Tag: Quintez Cephus

Detroit Lions Week 9 rookie report: Welcome back Quintez Cephus

Examining the Detroit Lions rookie roles as they prepare to take on the Minnesota Vikings in Week 9.

The Detroit Lions are headed to Minnesota to take on the Vikings today in the hopes of bouncing back from last week’s gut-wrenching loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

Much like the Lions, Minnesota has underperformed this season but has showed some real flashes of potential. Last week, the Vikings beat out the Packers in an impressive display in the running game — something that the Lions struggled against last week.

This will be a tough divisional matchup for Detroit, and one that may define the rest of their season. A win pushes the Lions to 4-4, a loss makes it a resounding 3-5, likely taking away any chances at a postseason.

Here’s what to expect from the rookies of the Detroit Lions this week:

CB Jeff Okudah

Okudah will likely move down to the reserves now that starting cornerback Desmond Trufant is healthy.

Don’t let this demotion make you think that the third-overall pick has been a bust in Detroit. It’s quite the opposite, actually. Okudah has shown improvement every week that he’s been on the field this season. Right now, he’s just still learning the ropes of the NFL, and Trufant along with second-year cornerback Amani Oruwariye are just better at the moment.

Expect Okudah to be the primary backup cornerback behind Trufant and Oruwariye. Justin Coleman will likely play in the slot, making Okudah the fourth corner on the depth chart but coudl see time in a possible rotation.

RB D’Andre Swift

If Swift is to make an impact in this game, it will have to be on the ground. The running back has been praised for his ability as a pass-catcher out of the backfield, but to his dismay, the Vikings haven’t let a running back score a receiving touchdown yet this season. To make it worse for the rookie, no running back has had more than 27 receiving yards against Minnesota in 2020.

Swift, for some reason, has had to share his snaps with Adrian Peterson, despite the rookie showing plenty of flashes of potential. The Vikings have allowed over 100 rushing yards per game this year, so hopefully Swift can make an impact there.

Expect the rookie running back to assume receiving and third-down duties for this game, and hope that he gets more attention than Adrian Peterson in the run game.

OL Jonah Jackson and Logan Stenberg

Jackson has started every game this season, and will continue to do that this week. The question for this game is, where will he line up?

Starting guard Joe Dahl has been ruled out for this matchup and starting guard/tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai is a bit banged up. Depending on what the Lions choose to do, Jackson could end up on either the left or right sides of the offensive line.

Stenberg is once again inactive.

WR Quintez Cephus

Cephus played in the first two games of the season while Kenny Golladay was out with an injury. Golladay will be out for the unforeseeable future with a hip injury and Jamal Agnew has been ruled out as well, meaning that Cephus should be seeing the field for the first time since week 4.

Expect him to back up Marvin Jones and Marvin Hall on the outside. But don’t rule out his ability to create some mismatches as a big-bodied slot receiver.

DL John Penisini

Penisini took 14-percent of defensive snaps in week 1. By week 8, he was on the field for over 60-percent of defensive snaps.

The rookie nose tackle has exceeded any and all expectations of him for this season. While his stat line looks bleak with just 11 tackles, two of which went for a loss, Penisini has done an exceptional job at creating pressure in the middle of the defensive line and helping contribute to big plays against the run.

Expect his snap counts to start plateauing a little this week as he will be sharing his snaps with Danny Shelton, Nick Williams, and Da’Shawn Hand. The rookie will have a tough assignment against Vikings’ Dalvin Cook, who decimated Green Bay’s defense last week for 163 rushing yard and four total touchdowns.

Report: Kenny Golladay expected to miss Week 9 versus the Vikings and is week-to-week with hip injury

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport is reporting that Detroit Lions wide receiver Kenny Golladay expected to miss Week 9 versus the Minnesota Vikings with a hip injury.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport is reporting that Detroit Lions wide receiver Kenny Golladay expected to miss Week 9 versus the Minnesota Vikings with a hip injury.

Rapoport would go on to say that Golladay was week-to-week and a potential candidate for short-term injured reserve — now that the new NFL rules would only keep him out three weeks — but nothing was determined at this time.

After playing on just 18 first-half snaps on Sunday, Golladay pulled up on a route and immediately called to the sideline to be replaced. He would go into the locker room and not return for the remainder of the game.

