Lions make 5 roster moves to get to the 80-man limit

The Lions waived QB Jordan Ta’amu among the five players cut on Monday

The Detroit Lions made a series of roster moves on Monday to get to the 80-man roster limit.

The team released wide receiver Darius Jennings and waived four other players:

  • DT P.J. Johnson
  • RB Javon Leake
  • LB Robert McCray
  • QB Jordan Ta’amu

Jennings earns a different designation as a vested veteran and is not subject to waiver claims. All the other players are now eligible to be claimed by another team.

The players who were cut are not a surprise, though McCray was generally expected to last through to the next wave. McCray was the only player who began training camp with the Lions and had some good reps in the preseason games.

Detroit has until next Tuesday to cut down to the 53-man limit. The Lions play their third and final preseason game Friday night at home against the Indianapolis Colts.

Lions sign QB Jordan Ta’amu with Tim Boyle sidelined

Ta’amu was briefly with the Lions practice squad late last season

There is a new quarterback in the mix with the Detroit Lions. Shortly after the roster cutdown deadline on Tuesday, the Lions added QB Jordan Ta’amu to the active roster.

Ta’amu is best known for his successful stint in the now-defunct XFL, but he’s been in Detroit before. The Ole Miss product was briefly with the Lions practice squad last December. He has also spent time with the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans since being an undrafted free agent following the 2019 NFL draft.

The Lions needed Ta’amu due to the ankle injury suffered by backup QB Tim Boyle in Friday night’s preseason opener. Boyle has been seen this week with his ankle in a heavy brace and he has not participated in practices.

Ta’amu will wear No. 8 in Detroit.

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Browns try out 7 players including two quarterbacks

The Browns welcomed 7 free agents in for tryouts including a pair of former Ole Miss QBs

The Cleveland Browns welcomed seven NFL free agents to try out for the team on Monday. It’s an interesting mix of players that includes a pair of quarterbacks.

The quarterbacks who tried out are both from Ole Miss, Jordan Ta’amu and Chad Kelly. They couldn’t be more divergent stylistically, however. Kelly is a strong-armed pocket passer and Ta’amu is a smaller, mobile, rhythm type of QB.

Among the others, former Texans linebacker Dylan Cole stands out. Cole thrived on special teams in Houston and had some decent work at inside LB for the Texans before injuries slowed his career. Wideout Darvin Kidsy is a speedster who has spent time with the Football Team.

The full septet who tried out, per the NFL’s transaction wire:

  • Dylan Cole, LB
  • Jonathon Johnson, WR
  • Chad Kelly, QB
  • Darvin Kidsy, WR
  • T.J. Morrison, CB
  • Jordan Ta’amu, QB
  • Kerrith Whyte, RB

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