Tag: Morice Norris

Lions place 2 defensive starters on I.R., sign WR Tim Patrick to the active roster

The Detroit Lions place 2 defensive starters on I.R. and sign WR Tim Patrick to the active roster

Tuesday tends to be roster move day for the Detroit Lions, and that proved true even in an odd week where Tuesday is Monday, thanks to the schedule.

On a Tuesday where there was activity in Allen Park due to the Lions playing on Monday Night Football next week, the team made a couple of expected roster moves. Linebacker Derrick Barnes and EDGE Marcus Davenport were placed on injured reserve with injuries suffered in Detroit’s Week 3 win over the Cardinals in Arizona on Sunday.

Davenport is expected to miss the rest of the season. Barnes has some chance of playing later in the year, based on head coach Dan Campbell’s comments.

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With one of the roster openings, the Lions signed veteran WR Tim Patrick from the practice squad to the active roster. Patrick had been a game-day elevation in the past two games and was widely expected to earn a spot on the 53-man roster.

The other opening remains vacant for now. However, the Lions did sign rookie DB Morice Norris to the practice squad. Norris made some positive noise early in training camp as an undrafted free agent from Fresno State, and he can play cornerback or safety.

The Lions added some serious speed to the secondary in Javelin Guidry

The Lions added some serious speed to the secondary in Javelin Guidry, who clocked one of the fastest 40 times in Scouting Combine history

In a roster move that slid under the radar because it took place just before Wednesday’s practice, the Detroit Lions added cornerback Javelin Guidry to the den. Guidry spent the last four seasons with the New York Jets, including the entire 2023 season on the Jets’ injured reserve.

The 5-foot-9 Guidry immediately takes the throne of “fastest man on the Lions defense.” He’s one of the fastest players in NFL Scouting Combine history. Coming out of Utah in the 2020 NFL Draft, Guidry clocked a blazing 4.29 40-yard dash. Guidry also posted 21 reps on the bench press, by far the most of any player who has ever broken the 4.3-second mark in the 40.

To this point, that’s been the career apex for Guidry, who went undrafted despite the incredible speed. He started five games over three seasons with the Jets, playing in all 17 games in 2021. Just as was the case at Utah, Guidry’s considerable athletic gifts just didn’t translate effectively to playing defense consistently. He allowed a QB Rating of over 120.0 in all three seasons, and also sports a career missed tackle rate of 10 percent. Guidry did play some on special teams but has never been a returner, not even at Utah.

He tore ligaments in his knee during joint practices with the Buccaneers last summer and reverted to the Jets’ injured reserve. With only a handful of practices and two preseason games left, it’s going to be very tough for Guidry to prove he’s anything more than a healthy body for a team missing its top three cornerbacks from practice due to injuries.

The 26-year-old Guidry is taking the roster spot of another injured cornerback, undrafted rookie Morice Norris, who was waived with injury status on Wednesday. Norris had played well early in camp.