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Golladay also missed the first two games of the season and was replaced in the starting lineup by rookie Quintez Cephus. Cephus held his own but has been relegated to a healthy scratch the last two weeks as the Lions have opted for specialty players like Jamal Agnew and Isaac Nauta.

With Cephus out last Sunday, the Lions turned to Marvin Hall who saw 42 snaps and produced four catches on seven targets for 113 yards as the Lions “Z” wide receiver.

If Golladay does indeed miss this week’s game, or several thereafter, the Lions will have to decide if they want to go back to the rookie or give Hall another shot to replicate his outing.

Stay tuned to Lions Wire for more news on Golladay’s health as updates become available.

Detroit Lions Week 8 rookie report: Jeff Okudah to start again

Examining the Detroit Lions rookie roles in their Week 8 matchup with the Indianapolis Colts.

As the season has progressed, the rookies of the Detroit Lions have seen their roles increase and the Lions are hosting the Indianapolis Colts this week with the hopes of coming out of this game with a winning record.

Here’s what to expect from the Lions’ rookies this week:

CB Jeff Okudah

With Desmond Trufant once again ruled out, Okudah will be the starter alongside Amani Oruwariye on the outside, with Justin Coleman — who was just activated from IR — starting in the slot.

The Colts’ passing game has been on the rise throughout the year, and with the return of their second-round pick Michael Pittman, the Lions cornerback group will have a tough assignment waiting for them.

RB D’Andre Swift

The Colts have a stout run defense, which does not bode well for the rookie D’Andre Swift.

Indianapolis has allowed an average of just 88 rushing yards per game in 2020, with the lowest being a mere 28 yards. To make matters worse for Swift, they have only allowed about 30 receiving yards by running backs per game.

Swift, who is the most skilled receiver in the Lions backfield, will have to overcome a lot against Indianapolis and their Top-5 defense.

OL Jonah Jackson and Logan Stenberg

Jackson’s role as the starting left guard has been written in pen for most of the season, but injuries on the offensive line might change that up this week.

Left tackle Taylor Decker is listed as questionable for this game, and if he’s out, the Lions will have some reshuffling to do along the line. Decker’s absence would mean that either Tyrell Crosby or Halapoulivaati Vaitai would fill that role. That would mean that Jackson will potentially slide over to right guard and Joe Dahl or Oday Aboushi would fill in on the left side.

If Decker is good to go, expect Jackson to retain his role as the starting left guard.

Stenberg is still developing and has not appeared in a game yet this season. Even with the potential shakeup on the offensive line, he may still end up as an inactive.

WR Quintez Cephus

Cephus is the sixth receiver on this roster, and that isn’t expected to change anytime soon. The rookie will most likely be inactive for this matchup.

DL John Penisini

Penisini might be the most pleasant surprise of this rookie class.

The front office clearly has faith in the sixth-round rookie, as his snap counts have been on the rise from week to week. Against the Falcons last week, the rookie nose tackle was on the field for nearly half of all defensive snaps.

His stat line may not show it, but the rookie has been great against the run. He’ll have a real challenge going up against Quenton Nelson and the rest of the athletic Colts offensive line.

Indianapolis’ run game has been on the decline in recent weeks, so Penisini and the Lions defense have a big opportunity to make some plays.

Detroit Lions Week 8 inactives: Desmond Trufant OUT, Taylor Decker ACTIVE

The Detroit Lions have declared their Week 8 inactive list ahead of their game with the Indianapolis Colts.

The Detroit Lions have declared their Game Day inactives for their Week 8 matchup with the Indianapolis Colts.

The Lions elected to not elevate any players from the practice squad this week, meaning they enter today’s game with 53-players on their roster. Additionally, because they have kept eight offensive linemen on their active game-day roster, they are now eligible to expand their roster from 46- to 48-players — meaning they only need to declare five players inactive (instead of the traditional seven).

Here are those five players.

Lions inactives list

  • CB Desmond Trufant (hamstring)
  • QB David Blough
  • WR Quintez Cephus
  • IOL Logan Stenberg
  • CB Mike Ford

Trufant will miss another week with the lingering hamstring issue he suffered in Week 1. He tried to come back in Week 4 and reinjured it, so no surprise the Lions are taking it slow with his return this second go around. Amani Oruwariye, Jeff Okudah, and Justin Coleman — who was just activated from IR — are expected to start.

Blough should continue to be a weekly inactive as long as Matthew Stafford and Chase Daniel are healthy. The same can be said about Stenberg and the eight offensive linemen ahead of him on the depth chart.

