Tag: Tommylee Lewis

Tommylee Lewis joins Dede Westbrook for Vikings free agents tryouts

Former New Orleans Saints wide receiver Tommylee Lewis joined ex-Jaguars draft pick Dede Westbrook for a free agent tryout with the Vikings:

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The Minnesota Vikings reported some free agent tryout news to the daily NFL transactions wire that New Orleans Saints fans might find interesting. Minnesota hosted free agent wide receivers Dede Westbrook and Tommylee Lewis on Saturday, with quarterback Jackson Erdmann throwing to them.

Westbrook has been a trendy pick by fans on social media hoping for reinforcements following news of Michael Thomas’ prolonged absence after ankle surgery. And Lewis has always seemed to reappear with the Saints over the years, with some fans speculating he could get another call now that New Orleans has a spot open in the training camp rotation.

Lewis, 28, caught on with the Saints as an undrafted rookie out of Northern Illinois back in 2016. He went on to catch 21 passes in 39 regular season (also taking the field in four playoff games) while doing the bulk of his work on special teams, where he averaged 9 yards per attempt on 45 tries as a punt returner.

Westbrook, 27, has a larger body of work (160 receptions in 40 regular season games, with three postseason appearances, plus an average of 9.8 yards on 47 punt returns), and most of the media focus in Minnesota has rightfully centered on him. But he and Lewis aren’t too far apart at this point in their careers — each caught just one pass last season, with Lewis gaining 5 yards against Westbrook’s 4 yard-pickup.

The workout went well for Westbrook, who spoke glowingly about his experience with the Vikings organization. We’ll see if he leaves town without a contract or if the Saints show interest in either him or Lewis. For now, it seems New Orleans is content to work with who they already have.

Update: NFL insider Josina Anderson reports that Westbrook intends to sign a one-year contract with Minnesota on Sunday. So that’s that. The Saints’ already-limited options just got thinner.

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Saints downgrade Deonte Harris, report multiple roster moves before Eagles kickoff

The New Orleans Saints lost WR Deonte Harris and CB Patrick Robinson while activating CB Justin Hardee in their last-minute roster moves.

The New Orleans Saints completed a series of roster moves before their Week 14 game with the Philadelphia Eagles, ranging from the loss of All-Pro return man Deonte Harris to the return of special teams ace Justin Hardee, with two other players promoted from the practice squad. Here’s what you need to know:

Saints report multiple roster moves before Week 8 kickoff vs. Bears

The New Orleans Saints called up practice squad wide receivers Juwan Johnson, Austin Carr, and Tommylee Lewis for Week 8 against the Bears.

With absences mounting in the receiving corps, the New Orleans Saints made a handful of roster moves in the leadup to Sunday’s matchup with the Chicago Bears. They called up a trio of wide receivers from their practice squad as well as a reserve offensive lineman, which makes sense with starting right guard Nick Easton still sidelined by an Oct. 12 concussion.

Still, it will take everything this group has got to help replace Michael Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders, and Marquez Callaway, leaving Tre’Quan Smith and Deonte Harris as the most-experienced receivers left on the active roster. Here’s a quick run-down of the latest Saints roster moves:

Saints waive Will Clapp again days after signing him to the active roster

The New Orleans Saints have signed, waived, and re-signed offensive lineman Will Clapp 4 times in two weeks as they shuffle the roster.

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The New Orleans Saints reported just two moves on the daily NFL transactions wire Thursday: the signing of wide receiver Tommylee Lewis to their practice squad and the waiving of offensive lineman Will Clapp from the 53-man roster.

This comes just days after Clapp was signed to the roster from the practice squad, which was preceded by him first being waived on Sept. 26. That’s kind of tough to follow, so here’s the timeline laid out a little more clearly:

So he’s been moved on and off of the team four times in the last two weeks (give or take a day). The Saints practice squad is back to its 16-man capacity (cornerback Ken Crawley and tight end Garrett Griffin reverted to it after being called up for Week 4’s game with the Detroit Lions), so it’s not immediately certain that Clapp will return. But this does suggest there’s a pattern to his transactions as the Saints work within the limits of NFL roster rules.

It’s familiar territory for them. The Saints signed, waived, and re-signed practice squad quarterback J.T. Barrett 28 times from May 2018 to October 2019, which came up just short of former wideout Andy Tanner’s record (having been involved with 29 Saints roster moves from 2011 to 2015). Clapp is someone they’re comfortable dressing for games in a pinch, but also a player the Saints trust can pass through waivers uncontested. We’ll see if the gamble pays off or if his time is already up in New Orleans.

