Tag: release

Breaking Report: the Lions are releasing Damon Harrison

Report: the Lions are releasing Damon Harrison

Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Lions are releasing nose tackle Damon Harrison.

After an injury-prone 2019 season that saw his play take a drastic decline, and culminating in an emotional post-game interview where Harrison admitted he was contemplating retirement, the Lions are making a proactive decision to move on.

Harrison was acquired by the Lions in a trade with the New York Giants halfway through the 2018 season and he immediately paid dividends on the Lions defensive line.

Expected to be the anchor on the defensive line, Harrison plays one of the most critical roles in the Lions 2-gapping/multiple scheme. When he struggled last season, the players around him struggled as well.

With Harrison now gone, the Lions are left with third-year undrafted John Atkins as the most experienced nose tackle on the active roster, with undrafted Olive Sagapolu as the only reserve after signing a futures deal in January.

The Lions will incur a $5 million cap hit by releasing Harrison, but they will also free up an additional $6.75 million in cap space to find his replacement.

Replacing Harrison this offseason will be one of the important decisions general manager Bob Quinn will make and he will have options to choose from. Nose tackle — and potential 2020 free agent — D.J. Reader has experience in an identical role with the Texans and would be a tremendous option in free agency. There will also be an increased uptick in mock drafts that pair the Lions with Auburn’s Derrick Brown, one of the top defensive linemen in the draft.

At this time, it is not clear if Harrison wishes to continue his NFL career or retire from professional football.

Browns release DE Chris Smith months after his girlfriend’s death (Brownswire)

The Browns released defensive end, Chris Smith, two days after the 27-year-old was a healthy scratch versus the Steelers Sunday.

The Browns released defensive end, Chris Smith, two days after the 27-year-old was a healthy scratch versus the Steelers Sunday.

Browns release DE Chris Smith months after his girlfriend’s death

The Browns released defensive end, Chris Smith, two days after the 27-year-old was a healthy scratch versus the Steelers Sunday.

The Browns released defensive end, Chris Smith, two days after the 27-year-old was a healthy scratch versus the Steelers Sunday.

Lions announce release of OT Dan Skipper, what does that mean for the roster?

The Detroit Lions have announced that they have released reserve offensive tackle Dan Skipper. So what does that mean for the team moving forward?

The Detroit Lions have announced that they have released reserve offensive tackle Dan Skipper. No corresponding roster move was announced at this time.

So what does that mean for the team moving forward?

With starting right tackle Rick Wagner able to put together a full practice on Thursday, signs point towards him nearing his return from the NFL’s concussion protocol — he only requires medical clearance from an independent doctor — and the need for an additional offensive tackle was no longer necessary.

What the Lions do need is a fullback, after placing starting fullback Nick Bawden on injured reserve on Wednesday.

It’s possible the Lions will fill their remaining spot on the roster by adding a free agent — they recently worked out four fullbacks on Tuesday, per Adam Caplan — or they could make a waiver claim, but there’s also a real possibility the Lions promote a player from their practice squad.

The name I suggested yesterday was tight end Isaac Nauta who has experience working out of the backfield as an H-back at Georgia and during training camp with the Lions this past offseason.

Expect the Lions to announce their corresponding move tonight or tomorrow morning before their final practice of the week.

Bucs cut former first-rounder Vernon Hargreaves before Saints game

WR Michael Thomas and the New Orleans Saints will play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers without top CB Vernon Hargreaves, who was released Tuesday.

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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made a big move at cornerback, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Schefter reported that Tampa Bay cut starting cornerback Vernon Hargreaves, their former first-round pick in 2016 out of Florida. Hargreaves had played the third-most defensive snaps of all Buccaneers this season (582), including 46 snaps last Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals. Hargreaves will now go on waivers.

Their pass defense was ranked worst in the league, so some change was inevitable. It’s just strange to outright cut someone who led his position in playing-time at this point in the season, even if Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians benched Hargreaves late in the game for a perceived lack of hustle.

Hargreaves’ release might look as if it’s coming at a strange time, but it makes some sense; at a distant third-place in the NFC South with a 3-6 record, the Buccaneers are shifting their focus towards self-evaluating and figuring out which players will still be here next year. Cutting a former top draft pick sends a clear message that no one is safe, and lacking effort won’t be tolerated.

So what does this mean for the New Orleans Saints? They’re inbound for Tampa Bay, bringing a receiving corps that’s pretty much been a one-man show. Michael Thomas has caught 86 passes this year, while the other wide receivers (Ted Ginn Jr. Tre’Quan Smith, Deonte Harris, and Austin Carr) have combined for 30 receptions. New Orleans has had to get creative in its use of pass-catching tight ends, running backs, fullbacks, and quarterback Taysom Hill to try and pick up the slack.

Sunday should be another big game for Thomas. He dropped a season-high 182 receiving yards on Tampa Bay in their last meeting inside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, outmuscling every defensive back they tried to assign to him. And he did that with Teddy Bridgewater at quarterback. Without Hargreaves on the field and with Drew Brees throwing to him, there’s no reason Thomas should slow down any time soon.

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