Tag: Kwon Alexander

3 Thoughts before the Lions play the Bills

3 Thoughts before the Lions play the Bills in Week 15 from Lions Wire’s Russ Brown

When the Detroit Lions were getting ready to play against the Green Bay Packers last week, I was more than nervous. Did I think they were going to lose? No, not particularly but any sense of doubt came from the fact that the Lions having so many injuries on defense. Meanwhile, I just knew that the Lions were in a tough spot with their remaining schedule for the rest of the season.

Any loss could be detrimental to the Lions hopes of winning the NFC North or claiming the number one seed in the NFC.

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That feeling has since changed after last Thursday’s win against the Packers. As I mentioned on the Detroit Lions Podcast earlier this week, I said that the Lions winning that game feels like a turning point to the season. It feels like a new door has opened for Detroit and they’re the only team walking through that door. We’ll see if that holds true today against the Buffalo Bills.

With that, the Lions have to focus on one game at a time. Which, we all know, is exactly what they’re doing in their locker room. So focusing on the Lions and Bills game for today, I have three thoughts for what I’ll be watching or focusing on with this game.

Kwon Alexander and Jamal Adams fit in Detroit 

From watching the limited snaps from Alexander and Adams in their Lions debut last week against the Packers, they certainly didn’t look out of place. Despite being older players on the Lions defense (29 and 30 years old), both players still appear to have short-area quickness, and they’re able to contribute in the box.

We didn’t see Adams drop into pass coverage, but he was effective when blitzing. With him being sent off the edge, he was able to stay square to the quarterback and most importantly, Adams was able to keep Jordan Love in front of him. This forced the Packers quarterback to one side of the pocket. The question for today is whether Adams will be able to do that to Bills quarterback Josh Allen.

So far this year, Allen is 5th in the NFL for rushing yards by a quarterback with 416 rushing yards. Over the last four weeks, we’ve seen an increase in rushing from Allen. He’s generated 50 rushing yards or more in 3 out of his last 4 games. In those games, he’s had 8 carries or more. If the Bills game plan is for Allen to run more against Detroit, we could see an expanded role for Jamal Adams in this game.

 

As for Kwon Alexander, he’s still explosive and effective when triggering downhill. There were times that he got washed against the run when playing Green Bay last week, but he didn’t look out of place. Most importantly, he gives the Lions another option or potential weapon at the linebacker position.

Losing Alex Anzalone, Malcolm Rodriguez and Derrick Barnes was not on anyones bingo card this season. Fortunately, the Lions have seen consistent performances each week from Jack Campbell. Meanwhile, they’ve got Zeke Turner, David Long and now, Kwon Alexander to contribute in the middle of their defense.

Similar to Jamal Adams, I could see players such as David Long and Jack Campbell being sent on blitzes, and Alexander could be used in more of a spy-type role on Allen this week. Whatever the case may be, one thing is for sure, we should all feel confident in what the game plan is and will be for Aaron Glenn’s defense.

Jameson Williams impact on the Lions offense

Since coming back from his suspension in week 10, Jameson Williams has been one of the Lions most consistent players. Since week 10, he’s had 5 targets or more in each game and has generated 50 receiving yards or more in each game but one of them.

Additionally, these aren’t forced targets like they were earlier in the year. We all remember when Goff targeted Williams 20 times in two games to start the season and each throw felt forced. Now, the passing game has opened up and Williams is a big part of that success.

 

Whether it be a deep ball down the field or Goff anticipating Williams on a crossing pattern, the big play ability is there on every single snap. Meanwhile, Williams continues to take pride in blocking on the perimeter for his teammates.

Having Williams find success on deep and shallow crossers also helps open up so much more of the Lions passing game. As we know, Amon-Ra St. Brown can run any route in the route tree. With consistent or more attention drawn to Williams, that puts St. Brown in more one-on-one situations and he tends to feast in those situations.

Lastly, Williams tends to influence defensive backs on the post or vertical route being run on the Lions Dagger Concept. We’ve seen it run multiple times this season, and the primary top target on that Dagger Concept is Tim Patrick. This trio of wide receivers all correlate with each other, and it’s helping Jared Goff and the Lions offense to find continued success in the passing game.