Depending on how the Thursday injury report shakes out, Clapp’s services may no longer be needed. Left guard Andrus Peat is working to return from injury and veteran backup James Hurst just came off the NFL suspended list. They have other reserves like Cameron Tom and Calvin Throckmorton waiting on the practice squad, and a group of four free agent linemen went through a tryout earlier this week. So it’s possible that this is it for Clapp, but we won’t be shocked if he returns soon enough.

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Saints practice squad re-signs WR Tommylee Lewis after Deonte Harris injury

The New Orleans Saints practice squad signed Tommylee Lewis after Deonte Harris was injured, giving rookie Marquez Callaway some competition

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The New Orleans Saints met with free agent wide receiver Tommylee Lewis earlier this week, and he’s since signed with the practice squad. Nick Underhill reported for NewOrleans.Football that Lewis has returned to New Orleans after joining them for training camp, and Nola.com’s Amie Just added that he’ll be wearing No. 14. It isn’t immediately clear which member of the 16-strong practice squad Lewis will be replacing.

This follows an injury to All-Pro returns specialist Deonte Harris. The Athletic’s Katherine Terrell reported that Lewis tweaked his hamstring late in Week 4’s win over the Detroit Lions, and he was not spotted at the portion of Saints practice open to media on Thursday. Harris also missed two games in 2019 with a hamstring injury.

Harris replaced Lewis on both special teams and his bit part on offense last year, so it makes sense to go with someone the Saints know well as a short-term replacement. Alvin Kamara was pressed into action as a returns specialist after Harris exited the Lions game, but Lewis will have a tough time competing with rookie wideout Marquez Callaway to fill in for Harris on Monday’s game with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Callaway was an accomplished return man at Tennessee, where he fielded 40 punts in four years while averaging 13.6 yards per return. He’s less experienced at handling kickoffs (with just 8 tries in his college career), but it’s better to make the rookie earn that spot-duty if Harris can’t play by competing with a veteran.

If Lewis gets the nod instead on Monday night, then it means Callaway didn’t show the coaches enough to practice to trust him just yet. But Callaway has dressed for three of the first four games already and caught his first pass last week (a 16-yard gain), so he at least has momentum behind him.

But this could all be premature. If Harris is able to return to action soon then it’s all moot, and there’s no question that he would be the best option returning kicks and punts for the Saints. Stay tuned for updates to the official injury report in the days ahead.

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Panthers sign LB James Onwualu, waive WR/KR Tommylee Lewis

Panthers sign LB James Onwualu, waive WR/KR Tommylee Lewis.

The Panthers have signed former Notre Dame linebacker James Onwualu, who they tried out earlier this week.

Since coming into the NFL, he has been a special teams contributor for the Chargers, 49ers and Jaguars. Over the next few days, he will compete for a roster spot with veterans like Adarius Taylor and Julian Stanford.

To make room for Onwualu on the 80-man roster, the team waived former Saints wide receiver/kick returner Tommylee Lewis. He had missed the last several practices due to a hamstring injury. Lewis was only signed after Keith Kirkwood (also from New Orleans) went down with a broken clavicle. He is expected to miss several more weeks.

NFL teams have until 4:00 p.m. ET on Saturday to trim their rosters down to 53 players for the regular season. Teams will also get 16 practice squad players this year, four of which they can prevent other teams from signing away.

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Panthers injury updates: Eli Apple, Shaq Thompson, Marquis Haynes sit out

Three players were wearing red no-contact jerseys today.

The Panthers returned to practice today after a scheduled day-off Thursday following a Wednesday night “Fanfest” session at Bank of America Stadium. Here are a few injury updates from the media.

Three players were wearing red no-contact jerseys today: linebacker Shaq Thompson, cornerback Eli Apple and defensive end Marquis Haynes.

Apple has a tight hamstring, while Thompson has had a tight groin lately – although he has previously said he’s back to 100% so it’s possible that he suffered a setback. Finally, Haynes is in the concussion protocol. Another player is coming out of it, though.

Wide receiver Seth Roberts has missed the last several practices following a head injury. Today he was back in a white jersey, indicating that he’s been cleared.

In related news, receiver/kick returner Tommylee Lewis was also back in action after missing the last few days.

