Tag: Khalil Dorsey

5 biggest surprises for the Lions 53-man initial roster

The Detroit Lions have released their initial 53-man roster and here are 5 of the biggest surprises stemming from the reveal.

The Detroit Lions have finally released their initial 53-man roster. There had been weeks of speculation on which players would make the cut and which ones would not. During the preseason games, many players put in impressive performances, especially given that the Lions rested their starters. This allowed the management to take a closer look at the players and determine who would be the best fit for the team.

Upon reviewing the final roster, there were a few surprises that caught my attention. Here are the five decisions that were the most unexpected to me with the initial roster release.

12 players projected to make the Lions practice squad

These 12 players from the Lions’ final preseason game roster should make the team’s 16-man practice squad

One of the first orders of business for the Detroit Lions following the conclusion of the roster cutdowns and initial waiver claim period is to form the 16-man practice squad. Teams can start signing players to the practice squad after Wednesday, August 30th at 12 p.m. ET.

Most teams prefer to stock the practice squad with players who were on the roster for the final preseason game. The Lions did that last year and are expected to do so once again.

Here are 12 Lions expected to be cut by Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline who should make the practice squad.

Quick takeaways from the Lions preseason win vs. the Panthers

Quick takeaways from the Detroit Lions preseason win vs. the Carolina Panthers

The Detroit Lions put a pretty bow on the preseason with a convincing 26-17 win in Carolina over the Panthers on Friday night. The Lions prevailed despite sitting all their starters and going against much of the Panthers’ first-team offense and defense in the first half of the game.

With the on-field temp well over 100 degrees, the Lions reserves brought the heat to their hosts. It was a standout game for several players and a nice rebound from an underwhelming effort and outcome in the prior preseason game.

Here’s what stood out from the game in watching it in real-time.

Dan Campbell on hit that injured Shane Zylstra: ‘That’s not what we do’

Lions head coach Dan Campbell on the hit by CB Khalil Dorsey that injured Shane Zylstra: “That’s not what we do”

The Lions suffered a major injury in Monday’s practice session. Tight end Shane Zylsta was lost for the season with a serious, and eminently preventable, knee injury in the training camp practice.

Zylstra went down when cornerback Khalil Dorsey dived low at his legs immediately after Zylstra had leaped to catch a swing pass. The tight end screamed in pain immediately.

On Wednesday, Lions head coach Dan Campbell wanted to focus on Dorsey’s hit that sent Zylstra to the waiver wire with an injury designation. Campbell, never one to hide his emotions, was not happy.

“This one happens and so – harsh with him, and honestly it shouldn’t have happened. No, we’re not OK with that, and it’s been addressed,” Campbell said pointedly. “These things happen. The physicality of the game, the pads, but that was preventable. That’s not what we do.”

Campbell noted that Dorsey is upset about causing the season-ending injury to a teammate. The lesson was a tough one to learn for the entire team.

“Believe me, Khalil feels awful too. We get that, but we have to take care of each other,” Campbell said. “We still have to be physical, we have to work each, we have to compete, but we still have to take care of each other. So that was – we talked about it, and we move on.”

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Lions training camp winners and losers from the early days in pads

Lions training camp winners and losers from the first three days of padded, full-contact practice

The first week (and change) of Detroit Lions training camp is in the books. Head coach Dan Campbell has presided over a lot of action to start his third training camp at the helm in Detroit.

Three of the last four practices featured full pads and contact. Those are the most important ones for evaluation purposes.

Here are the players who stood out to me as winners and losers in the padded practice sessions at the start of Lions training camp.

Lions reveal free agent jersey numbers and veteran number changes

A bunch of Lions players changed their numbers now that different jerseys were available

When the Detroit Lions take to the field for the first mandatory minicamp in a few weeks, we’ll get a chance to see the free agents signed this offseason in their new jerseys for the first time. Now we know which number each of the new Lions will be sporting in 2023, at least to start the offseason.

The Lions revealed the jersey number choices of the free agent class of 2023. It was included in the same social media postings as the rookie jersey number assignments.

For the first time in the modern era, a Lions player will don No. 0. That honor goes to veteran wideout Marvin Jones, who returned in free agency after two seasons in Jacksonville.

The liberation of number assignments allows several new defensive backs to rock single-digit jerseys. Cam Sutton will wear No. 1, with C.J. Gardner-Johnson going for No. 2 and Emmanuel Moseley choosing the No 4 jersey. Running back David Montgomery will go with No. 5.

In addition to the new free agents, several holdover Lions pulled off some jersey number changes, too. Most notable among these are DB Ifeatu Melifonwu moving to No. 6 from 26 and running back Craig Reynolds choosing No. 13 after being No. 46.

That 24 belongs to cornerback Jarren Williams, not to be confused with wideout Jameson Williams, who appears to be keeping his No. 9.