For the Buffalo Bills defense, they’ve already listed cornerback Rasul Douglas out with a knee injury. Meanwhile, their starting safeties, Damar Hamlin (back, ribs) and Taylor Rapp (neck, shoulder) are questionable today. If all three players are listed as out, we could see more from Jameson Williams in the Lions passing game.

Lions Ground and Pound Game 

There’s a term in mixed martial arts (MMA) called ground and pound, and when you watch the Lions run game, it looks and feels just like that. They will pound defenses on the ground and into the ground, for that matter.

The combination of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery is the best running duo in the NFL right now. Ranked with the 4th best rushing attack in the NFL with 151.1 rushing yards per game, the Lions run game is led by Jahmyr Gibbs.

Through 13 games, he already has 1016 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns this season. His 5.7 yards per carry only ranks behind Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry for starting running backs in the NFL.

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As we know, Gibbs has earned the nickname, Sonic, and Montgomery has earned the nickname, Knuckles. But both have an element of both in their game. For example, Gibbs has no problem lowering his shoulder and running over a defender. Meanwhile, Montgomery is faster than given credit for and may be one of the most efficient runners in the NFL due to his vision and cutting ability.

For Montgomery, he only averages 4.3 yards per carry and his 771 rushing yards this season is better than just “okay.” The two running backs have combined for 10 rushing touchdowns or more in consecutive seasons and they’re the first duo to ever achieve that in NFL history.

When watching the Bills defense against the Rams last week, their interior defensive line was getting exposed. They had interior defenders revealing their chest far too frequently and they rarely fought pressure with pressure to squeeze down gaps. They were getting moved off the ball with ease and if that’s how they’re going to play against the Lions, then we could see Gibbs and Montgomery have their best games of the season.

On the road, the Bills run defense allow 130.7 rushing yards per game. In addition to that, they’ve allowed an average of 122.7 rushing yards per game in their last 3 games. Obviously, we’ll see how the game goes but I would expect a heavy dosage of Sonic and Knuckles for the Lions in this game.

 

Sean Payton explains decision to cut Josh Reynolds

“We would have liked to have been able to keep him, but as guys got healthy and came from injured reserve, we had to have space.”

Last week, the Denver Broncos cut veteran wide receiver Josh Reynolds just before his deadline to return from injured reserve.

It was a somewhat surprising decision, but if the Broncos did not activate Reynolds to the 53-man roster, the two alternatives were cutting him or leaving him on IR for the rest of the season. By waiving him, Denver gave Reynolds an opportunity to continue playing in 2024, and he was picked up by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Coming out of the bye week, Broncos coach Sean Payton was asked about the team’s decision to waive Reynolds.

“From a roster management standpoint with Josh, it just became a numbers game,” Payton explained. “He’s done a great job. We would have liked to have been able to keep him, but as guys got healthy and came from injured reserve, we had to have space. Some of the younger guys have been playing well, and I wish him the best. He’s one of those guys that helped us get to where we’re at right now.”

Courtland Sutton remains the team’s No. 1 receiver with rookie Devaughn Vele is emerging as a promising No. 2. Lil’Jordan Humphrey is a key blocker, Marvin Mims has seen his role grow this season and Troy Franklin continues to develop. With a crowded WR room and other players returning from injuries, Denver did not have room for Reynolds.

Reynolds hauled in 12 receptions for 183 yards and one touchdown in five games with the Broncos this season. He thanked the team on social media for his time in Denver after being cut last week.

Payton also recently spoke about the departure of linebacker Kwon Alexander. Last month, after the Broncos promoted linebacker Zach Cunningham from the practice squad to their active roster, Alexander joined the Detroit Lions’ active roster.

“I’m happy for Kwon,” Payton said on Nov. 30. “I had a good visit with him. We’ve been together before, and it’s a good opportunity for him, but we knew this was coming with Zach.”

Reynolds and Alexander will now get fresh starts in Jacksonville and Detroit, respectively, as the Broncos move forward with their in-house players.

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Broncos’ updated 17-player practice squad with new linebacker

After adding K.J. Cloyd, here’s a look at the Broncos’ updated 17-player practice squad.

After losing linebacker Kwon Alexander to the Detroit Lions, the Denver Broncos filled his former spot on the practice squad by signing K.J. Cloyd on Tuesday.

