Morice Norris – Syndication Server

Lions bring back safety Morice Norris

Norris played in relief of injured Ifeatu Melifonwu in the loss to the Commanders as an undrafted rookie

While the Lions are hemorrhaging coaches to various other teams after the season-ending loss to the Washington Commanders, the Detroit front office continues to keep several players in the den. The latest is defensive back Morice Norris.

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The undrafted rookie from Fresno State played extensively in the loss to Washington, filling in for an injured Ifeatu Melifonwu down the stretch. Norris can play either safety or cornerback and was noted for his blitzing prowess while in college.

Unlike other recent additions who were signed to reserve/future contracts, Norris is an addition to the 53-man roster. He was on the team’s active roster when the season ended, so he was ineligible for reserve/future contract status

Lions roster moves: Tom Kennedy released, Morice Norris back on practice squad

The Detroit Lions made a couple of roster moves on Thursday in advance of Sunday night’s matchup with the Minnesota Vikings.

Wide receiver Tom Kennedy was released after a stint on the active roster. Kennedy has served as the Lions primary return man for the last two games.

The Lions also brought back DB Morice Norris to the team’s practice squad. Norris made his NFL debut on special teams in the Week 17 win over the 49ers. He was released on Tuesday and cleared waivers.

Kennedy’s release could be a sign that regular return man Kalif Raymond is ready to return from injured reserve.

Lions waive rookie DB after win over 49ers

Lions waive rookie DB Morice Norris after the win over 49ers, perhaps an indication that Alex Anzalone is ready to return

On Monday night, Morice Norris made his NFL debut as a Detroit Lions defensive back. An undrafted rookie from Fresno State, Norris played on special teams in the Lions’ Week 17 win over San Francisco after being signed to the active roster over the weekend.

Norris’ stay on the Lions active roster was a brief one. The Lions released Norris on Tuesday.

With no correlating roster move, waiving Norris could be a sign that the Lions are poised to activate LB Alex Anzalone from the injured reserve list. Head coach Dan Campbell indicated after Monday night’s win that Anzalone is close to being ready. Adding the team captain and starting linebacker into the lineup after missing several weeks with a broken arm would be a great boost for the Lions in the winner-take-all matchup against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.

Lions add rookie CB, bring back Kwon Alexander

Lions add rookie CB Morice Norris to the active roster and bring back LB Kwon Alexander to the practice squad

It wouldn’t be a Lions weekend without some roster moves. With the Lions heading to San Francisco for a Monday night date with the 49ers in Week 17, Detroit added one player to the active 53-man roster and brought another back to the practice squad.

Defensive back Morice Norris was signed from the practice squad to the active roster. Norris is an undrafted rookie from Fresno State who has played both safety and slot CB for the Lions during training camp and preseason. In college, the 5-11 dynamo was known for his blitzing ability — he led the Bulldogs in plays behind the line of scrimmage in his senior season.

The Lions also brought back linebacker Kwon Alexander to the practice squad, as was expected when Detroit let the veteran go earlier in the week. Alexander played in two games for Detroit as an emergency linebacker due to rampant roster injuries.

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.