Tag: Protected

Chiefs protect a single practice squad player for Week 14

The #Chiefs protected a single player on the practice squad ahead of their Week 14 tilt with the #Raiders.

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The Kansas City Chiefs have protected a single practice squad player ahead of their Week 14 game against the Las Vegas Raiders.

According to the NFL’s official personnel notice on Tuesday, the Chiefs protected practice squad CB Josh Jackson. As a result, no team will be able to sign Jackson away from the Kansas City practice squad this week. This is the first time the team has protected Jackson since signing him to the practice squad back in late October.

Jackson is a former second-round draft pick by the Green Bay Packers in 2018. He spent three seasons in Green Bay, recording 81 combined tackles, 12 passes defended, two fumble recoveries during that span. In August, the Packers traded Jackson to the New York Giants, who released him before he even played a snap for the team.

The Chiefs are currently dealing with some injuries at the CB spot. Special teams ace Chris Lammons hurt his ankle during the Week 13 game against the Denver Broncos, and we await news on his status for the practice week. Rashad Fenton is dealing with a knee strain that already kept him out of one game.

There’s also the possibility that Kansas City opted to protect Jackson given some injuries around the league. The Baltimore Ravens lost star CB Marlon Humphrey for the season with a torn pectoral muscle and they could be on the prowl to add a corner.

Typically, practice squad protections have signaled that the Chiefs have intentions to use a standard elevation on a player or sign them to the 53-man roster. We’ll keep you posted later this week when the team makes their transactions ahead of the Week 14 game against the Raiders.

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Lions add K Ryan Santoso to practice squad and protect him for Week 3

Santoso competed for the Lions punting job in 2018

The Detroit Lions added an old friend to the practice squad on Wednesday. The Lions brought in kicker Ryan Santoso to the 16-man practice squad.

Santoso was with the Lions in 2018 as an undrafted rookie and saw work as both a punter and a placekicker. The 6-foot-5, 250-pound Santoso has a huge leg and can capably fill in as a practice leg at either spot, though the Lions brought him in specifically as a kicker. He was with the Carolina Panthers earlier this season.

The Lions felt strong enough about Santoso that they chose him as one of the four players on this week’s protected list for the practice squad. Santoso joins S Jalen Elliott, DL Bruce Hector and QB Steven Montez on the protected list, meaning no other team can sign them from the practice squad until after Week 3 ends.

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Lions reveal the 4 protected practice squad players for Week 1

The protection means that another team cannot sign these players to their active roster until the protection ends after this week’s games are done

Fresh off creating the team’s 16-player practice squad, the Detroit Lions have revealed the first week’s protected players from the practice players.

Protecting practice squad players is a wrinkle that was added last season and carries over due to overwhelmingly positive reception from both teams and players. Each team can protect up to four players each week, which means another team cannot sign those practice squad players to their active rosters. The protection ends after the week’s games are complete.

The Lions chose to protect safety Jalen Elliott, defensive end Bruce Hector, kicker Zane Gonzalez and quarterback Steven Montez for Week 1. Montez was signed to the practice squad after cutdowns, while the others have been with Detroit since training camp.

Lions protect same 4 players, release RB Dalyn Dawkins from practice squad

The Detroit Lions made a series of practice squad moves on Tuesday, protecting the same four players as last week and releasing running back Dalyn Dawkins.

The Detroit Lions made a series of practice squad moves on Tuesday, protecting the same four players as last week — OT Dan Skipper, EDGE Kareem Martin, DT Albert Huggins, and S Bobby Price — and releasing running back Dalyn Dawkins.

Last week, after protection, Skipper, Martin, and Price were all elevated to the game-day roster and all four protected players have been elevated at least once this season.

Skipper has been elevated twice — Week’s 10 and 14 — and has exhausted his elevation eligibility. If the Lions want him to play again this season, they will need to sign him to the active roster. That could be a possibility this week, with Tyrell Crosby’s health uncertain, and Hal Vaitai still on injured reserve — though he is eligible to be removed this week, if healthy.

Price has also been elevated twice this season — Week’s 13 and 14 — but unlike Skipper, he still has one eligibility elevation remaining. Last week, Price was elevated as a COVID-19 replacement for Everson Griffen, which does not count towards the standard elevation count. Price is a candidate for elevation this week, as C.J. Moore is still dealing with an ankle injury and his status is up in the air. Price has seen 35 special teams snaps over the last two weeks, including getting some run as a starting gunner.