The NFL’s standard practice squad size limit is 16 players, but there’s an exception that allows an extra international player to not count against the limit. For Denver, Australian tight end Thomas Yassmin is an exception, giving the Broncos a 17-player practice squad.

So here’s the full list of 17 players on the squad after the recent moves.

Broncos 17-player practice squad

  1. RB Blake Watson
  2. WR Michael Bandy
  3. WR David Sills
  4. WR A.T. Perry
  5. TE Donald Parham
  6. TE Thomas Yassmin
  7. OT Cam Fleming
  8. OL Nick Garguilo
  9. OL Calvin Throckmorton
  10. DT Jordan Miller
  11. DL Matt Henningsen
  12. OLB Andrew Farmer
  13. LB K.J. Cloyd
  14. CB Reese Taylor
  15. DB Quinton Newsome
  16. DB Tanner McCalister
  17. DB Keidron Smith 

Two players can be elevated from the practice squad to the game-day roster each week.

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Broncos sign linebacker to practice squad

The Broncos have signed linebacker K.J. Cloyd to their practice squad.

The Denver Broncos have found their Kwon Alexander replacement.

The Broncos signed linebacker K.J. Cloyd to their 17-player practice squad on Tuesday, the team announced. Denver had room for Cloyd after Alexander left the practice squad to join the Detroit Lions’ active roster on Nov. 29.

Cloyd (6-2, 215 pounds) entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of Miami with the Minnesota Vikings this spring. He later joined the New York Giants and impressed in preseason, but he surprisingly did not make their 53-man roster.

Cloyd was initially signed to New York’s practice squad, only to be waived before the season started to make room for defensive back Gevarrius Owens.

Cloyd totaled 44 tackles, two sacks and one pass breakup in 13 games with the Hurricanes last fall. Before that, he spent three years at Louisville.

Denver now has four inside linebackers on the active roster — Cody Barton, Justin Strnad, Zach Cunningham and Levelle Bailey — and one linebacker (Cloyd) on the practice squad. It remains to be seen if Drew Sanders will play at ILB or OLB this fall.

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Snap count notes: Lions were all hands on deck in win over Packers

The Detroit Lions relied heavily on newcomers and depth in the Week 14 win over the Green Bay Packers, who flashed depth of their own

In Thursday night’s 34-31 win over the visiting Green Bay Packers, the Detroit Lions required all hands on deck on defense. With injuries running rampant, every healthy body was thrown into the action for Detroit.

The most glaring note from the snap counts for the Lions and Packers is this: Green Bay ran just 50 offensive plays, but Aaron Glenn still had 17 different Lions defenders play at least 10 snaps.

Four Lions played all 50:
Kerby Joseph
Jack Campbell
Terrion Arnold
Carlton Davis

Pat O’Connor worked in 41 snaps on the line, while EDGE Al-Quadin Muhammad saw action in 37. These were healthy scratches a month ago.

Tracking the newcomers to the Detroit defense:

DE Jonah Williams – 25
DT Brodric Martin – 23 (Martin had played just two all season prior to this game)
DE Myles Adams – 19
LB Kwon Alexander – 17
EDGE Mitchell Agude – 9 (practice squad elevation)
LB Jamal Adams – 8

Green Bay rolled through its own defensive depth, with an astonishing 20 different Packers players seeing at least 10 snaps. The Lions offense ran 80 plays against them, however.

The starting offensive line and QB Jared Goff played all 80, with the exception of right guard Kevin Zeitler. Rookie Christian Mahogany came in for three snaps that Zeitler missed while seeing treatment on the sidelines. They were the first three offensive snaps of Mahogany’s career.

No. 3 TE Shane Zylstra out-repped No. 4 WR Allen Robinson 16 to just five. No. 2 TE Brock Wright played 49 snaps, just four fewer than No. 3 WR (and star of the game) Tim Patrick.

At RB, Jahmyr Gibbs was on the field for 45, while David Montgomery saw 36. Simple match indicates that both were on the field for at least one snap together, which would be the first time all season that’s happened. Craig Reynolds played one snap, while rookie Sione Vaki only appeared on special teams.

Detroit did not use an extra OT in this game, which makes sense with regular No. 6 OL Dan Skipper playing at left tackle in place of an injured Taylor Decker.