The Lions have shifted to more three tight end sets of late, which has led to Cephus — the Lions sixth option at wide receiver — being a healthy scratch.

Ford will be missed on special teams but he is further down on the cornerback’s depth chart, thus him being inactive today.

Colts inactive list

Lions’ Rookie Report: Roles become more clear headed into Week 7

Examining the Detroit Lions rookie roles as the face off against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 7.

With the Detroit Lions heading to Atlanta to face off against the Falcons, they have a chance to break even on their record at 3-3 with a win.

Unfortunately, as the week’s have gone on, their 2020 rookie class has slowly been dropping off of the active roster. Third-round pick Julian Okwara was recently placed on the injured reserve list after suffering an injury against the Jaguars. Fourth-round pick Logan Stenberg and fifth-rounder Quintez Cephus have found themselves as healthy scratches in recent weeks.

For some good news, it appears that the rest of the rookie class have their roles clearly defined for the rest of the season.

Here’s what to expect from the Lions’ rookie class this week against Atlanta:

CB Jeff Okudah

With Desmond Trufant ruled out once again, Okudah will assume the starting role at cornerback alongside Amani Oruwariye.

Despite some struggles early on in the season, the third-overall draft pick in 2020 looks like he’s finally getting acclimated to the level of play in the NFL.

He’ll have a touch matchup this week against one of the best wide receiver duos in the NFL: Atlanta’s Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley.

This game looks like it could easily be a shootout, so don’t expect Okudah to be shutting down either of those receivers in this matchup. Falcon’s quarterback Matt Ryan has only thrown three picks thus far in 2020, so a second career interception for Okudah seems unlikely.

RB D’Andre Swift

Swift tricked the league into thinking he would just be utilized on third downs and designed passing plays to running backs. Little did we know that he could be an even more versatile weapon for the Lions offense.

The rookie rushed for 116 yards last week against Jacksonville and could likely see more playing time on run plays.

He’ll have a tough matchup against the Falcons’ stout run defense, who held Minnesota to just 32 rushing yards last week and have not allowed more than 130 all season.

Atlanta has also allowed an average of almost 54 receiving yards by running backs per game this year, so if Swift wants to make an impact today, he’ll have to do it as a receiver.

OL Jonah Jackson and Logan Stenberg

To Lions fans’ dismay, the guard rotation on the offensive line is back.

For Jonah Jackson, this meant that his share of snap counts went from 100-percent to just 77- percent last week and could do the same this week.

Jackson has played exceptionally well so far for Detroit in both the running and passing games. Expect him to start at left guard, and hope that the Lions come to their senses and don’t rotate anyone in for him.

Stenberg, as mentioned earlier, has been inactive for most of his rookie year, and has yet to touch the field when he was suited up on game day. With the offensive line looking healthy, don’t expect much from this rookie.

WR Quintez Cephus

Like Stenberg, Cephus has seen his role diminish due to the Lions staying healthy on offense.

Kenny Golladay’s return and subsequent success on offense has lead to Cephus being pushed down to the reserves. With no injuries at receiver this week, expect the rookie to be inactive.

DL John Penisini

Penisini has seen a gradual rise in his share of snap counts on defense every week this season, with him now on the field for about a third of the time.

The Lions are getting more creative when finding ways to line up the defensive line. Penisini found himself as the primary nose tackle several times against Jacksonville, with starting nose tackle Danny Shelton occasionally being pushed out to the 3T role.

The Lions held the Jaguars to a mere 42 rushing yards last week and will now be tasked with stopping former Pro Bowler Todd Gurley.

Expect Penisini’s role to increase slightly again this week as he gets more acclimated with the NFL and it’s style of play.

Former Badger Quintez Cephus on NFL 360

In the latest episode of NFL 360, Quintez Cephus appeared in a segment that looked into his life growing up, his time at Wisconsin, and t…

In the latest episode of NFL 360, Quintez Cephus appeared in a segment that looked into his life growing up, his time at Wisconsin, and the discrimination that he faced along the way.

A good portion of the video focused on Cephus’ experience after being acquitted of two counts of sexual assault, and the impact his father’s murder on him.

The Macon, Ga. native talked extensively about his father’s impact on his life, and how he was a big part of helping Cephus achieve his dream of playing in the NFL.

Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

Cephus even said that he used his father’s memory as motivation in his last season with Wisconsin by having his initials on the back of his helmet and by carrying the obituary with him during every game.

Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

It is really interesting to hear more about the life of Quintez Cephus and the struggles that he has overcome in his life.

Watch the emotional 8 minute video on nfl.com. 

Rookie Expectations for Lions at Cardinals in Week 3

Expect the Detroit Lions to get a lot of work from their rookies against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 3, with two of them destined for starting roles.

The Detroit Lions are headed to the desert to take on the Arizona Cardinals in Week 3 of the 2020 season. Expect the Lions to get a lot of work from five if their rookies, with two of them destined for starting roles.

Let’s take a look at what we’re expecting out of the Lions’ rookies today:

CB Jeff Okudah

Okudah’s NFL debut last week was nothing to write home about. The rookie had a tough assignment to cover three-time Pro Bowler Davante Adams and was left in the agile receiver’s dust on multiple plays.

This week, with Desmond Trufant ruled OUT, Okudah will potentially have to cover the Cardinals DeAndre Hopkins, one of the league’s best wide receivers. Hopkins has caught 88-percent of passes thrown his way for 219 yards and a touchdown over the last two games. The three-time first-team All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowler makes the best defensive backs in the NFL look like rookies, so Okudah could be in for a long day.

Expect Okudah to start at cornerback this week, but don’t expect him to have much success against Arizona’s offense.

RB D’Andre Swift

Swift has had quite the rollercoaster of a rookie season so far. After scoring his first career touchdown and later dropping a would-be game-winning touchdown in Week 1, Swift went on to catch five passes for 60 yards a week later.

This week, he will go up against the Arizona Cardinals defense, which has allowed an average of almost 80 receiving yards by running backs so far this season.

Despite playing behind Adrian Peterson and Kerryon Johnson on the depth chart, Swift is one of the top contributors on Detroit’s offense.

Given that Swift appears to have cemented his role as a receiving option from the backfield, expect him to make an impact during this matchup in Arizona.

RG Jonah Jackson

Jackson has started at right guard for the past two games and has held his own for the most part, only allowing one sack on Matthew Stafford and committing one false start penalty in those two games.

His run blocking has looked promising thus far, as the Lions’ running backs have performed well over the last two weeks. Arizona’s defense is credited with seven sacks and 14 quarterback hits so far this season, so Jackson will have a lot on his plate this week.

Expect Jackson to start at right guard again in this game versus Arizona. His successes in both run and pass blocking could improve if right tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai is active.

JACK Julian Okwara

Okwara took just seven snaps on defense in Week 1 and was inactive the following week. While it is unclear whether or not he’ll take the field on Sunday, it is near-certain that he be contributing very little on defense.

OL Logan Stenberg

Stenberg has yet to play a snap as a pro, and that isn’t likely to change this week. If he is active, he will be sitting behind both Kenny Wiggins and Oday Aboushi on the depth chart.

WR Quintez Cephus

Cephus has been getting some playing time with the first-team offense while Kenny Golladay was sidelined with a hamstring injury. Golladay appears to be ready to make his debut this season, so Cephus will likely be demoted back to the fourth-option.

NT John Penisini

Penisini will once again serve as the backup nose tackle behind Danny Shelton on the defensive line. The rookie has taken just 27 defensive snaps this season but has yet to record any stats. With Arizona’s starting center Mason Cole ruled out for this game, Penisini and the Lions defensive line may have more opportunities to make plays against the run.

TE Hunter Bryant

The undrafted tight end has been ruled out once again due to his hamstring injury. This is the third week in a row he will be unable to play.

WATCH: Wisconsin NFL players week two highlights

Tuesday night, Wisconsin Football tweeted highlights from former Wisconsin players in the NFL during week two, and it does not disappoint…

Tuesday night, Wisconsin Football tweeted highlights from former Wisconsin players in the NFL during week two, and it does not disappoint. It was an exciting week for many Badger fans as Jonathan Taylor got his first 100-yard rushing game, Quintez Cephus got his first start, Alec Ingold scored the first touchdown in Allegiant Stadium, and the Watt brothers had massive impacts for their teams. The video includes a game highlight from J.J. Watt, Jonathan Taylor, Melvin Gordon, Russell Wilson, Alec Ingold, T.J. Watt, and Derek Watt.