With Griffen out, Martin saw 11 snaps on the edge last week. And with Griffen — who announced via Instagram that he had contracted the COVID-19 virus — likely to miss this week’s game, Martin could be elevated once again. Working against him is the fact that EDGE Julian Okwara (still on IR) has been practicing for two weeks and is a candidate to return to action soon, and EDGE Trey Flowers (also still on IR) has been moving towards a potential return as well.

The Lions are getting healthier at defensive tackle — though Da’Shawn Hand still looked limited last week — but with John Penisini the only rostered nose tackle, protecting Huggins looks like an insurance move.

After three different stints on the practice squad, the Lions quietly moved on from Dawkins last night. This gives the Lions an open spot on the practice squad — which could go to RB Kerrith Whyte, who has been on the practice squad IR since the fourth week of the season.

Another potential option is quarterback Jordan Ta’amu, who had a try out with the Lions yesterday — his second try out with Detroit this season:

Lions sign DT Kevin Strong to practice squad, protect him and three others in Week 13

The Detroit Lions signed defensive tackle Kevin Strong to the practice squad and have protected him, slog with Frank Herron, Albert Huggins, and Bobby Price in Week 13.

The Detroit Lions fired general manager Bob Quinn on Saturday, but unlike the coaching situation where Darrell Bevell is replacing Matt Patricia, Quinn is being replaced by a collection of front office individuals.

Quinn’s right-hand man, Kyle O’Brien (Vice President of Player Personnel), along with Lance Newmark (Director of Player Personnel), Rob Lohman (Director of Pro Scouting), and salary cap guru Mike Disner (Vice President of Football Administration) will all contribute to keeping the Lions front office active.

Their first move since Quinn’s firing was to sign defensive tackle Kevin Strong to the practice squad. A corresponding move was not needed in this situation, as a practice squad position was available after the Lions signed wide receiver Mohamad Sanu to the active roster last Wednesday.

The Lions have been dealing with several injuries along their defensive line over the last month. Defensive lineman Trey Flowers is on injured reserve — but is cleared to begin practicing once healthy –, defensive tackle Nick Williams has missed two games this year including one just three weeks ago, while Da’Shawn Hand is currently injured and has missed the last two weeks.

Strong — who has a year and a half worth of experience in the Lions scheme — will give them immediate depth.

With Hand’s availability still in question, the Lions recognize they may need to make another move this week and they are giving themselves options to do so.

Defensive tackles Frank Herron, Albert Huggins, and Strong are all protected practice squad players this week, essentially setting up a competition on the defensive tackle depth chart.

To combat the injuries along the line, the Lions have elevated defensive linemen from the practice each of the last three weeks. Herron was elevated twice and has, in turn, exhausted his ability to be promoted again — he would need to be signed to the active roster in order to play again in 2020.

Last week, the Lions elevated Huggins, but he played on just 14 snaps and was one of Pro Football Focus’ lowest graded Lions in Week 12. Huggins still has one elevation option remaining, as does Strong who was elevated in Week 2 to replace Willilams, leaving them as easily promotable options.

The fourth player protected this week is a bit of a surprise as it deviated from what has happened all year.

For the first time this season, cornerback/gunner Dee Virgin was not protected — with the fact that he has used up both his elevations this season likely played a factor.

Instead, the Lions’ Collective Front Office opted to protect undrafted free agent safety Bobby Price. Coming out of Norfolk State, Price has flown a bit under the radar — no preseason will do that — but he is an impressively athletic ball of clay. In training camp, he didn’t appear near ready to play on defense, but with Virgin being eliminated from elevations, Price could very well be the best special teams player the Lions have on the practice squad.

Detroit Lions protect 3 practice squad players in Week 12: Mohamad Sanu, Dee Virgin, and Albert Huggins

The Detroit Lions have protected three practice squad players in Week 12: cornerback/gunner Dee Virgin, wide receiver Mohamad Sanu, and defensive lineman Albert Huggins.

The Detroit Lions have protected three practice squad players in Week 12: cornerback/gunner Dee Virgin, wide receiver Mohamad Sanu, and defensive lineman Albert Huggins.