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Tracking what jersey numbers all the new Lions are wearing

Tracking what jersey numbers all the new Detroit Lions signees from the past few weeks are wearing

All of the injuries across the Detroit Lions defense have led to the addition of several recent reinforcements. The Lions have signed seven new defensive players in the last couple of weeks.

Between all the comings and goings from the Lions roster, it can be hard to keep up with who is on the field at times. In that spirit, here are the jersey numbers of all the recent defensive additions to the Lions roster, including the practice squad players who might be called up to play in Week 14 against the Packers.

LB Jamal Adams – 25*

DL Myles Adams – 66

LB Kwon Alexander – 10

LB David Long – 43

S Kaevon Merriweather – 27*

LB Ezekiel Turner – 47

DL Jonah Williams – 78

*indicates currently on the Lions practice squad

Update: Not long after publication, the Buccaneers signed Merriweather off the Lions’ practice squad.

Kwon Alexander’s ironic new turn as the Lions remedy for injured LBs

New Lions LB Kwon Alexander has seen his career derailed by numerous injuries, but now Detroit needs him because of so many injuries of its own

Desperation, thy name is Kwon Alexander.

That’s where the Detroit Lions defense sits entering Week 14, with a viable entire starting defense sitting on injured reserve and two more Lions freshly added to the I.R. after injuries in the Thanksgiving win over the Bears. Desperate for healthy bodies to bridge the gap until players like Alex Anzalone and Jalen Reeves-Maybin are able to return, the Lions plucked Alexander off the Denver Broncos’ practice squad.

It’s perhaps the most ironic news of what has already been a very odd–in a good way–season for the Lions.

Alexander carries name recognition with fans from his early days with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The fleet-footed off-ball LB from LSU sparked immediately as a fourth-round pick back in 2015. In 2016, Alexander led the NFL in solo tackles. The next year, Alexander earned a Pro Bowl with nearly 100 tackles and three INTs in 12 games.

The game-faced Alexander was a rising defensive star through those first three seasons, albeit one who missed four games apiece in two of those first three years with injuries. And then the injuries came. And came. And kept coming…

2018 – torn left ACL (10 games missed)
2019 – torn pectoral (8)
2019 playoffs – torn biceps (played through it)
2020 – high ankle sprain (4)
2020 – torn right Achilles (10, including the start of 2021)
2023 – torn left Achilles (8)

Alexander made it through a 17-game season just one, the 2022 campaign with the Jets. He made a positive impact in his one year in New York, quickly emerging as the Jets’ best LB in coverage and still a willing, if not always able, chase-down tackler in the run game.

He was playing reasonably well for the Steelers last season before the Achilles injury. Working at ILB, Alexander was relied upon in coverage and clean-up tackling in the run game and, aside from a very high missed tackle rate, fit well in Pittsburgh’s read-and-attack defense.

Now the man who has missed the equivalent of three full 17-game seasons due to a litany of injuries since 2017 is tasked with being the bandage for a Detroit LB corps that has lost Reeves-Mayvin, Anzalone and now Rodriguez in the last month.

If Alexander can show in Detroit what he did pre-injury in Pittsburgh in 2023, he can immediately help cover the loss of Anzalone and Reeves-Maybin–Detroit’s top two coverage linebackers. The glimpses of playing time Alexander got in Denver midseason are promising on that front. The veteran proved to be a nice foil against Lamar Jackson in Denver’s Week 9 loss to the Ravens.

Lions fans will have to live with the missed tackles (a rate over 20 percent since 2019) and the loss of the instant burst and twitchy reactions that made him a Pro Bowler all those years ago. Detroit simply needs functional depth and the best Kwon Alexander he can still be. He’ll get the chance to prove it quickly with the Lions.

Lions waive WR, place two defenders on I.R. and sign 3 in busy day of roster moves

Lions waive WR, place two defenders on I.R. and sign 3 in busy day of roster moves following Week 13 win over Bears

Saturday was a very active one for the Detroit Lions on the roster move front. The Lions made several moves to deal with injuries across the defense.

As expected, the Lions placed LB Malcolm Rodriguez and DL Mekhi Wingo on injured reserve. Both were lost for the season with knee injuries suffered in Thursday’s Week 13 win over the Chicago Bears.

