh is still unsigned. Now 35, Suh spent the last three seasons in Tampa Bay. He’s never missed a game due to injury and is still a menace as an interior pass rusher (6 sacks in both 2020 and 2021). However, a return to Detroit seems unlikely for Suh, who has been linked exclusively to championship contenders this offseason.

Larry Ogunjobi is another interesting name. He had agreed to terms with the Chicago Bears earlier this offseason but failed his physical. During his time with the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals, the 28-year-old Ogunjobi was a consistent performer. But he’s much more of a 3-tech than a nose tackle, and he’s still recovering from the foot surgery that ended his Bengals season after their Wild Card round win.

None of the other players have games commensurate with their name recognition, unfortunately. Brandon Williams, Malik Jackson, Corey Peters and others are emergency-only options that will likely still be available when the preseason starts.

Lions DT John Penisini announces his retirement

Detroit Lions DT John Penisini announces his retirement after two NFL seasons

John Penisini was a notable absence during the Detroit Lions mandatory minicamp. It turns out the third-year nose tackle has opted to retire from the NFL.

Penisini announced his retirement on his Instagram feed on Saturday morning. The Lions’ 6th-round pick in 2020 out of Utah is hanging up his cleats after just two seasons.

Head coach Dan Campbell was asked about Penisini’s status during the week and indicated that he knew what was going on with the young defensive tackle. In 32 career games, Penisini registered 49 total tackles and one sack.

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Penisini did have a health scare a year ago. He had to have calcium deposits the size of softballs surgically removed from his shoulders. The 25-year-old did not give a reason for his retirement but it’s tough to ignore the physical toll his body has taken.

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Lions minicamp notebook: First impressions from opening day

Here’s what I saw and learned on Tuesday at Lions minicamp

The Detroit Lions were one of 12 NFL teams to kick off mandatory minicamp this week. Coach Dan Campbell led the Lions onto the practice fields in Allen Park on a cloudy, breezy afternoon.

This was my first visit to the team facility since November, which means it was my first chance to take in the 2022 Lions roster in person. With the action limited by the CBA, today was as much about first impressions on players and trying to keep all the personnel and jersey number changes straight.

Here’s what I saw and learned on Tuesday at Lions minicamp.

Campbell: John Penisini had ‘softballs’ removed from his shoulders during the offseason

Lions DT John Penisini played through big calcium deposits in his shoulders as a rookie

John Penisini is coming off a decent, promising rookie season as the Detroit Lions nose tackle. Based on what new head coach Dan Campbell said about Penisini in his Thursday press conference, bigger and better things are in store for the big man in his second season.

Campbell talked up the camp competition at nose tackle and the differences between Penisini and rookie Alim McNeill at the position. He then dropped a nugget on why Penisini’s strength didn’t appear to be as good as advertised in his rookie campaign.

“I know that we’ve been pleased with Penisini when he came back into camp,” Campbell said Thursday. “His weight, where he is in shape, passing the conditioning test. By the way, John Penisini had what looked like softballs in his shoulder that he had repaired after the season after the fact. It just looked like a bunch of calcium deposits that had been in there. You wonder why when you watch the film last year why he’s not using his arm. It’s because he had issues.”

Campbell continued,

“It’s a credit to him playing through it and all of those things. He’s better and you could see it yesterday. It was impressive. I’m pleased with Penisini too.”

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2020 Lions Rookie Report: Sixth-round pick John Penisini

Penisini was a good find in the 6th round

The defensive line has been a weak spot for the Detroit Lions for quite some time now, and Bob Quinn has always seemed to make a priority out of drafting interior linemen.

The fixation on building depth at defensive tackle was good news for Utah nose tackle John Penisini, who was selected in the sixth round in 2020.

Towering over the defense at a massive 6-foot-2 and 333 pounds, Penisini was only expected to be the backup for recent free agent signing Danny Shelton.

What wasn’t expected for the sixth-round pick was his contributions to the defense throughout the entire 2020 season.

For the first two games of the season, the rookie defensive lineman was active but never saw his name show up in the box scores. Starting nose tackles aren’t known for their eye-popping stats, so the backups really are not expected to put up any big numbers.

Penisini saw his snap counts increase steadily from week to week. In Week 1, he only took 14 percent of defensive snaps. By Week 9, he saw that number go up to 67-percent.

His increased role didn’t change with the firing of Matt Patricia, which could also be attributed to Shelton’s placement on injured reserve in December.

Despite Detroit’s defense being ranked one of the worst against the run in 2020, Penisini performed quite well. The rookie racked up 35 tackles, four of which went for a loss of yardage. He also had one sack and a fumble recovery.

What was most impressive were his mechanics. Penisini was able to win many of his reps against notable offensive linemen in some physical matchups without drawing any penalties. The pairing of him and Shelton for 12 games this season helped create a wall in the interior of the defensive line which did well to defend against inside runs.

Both Penisini and Shelton will return to Detroit in 2021, but don’t be surprised to see the duo share their reps once again. Right now, it looks like the Lions found a gem in the rough with Penisini, who could be the starting nose tackle for the foreseeable future.

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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.

Week 15 snap counts: Despite heavy defensive front, Lions fail to slow down Titans’ run game

Examining the Detroit Lions snap counts following their Week 15 loss to the Tennessee Titans.

The Detroit Lions’ biggest weakness on defense is stopping the run, and with Derrick Henry on the opposite side of the ball yesterday, the Lions made some adjustments up front to try and slow him down.

The Tennessee Titans got the ball to start the game and methodically marched down the field for an easy rushing touchdown. The Lions were trying to get a feel for how to adjust their defensive line, and when they deployed a 3-3-5 with a JACK linebacker on the edge, the Titans liked the matchup and switched to a no-huddle offense to keep the advantage in their favor.

After that, the Lions went bigger, leaning not only on their defensive tackles to play the interior, but occasionally they would shift out to the edge in big sets.

Despite the extra bulk, the Titans still ran for 195 yards on Sunday, with Henry accounting for 147 of them.

The Lions’ strategy made sense. The issue is, they lack the talent to compete in the trenches right now. With starters Trey Flowers, Danny Shelton, and Da’Shawn Hand are all on injured reserve, along with Everson Griffen out due to a stint on the COVID-19 list, the Lions are asking a lot of their other players and they aren’t able to get it done.

Not much is expected to change over the final two games. Maybe Griffen returns. Maybe Flowers too. But this is an issue that speaks to a bigger issue with the roster that is going to need to be addressed in the offseason.

That and more in this week’s snap count review.