Virgin has been protected every available week this season and has been elevated to the active roster just once, in Week 2. With Mike Ford — one of the Lions’ starting gunners — likely to be ruled out this week with a concussion, the Lions may be tempted to elevate Virgin once again.

Sanu signed with the Lions three weeks ago and has been protected in each of those weeks. Last week, with Kenny Golladay and Danny Amendola out, Sanu was elevated to the roster and played 15 snaps with zero stats accumulated. Amendola’s health is improving, but if he is not ready to return to action, Sanu would be available.

Two weeks ago, Nick Williams missed a game and Frank Herron was called up to replace him on the game-day roster. Last week Williams returned but Da’Shawn Hand missed the game and Herron was elevated once again. This week, Hand has still yet to practice, and with Herron’s elevations exhausted, the Lions protected Huggins as insurance for the defensive line.

Detroit Lions protect TE Isaac Nauta and CB Dee Virgin in Week 8

The Detroit Lions have elected to only protect tight end Isaac Nauta and cornerback Dee Virgin in Week 8.

The Detroit Lions have elected to only protect tight end Isaac Nauta and cornerback Dee Virgin in Week 8, mirroring a pattern they established at the beginning of the season. The duo was also protected in Week 7.

It’s another week where the team could have protected more but chose only to keep Nauta and Virgin from the potential of being signed away by another team.

One note on Nauta: he cannot be elevated to the active roster on game day again this year. The NFL limits a player to just two games where they are elevated from the practice squad. If the Lions want Nauta to play, they will need to sign him to the active roster and make a corresponding move. The team clearly values Nauta’s presence, but he won’t play again unless he’s signed to the active 53-man roster.

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Detroit Lions protect 3 practice squad players in Week 6

According to Tuesday’s NFL transaction wire, the Detroit Lions have elected to only protect three practice squad players in Week 6, quarterback David Blough, tight end Isaac Nauta, and cornerback/gunner Dee Virgin.

According to Tuesday’s NFL transaction wire, the Detroit Lions have elected to only protect three practice squad players in Week 6, quarterback David Blough, tight end Isaac Nauta, and cornerback/gunner Dee Virgin.

Blough, Nauta, and Virgin have been protected every available week this season, so it’s no surprise they ended up with this designation again, but with the option to protect a fourth player not taken, it does veer from what they have done in past weeks.

In previous weeks, the Lions have opted to protect a running back as their fourth option, choosing Jonathan Williams in Week 1 and Kerrith Whyte in each week after. But with Whyte being placed on the practice squad injured reserve, the Lions didn’t name another player.

At this time, it’s unclear if it’s possible for the Lions to add another protection label later — or if the Lions would want to at all — as the rule only indicates teams “may designate” up to four players “after 4:00 pm EST on the Tuesday of a game week” but doesn’t suggest a close to the window.

The Lions are not alone in protecting less than the maximum allowed, as the Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Washington Football Team also protected three or fewer players.

Chiefs protect first practice squad player of 2020 season

DT Braxton Hoyett is the first player the Kansas City Chiefs have protected in 2020.

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The Kansas City Chiefs have protected their first practice squad player of the 2020 season.

According to the NFL’s transaction report on Tuesday, the Chiefs have protected practice squad DT Braxton Hoyett. A new feature of NFL practice squads this season allows for teams to protect up to four players from poaching each week. Teams can choose four new players to be protected every Tuesday.

Last week, 21 NFL teams protected players on their practice squad, but the Chiefs were not among them. They risked all 16 of their players being signed away by other NFL teams. Now, for Kansas City, this isn’t as big of a risk as it is for other teams. Players know they have a chance to win a Super Bowl ring playing on the practice squad after seeing 2019’s practice squad players get rings ahead of the season.

Hoyett, 24, got his NFL start with the Tennesse Titans. He first signed to the Kansas City practice squad in October of 2019. He spent the entire season with the Chiefs and he eventually signed a reserve/future deal to return for the 2020 season. The 6-2 and 302-pound defender is known as a run-stuffer on the defensive line.

It makes sense for the team to protect Hoyett from poaching this week. Rotational DT Khalen Saunders suffered a dislocated elbow in Week 1 against the Houston Texans. This certainly signals that Saunders could miss the Week 2 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers and that Hoyett could be elevated to provide depth at the position. Either way, the Chiefs want to ensure they have a suitable replacement available for Sunday.

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