The Lions added reinforcements to the defense, signing three players from opposing practice squads to bolster the depth. The newcomers:

DL Myles Adams (Seahawks)
LB Kwon Alexander (Broncos)
DL Jonah Williams (Rams)

The acquisitions of Alexander and Williams were previously reported. Adams played for Seattle in the Week 4 matchup with Detroit, recording three tackles. The Seahawks waived Adams last week and signed him back to their practice squad, but the Lions have now poached him for the active roster.

All three of the players signed from other practice squads must remain on the Lions’ 53-man active roster for at least three weeks.

To make room for Adams, the Lions waived wide receiver and return man Maurice Alexander. Detroit had signed Alexander for Week 13 from its own practice squad to replace injured Kalif Raymond. Alexander handled return duties in the win over the Bears and averaged over 10 yards per punt return. He is eligible to return to the Lions practice squad if unclaimed by another team on Monday.

 

#Lions announce roster moves: Waived WR Maurice Alexander. Placed LB Malcolm Rodriguez and DL Mekhi Wingo on Reserve/Injured. Signed DL Myles Adams (From SEA Practice Squad), LB Kwon Alexander (from DEN Practice Squad), and DL Jonah Williams (from LAR Practice Squad) to the Active Roster.

— Detroit Lions (@detroitlions.bsky.social) November 30, 2024 at 4:25 PM

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Lions sign LB Kwon Alexander to help after more injuries hit Detroit’s defense

Lions sign LB Kwon Alexander from the Broncos practice squad to help after more injuries hit Detroit’s defense

The hits keep coming for the Detroit Lions defense this season. In addition to losing starters such as Aidan Hutchinson and Alex Anzalone, it was confirmed today that linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez tore his ACL. The injury occurred on Thursday against the Chicago Bears, and it will be a season-ending injury for Rodriguez.

Rodriguez had earned a bigger role on the Lion’s defense due to injuries to linebackers Derrick Barnes and Alex Anzalone. This season, Rodriguez had played in 10 games and started in 6 games for the Lions defense. It’s resulted in him registering 43 tackles, two tackles for loss and two sacks.

With Rodriguez being out for the rest of the season, the Lions will need to remain creative with their defense. More than likely we will see them use more of linebackers David Long Jr and Ezekiel Turner. In addition to that, it was announced today that the Lions signed linebacker Kwon Alexander.

Prior to signing with the Lions, Alexander was on the Denver Broncos practice squad for most of this season. However, he has played in 3 games with 2 starts with the Broncos this season.

Last season with the Steelers, he suffered a torn Achilles against the Packers in Week 10, and it forced him to miss the remainder of the season. Fortunately, he did find his way back onto the field with the Broncos this season. His most recent start came in Week 9 against the Baltimore Ravens.

Overall, Alexander is an experienced defender who was a 4th-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In his career, he has played in 107 career games with 90 career starts between the Buccaneers, Saints, 49ers, Steelers, Jets and Broncos. The hope is that he can help provide some consistency to a Lions defense that is in desperate need of experience and talent after all the injuries this season.

Lions poach linebacker from Broncos’ practice squad

The Lions have signed linebacker Kwon Alexander off the Broncos’ practice squad.

The Detroit Lions are poaching a linebacker from the Denver Broncos.

The Lions have signed linebacker Kwon Alexander off the Broncos’ practice squad to their own 53-man roster. Denver could have prevented it by promoting Alexander, but the team previously opted to promote Zach Cunningham from the practice squad to the active roster earlier this week.

The news was broken by ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Friday morning and has since been confirmed by multiple outlets. Detroit added Alexander after losing Malcolm Rodriguez to a knee injury on Thanksgiving.

Alexander (6-1, 227 pounds) used up his three practice squad elevations in Denver by rotating with Justin Strnad (6-3, 235 pounds) at inside linebacker from Weeks 7-9. Alexander even started two of those games and he got a season-high 31 snaps in Week 9. Strnad’s snaps dropped from 42 to 37 to 14 in the games Alexander played.

Alexander totaled eight tackles, forced one fumble and recovered one fumble in his three games with Denver before landing in Detroit.

Alexander, a 30-year-old veteran, and Cunningham joined the practice squad in September after the Broncos lost Alex Singleton to a season-ending knee injury. Cody Barton and Strnad have been starting at inside linebacker. Cunningham and Levelle Bailey will be the remaining depth options in Denver after the team lost Alexander.

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