Tag: Raymond Johnson III

Lions shake up the practice squad ahead of the NFC Championship

Lions shake up the practice squad ahead of the NFC Championship

The Lions players were off on Tuesday, but the team still wound up making a few changes to thr practice squad.

Detroit added two players to the practice squad. Offensive lineman Matt Farniok and running back Jake Funk are now among the practice squad members. Farniok spent a month on the Lions practice squad at the end of the regular season.

To make room for Funk and Farniok, the Lions placed RB Jermar Jefferson on the practice squad injured reserve list. The team also released OLB Raymond Johnson from his latest stint on the Detroit practice squad.

Lions waive TE Anthony Firkser, bring back DE to the practice squad

Lions waive TE Anthony Firkser, bring back DE to the practice squad

The Detroit Lions made another roster move on Thursday that indicates the team is ready to activate players from the injured reserve list. Alas, the Lions still haven’t officially activated anyone just yet.

Tight end Anthony Firkser was waived on Thursday. Firsker played just two offensive snaps in the last two games after being signed from the practice squad to replace injured Brock Wright. The veteran Firkser did play extensively on special teams.

Wright remains sidelined with a hip injury, but waiving Firsker is a sign that the Lions aren’t too concerned about not having their backup tight end for the Week 18 matchup with the Minnesota Vikings.

After also waiving Isaiah Buggs earlier in the week, the Lions now have two openings on the 53-man roster. Based on what head coach Dan Campbell indicated this week, those spots will be filled by DT Alim McNeill and DB C.J. Gardner-Johnson. They’re both eligible to be activated from the I.R. and have practiced this week.

The Lions did bring a defensive player back to the practice squad, too. EDGE Raymond Johnson is back after being released from the Lions’ practice squad earlier in the fall.

Lions place DT Alim McNeill on I.R. in series of roster moves

McNeill is out for at least the next four games, and the Lion shuffled some practice squad players to help replace him

The Lions escaped New Orleans with a close victory, but Detroit lost one of its best defensive players in the win.

Defensive tackle Alim McNeill left the game on three separate instances and sought attention from trainers. It turned out to be worse than head coach Dan Campbell had hoped after the game. The Lions placed McNeill on the injured reserve list on Tuesday.

The team’s top interior player will miss the next four games at minimum, with just five regular-season games remaining.

The Lions filled McNeill’s spot on the 53-man roster by signing CB Kindle Vildor from the practice squad. As for the vacancy on the defensive line, Detroit officially added veteran Tyson Alualu to the practice squad. They also added offensive lineman Matt Farniok to the practice squad and released LB Raymond Johnson off the squad to make room.

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Jersey numbers for the Lions latest player additions

The latest player additions for the Detroit Lions have decided on their jersey numbers, as well as number switches from last season.

The Detroit Lions have finalized their 53-man roster and practice squad, but as we all know, this could change at any moment. The roster now includes a mix of new and old players, and we’re excited to see what jersey numbers they’ll be wearing this season. Some players have even decided to switch their numbers from last year.

Below is the list of jersey numbers for the new players, as well as the players who have switched their numbers for this season.

Teddy Bridgewater takes over No. 10, previously held by Nate Sudfeld

Jerry Jacobs previously was 39 but switched to No. 23.

Steven Gilmore switched to No. 24 after sporting 36 through the preseason

Michael Badgley goes back to No. 17, which he held last season.

David Blough will be No. 18 this year. He previously was 10 when he was with the Lions before.

Zonovan Knight will hold No. 28 after the departure of Jermar Jefferson

Raymond Johnson will be No. 52 after the release of Christian Covington

Michael Niese will take over No. 62 with the departure of Ryan Swoboda

Darice Fountain will hold No. 84, which was previously held by Avery Davis

Quinton Bohanna will be No. 90 after Cory Durden was waived

Lions signed DE Raymond Johnson III to the practice squad

The Detroit Lions have made another addition to their practice squad with the signing of DE Raymond Johnson III

The Detroit Lions have made another addition to their practice squad with the signing of edge Raymond Johnson III.

The news was first reported by Jay Morrison.

Johnson spent the offseason with the Cincinnati Bengals, where he performed exceptionally well. Despite this, the Bengals released him, and it came as a surprise to many. During the preseason, he was the third-highest-ranked edge defender, according to PFF. Johnson was a UDFA who initially signed with the New York Giants, but he was eventually released and then signed with the Bengals last year.

The Bengals have a crowded edge group, which includes Joseph Ossai, Myles Murphy, Sam Hubbard, and Trey Hendrickson. Johnson faced tough competition, and it would have been challenging for him to make the roster. The Bengals had to make the difficult decision to let Johnson go. Their plan was to move him to the practice squad, but given his impressive preseason, it was going to be challenging.