Wisconsin has proven that it can make players NFL ready, and this video of former Wisconsin players serves as a reminder that Badgers are performing at a high level all over the league. Hopefully, we will get to see more highlights of some other Wisconsin rookies like Zack Baun and Tyler Biadasz as the season goes on.

Former Wisconsin WR Quintez Cephus made his first NFL start for the Detroit Lions

Although many may be talking about former Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor’s outstanding week two performance of over 100 rushing y…

Although many may be talking about former Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor’s standout week two performance of over 100 rushing yards, we should not ignore that Quintez Cephus made his first start as a Detroit Lion after a week one injury to Kenny Golladay.

Cephus did not see many targets because of the talented Green Bay Packer defense that helped them win easily 42-21, but he still finished the day with three catches for 54 receiving yards and a long reception of 36 yards. Cephus ranked third in receiving yards for the Lions behind T.J. Hockenson and D’Andre Swift.

Quintez Cephus continues to work his way up the Lions depth chart after starting the season as a bubble player to make the team. His outstanding play has moved him all the way to the fourth receiver in the Detroit Lions rotation, and after the injury to Golladay, into the starting lineup. We will definitely be seeing more of Cephus in weeks to come as his performance continues to warrant more playing time and targets.

Lions rookie report: Expectations for Lions at Packers in Week 2

Projecting expectations for Detroit Lions rookies as they travel to Green Bay to take on the Packers in Week 2.

After a quiet showing in Week 1, will the rookies of the Detroit Lions be able to make an impact versus the Green Bay Packers?

The Lions have announced several roster moves and have had more than their fair share of injuries since the season began, leaving an opportunity for some members of their 2020 rookie class to make an impact.

Here’s what to expect from Detroit’s rookies this week against the Packers:

CB Jeff Okudah

Okudah missed the first game of the season due to a hamstring injury but will make his NFL debut today against Green Bay as he was a full participant in practices all week.

The third-overall pick from this year’s draft will likely start on defense opposite Amani Oruwariye while Desmond Trufant recovers from a hamstring injury.

It’s hard to know what to expect from the rookie cornerback, as we haven’t been able to see much of him in training camp or practice due to his injury, but there is a reason he was regarded as the best defensive back in this year’s draft. Hopefully, his college production will translate quickly to the pros.

RB D’Andre Swift

After a heartbreaking debut against the Bears, Swift will be determined to bounce back in Week 2.

The rookie running back wasn’t utilized much on offense last week — only getting six touches — and was the third back off the bench behind both Adrian Peterson and Kerryon Johnson. Despite all that, he did prove that he can be of value to the team both in the passing game and two-minute offense.

Expect his role to remain the same this week.

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RG Jonah Jackson

Jackson was the Lions’ starting right guard last week, playing 90-percent of snaps on offense, and will reprise that role again this week.

His debut wasn’t perfect as he committed one false start penalty and was credited with allowing one sack from Bears’ defensive tackle Akiem Hicks. This week, he’ll have to brush off those rookie mistakes and prepare to face off against Green Bay’s elite pass rush.

JACK Julian Okwara

The younger Okwara brother had a near-silent game against Chicago, with just seven snaps on defense. He isn’t expected to contribute much on defense beyond a situational pass-rushing role but should see a lot of time on special teams.

OL Logan Stenberg

Despite a change-up to the starting offensive line this week, Stenberg likely won’t make his debut as a Lion today. He was a game-day inactive in Week 1, and is still sitting behind Oday Aboushi and Kenny Wiggins on the depth chart.

WR Quintez Cephus

Judging by the way he was utilized on offense last week, it’s clear that the Lions front office has confidence in the rookie fifth-round pick. In fact, he was the most-targeted receiver out of all rookies in the league. But despite having ten passes thrown his way, he was only to come away with three receptions.

With Kenny Golladay out again this week, expect Cephus to get the nod as a starter alongside Marvin Jones Jr. and Danny Amendola.

NT John Penisini

Though he didn’t see the field much in Week 1, Penisini may have more of an opportunity against the Packers. With starting defensive tackle Nick Williams designated out due to injury, the rookie out of Utah will likely split his snaps with Kevin Strong, who was called up from the practice squad and serves as the only other backup defensive tackle on the roster.

Both will still sit behind Da’Shawn Hand and Danny Shelton on the depth chart, but the chance of earning more defensive snaps has gone up this week.

TE Hunter Bryant

Bryant has been ruled out for the second week in a row due to a lingering hamstring injury.