Giants sign pair of former Ravens CBs

The Giants signed a pair of former Ravens cornerbacks

The Baltimore Ravens have seen a number of their contributors from the 2021 season take their talents elsewhere during 2022 free agency. A good number of those players have been cornerbacks, as Anthony Averett (Las Vegas Raiders), Tavon Young (Chicago Bears), and Chris Westry (Carolina Panthers) all found new NFL homes.

On Wednesday, the New York Giants became the latest team to add a now-former Baltimore cornerback. It was announced by VMG Sports that Khalil Dorsey would be signing in New York, reuniting him with former Ravens and current Giants defensive coordinator Don Martidale.

However, the Giants weren’t done adding former Baltimore corners, as the team also signed Maurice Canady, who played with the Ravens from 2016-2019.

Dorsey spent two years in Baltimore, totaling two tackles during the 2020 season before missing all of 2021 with an injury. Canady totaled 34 tackles and one interceptions during his four seasons with the Ravens. They join outside linebacker Jihad Ward and defensive lineman Justin Ellis as former Baltimore players to go play for Martindale with the Giants.

8 players to watch during Ravens’ Week 1 preseason game vs. Saints

8 players to watch during Ravens’ Week 1 preseason game vs. Saints

The Baltimore Ravens will soon have a great chance to see how some of their practice standouts will perform in live game action. The team will face the New Orleans Saints on Saturday in their first preseason game of the 2021 season, which is another step to figuring out who will make Baltimore’s 53-man roster.

There will be plenty of players to keep an eye on over the course of the preseason, especially those who are on the roster bubble. Through a few weeks of training camp practices there have been those who have helped their stock and those who have hurt it.

Let’s dive into eight players to keep an eye on during the Ravens’ Saturday preseason game against New Orleans.

Ravens could have tough decisions to make at the CB position

Ravens could have tough decisions to make at the CB position

The Baltimore Ravens are a team that has been known for their strong secondary over the course of their franchise history. From former ballhawks like Ed Reed and Chris McAlister to current players such as Marlon Humphrey and Jimmy Smith, opposing teams have had to account for years of talent at the position.

Heading into the 2021 season, Baltimore has plenty of players ready to contribute and make an impact in their secondary. However, that could mean that the team will have to make some tough decisions when it’s time to cut the roster down to 53 players.

In reality, the Ravens will most likely keep six cornerbacks on their roster. However, that number could fluctuate in either direction based off of needs or injuries elsewhere. If Baltimore does decide to keep six corners, it would make sense for those six to be Humphrey, Smith, Marcus Peters, Tavon Young, Anthony Averett and Shaun Wade.

Those six are extremely talented players, but if no other cornerback makes the roster, it would mean that other roster candidates such as Davontae Harris, Khalil Dorsey, Chris Westry and others would be on the outside looking in. Harris and Dorsey both showed flashes with Baltimore in 2020, while Westry is an intriguing young player.

Even if the Ravens do have to part with a few talented players during cut day, they should be able to add a few cornerbacks with potential to their practice squad. Baltimore has not been fortunate over the last few seasons with injuries in their secondary, but hopefully 2021 will bring much more good fortune and the team will stay flush with healthy talent at the cornerback position.

John Harbaugh ‘looking forward’ to competition at cornerback

The Baltimore Ravens are set to have a huge training camp battle at cornerback. John Harbaugh says he’s looking forward to it

The Baltimore Ravens have a lot of depth at multiple different positions in 2021. Depth is always a good thing, but it can cause some tough decisions to have to be made when it’s time to cut the roster down to 53 players.

One of the deepest positions on Baltimore’s roster right now is cornerback. They have a mix of top-end talent as well as promising young guys, which makes their secondary dangerous. When asked about the heated competition that will ensue over the next couple of weeks, head coach John Harbaugh said that he’s “looking forward” to it.

“I think that’s a good term – heated. [I expect it to be] absolutely heated. I think [pass game coordinator/secondary] Coach [Chris] Hewitt and [defensive backs] Coach [D’Anton] Lynn have done a tremendous job with those guys throughout the course of the whole offseason, and those guys have responded very well. So, I’m looking forward to that competition that you’re talking about in training camp. It’s a very talented group, and the best players will be the guys that play the best. I can’t wait to watch it play out.”

It seems like the Ravens already have six cornerbacks who are locks to make their roster in Marlon Humphrey, Marcus Peters, Jimmy Smith, Tavon Young, Anthony Averett, and Shaun Wade. However, if the team does decide to keep only six at the position, that would mean talent players like Davontae Harris, Iman Marshall, Khalil Dorsey and other would be on the outside looking in.

As training camp and the preseason progress, certain players will begin to separate themselves from others as they fight for roster spots. However, with Baltimore already looking like they have their top six cornerbacks, it could be an uphill but fierce battle for any other available spots at the position.