The Lions decided to keep seven edge rushers on their initial 53-man roster, so it will be interesting to see if Johnson can earn a spot. Since the Lions did not have any edges on the practice squad, Johnson’s addition to the team will bolster their defense. With this signing, the Lions have four vacant spots left to fill for their practice squad.

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Bengals lose DE Raymond Johnson III to Lions practice squad

The Bengals preseason breakout finds a new home.

Cincinnati Bengals fans surely noticed that preseason breakout defensive end Raymond Johnson III wasn’t on the team’s official practice squad announcement.

Now we know why.

According to The Athletic’s Jay Morrison, Johnson has signed with the Detroit Lions practice squad over in the NFC.

It’s a disappointing loss for the Bengals, though not an unexpected one after the team went into the summer with near-league-best defensive line depth after adding Myles Murphy in the first round.

The Bengals will instead need to worry about the ankle injury to Jopseh Ossia, which could cost him the first one or two weeks of the season.

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5 recently cut players the Jaguars should consider adding

The Jaguars won’t pick through the waiver wire like previous years, but these five players could still catch their eye.

The Jacksonville Jaguars’ initial 53-man roster was set Tuesday, but there are also more than 1,000 new free agents for the team to parse through.

In previous seasons, the Jaguars have picked through the waiver wire to snag new talent. This year, the team doesn’t have many holes to fill.

It seems highly unlikely that Jacksonville would consider adding any receivers or running backs, and there are really only a few spots where a newcomer could have much of a chance at earning a place. And even if the Jaguars do like a player, they’re buried in the waiver wire order.

Still, Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke’s job is never really over and these five players who just hit the market could catch his eye:

Bengals surprise with release of DE Raymond Johnson III

A preseason breakout gets released by the Bengals.

The Cincinnati Bengals have turned in their first shocking release of Tuesday’s cut-down process by letting defensive end Raymond Johnson walk.

As KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson noted when reporting the move, Johnson had the third-highest PFF grade amongst edge defenders during the preseason.

The Bengals would obviously like to have Johnson back as a member of the practice squad, but his breakout surely didn’t go unnoticed by other teams. But the Bengals already had great depth at the spot, to the point first-rounder Myles Murphy might not even be active on game day early in 2023.

It’s a risk, though one the Bengals felt they had to take.

Our live-updated Bengals roster cuts tracker is live.

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Logan Ryan, James Bradberry were highest-graded Giants in Week 16

Logan Ryan and James Bradberry were the highest-graded New York Giants in Week 16, and Devontae Booker graded out well, too.

The New York Giants were completely dismantled by the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 16. The final score of 34-10 does not properly explain just how poorly the Giants played across the board.

But, as usual, there were at least a few needles in the haystack; a few players who performed at a higher level than their teammates.

Safety Logan Ryan was one of those players, earning a team-high grade of 80.5 courtesy of Pro Football Focus. He was followed closely by cornerbacks James Bradberry (75.1) and Jarren Williams (74.4).

Other notable defensive grades include linebacker Lorenzo Carter (66.5), defensive lineman Leonard Williams (60.8) and linebacker Jaylon Smith (52.8).

The lowest-graded Giants on defense were defensive lineman Raymond Johnson III (26.7) and linebacker Benardrick McKinney (25.2).

On the other side of the football, running back Devontae Booker led the way with a grade of 70.4. Behind Booker were wide receiver Kadarius Toney (69.0), right guard Will Hernandez (66.3) and left tackle Andrew Thomas (66.0).

Other notable offensive grades include running back Saquon Barkley (58.8), tight end Evan Engram (58.2) and wide receiver Kenny Golladay (55.8).

The lowest-graded Giants on offense were quarterbacks Mike Glennon (40.0) and Jake Fromm (34.2).

Rookie linebacker Elerson Smith earned the team’s highest special teams grade (91.1).

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Giants sign Azeez Ojulari, two other draft picks

The New York Giants have signed three of their six draft picks, including Azeez Ojulari, as well as three undrafted rookie free agents.

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The New York Giants officially announced the signing of three 2021 NFL draft picks on Thursday evening, including that of second-round pick Azeez Ojulari.

In addition to Ojulari, the Giants also signed running back Gary Brightwell and cornerback Rodarius Williams, both of whom were sixth-round picks.

The Giants also announced the signings of three undrafted rookie free agents — Florida offensive lineman Brett Heggie, Baylor offensive lineman Jake Burton and Georgia Southern defensive end Raymond Johnson III.

Three of New York’s six draft picks remain unsigned. They are first-round wide receiver Kadrious Toney, third-round cornerback Aaron Robinson and fourth-round edge rusher Elerson Smith.

The team’s three-day rookie minicamp will begin on Friday and run through Sunday, and full attendance is expected (22 total players).