If coach Matt Rhule shares more info after practice we will post an update.

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Panthers injury updates: Another wide receiver out at practice

Another one.

Another one.

The Carolina Panthers came into 2020 training camp with one of the deepest, most talented wide receiver groups in the NFL. While that’s still true, the unit has been bitten hard by the injury bug. Today, another receiver did not participate in practice.

This time it’s former Saints wideout/returner Tommylee Lewis, who signed with the Panthers nine days ago. According to the Charlotte Observer, Lewis is wearing a red jersey today. Meanwhile, Omar Bayless (knee), Keith Kirkwood (shoulder) and Seth Roberts (concussion) all remain out.

Not great, Bob.

Lewis won’t be a critical part of the offense no matter what happens these next few weeks, but every rep is critical given how short this offseason has turned out to be.

On the bright side, if there’s one position group that can take a hit, it’s this one. D.J. Moore is still healthy, Robby Anderson has been flashing during team drills and their depth has been on display with even Brandon Zylstra getting some headlines lately.

Help is also on the way. Over the weekend, the Panthers tried out former XFL standout Cam Phillips and three other receivers.

Several other players also sat out today’s practice, including Tahir Whitehead, Marquis Haynes, Tyler Larsen (again) and Kenny Robinson.

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Panthers announce they’ve signed 3 players, waived 4

The Carolina Panthers announced a series of roster moves this morning.

The Carolina Panthers announced a series of roster moves this morning. The team has added three new players to their roster and waived four others. Here is a quick review of who’s in and who’s out.

Signed: WR/KR Tommylee Lewis

Lewis was one of the three players the team tried out on Saturday. On offense, he brings experience with new coordinator Joe Brady over from their time together with the Saints. Lewis also adds another quality return specialist behind Pharoh Cooper.

Signed: TE Andrew Vollert

Vollert was waived by the Chargers recently in a moment that made the cut on this season’s first episode of Hard Knocks. He has previously put in time with the Bengals, as well. Carolina doesn’t have much depth at tight end, so he should have a legitimate chance to make the roster.

Signed: WR Marken Michel

Michel has spent most of his professional career in the CFL. From 2017-2018 he played 24 games for Calgary, totaling 72 catches, 1,215 yards and eight touchdowns. He is the older brother of Patriots running back Sony Michel.

Waived: WR/KR DeAndrew White

Lewis has a similar skillset to White and a lot more experience in the NFL to boot. The addition of Lewis predictably made White expendable.

Waived: TE Cam Sutton

One of our favorite undrafted rookies has gotten the axe. Sutton has a ton of athleticism for his size, but the lack of preseason games hurt his chances. Vollert takes his spot and may also push out Giovanni Ricci.

Waived: LB Kyahva Tezino

Tezino didn’t last long, as he was picked up off waivers from the Patriots only a couple weeks ago. His getting cut is good news for other undrafted rookies like Sam Franklin and David Reese.

Waived: LB Jason Ferris (IR)

Ferris was also waived from the injured reserve list.

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Ex-Saints wide receiver Tommylee Lewis joins Teddy Bridgewater in Carolina

The Panthers signed ex-New Orleans Saints WR Tommylee Lewis after a free agent tryout, reuniting him with Teddy Bridgewater and Joe Brady.

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Another former member of the New Orleans Saints has gone turncoat and joined the Carolina Panthers. ESPN’s Field Yates reported that wide receiver Tommylee Lewis signed with the Panthers after going through a free agent workout on Saturday, reuniting him with one-time Saints assistant Joe Brady and quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

The Panthers have padded out their roster with castoffs and other Saints players, including practice squad wideout Keith Kirkwood and starting cornerback Eli Apple. If the Panthers can’t beat the Saints, then, well, they’re doing their best to become them. Brady is rebuilding the Panthers receiving corps from the ground up as offensive coordinator to first-year head coach Matt Rhule, so Lewis has as good a shot at earning playing time as anyone.

Lewis passed on an opportunity with the upstart XFL earlier this year to return to the Saints, having been drafted highly by the Dallas Renegades but instead opting to sign a reserve/futures contract with New Orleans for the 2020 season. But Lewis ended up placing among ten roster cuts to open Saints training camp when the team was forced to thin its roster down to 80 players from 90 per the NFL’s new COVID-19 rules and protocols.

Listed at just 5-foot-7 and 168 pounds, the 27-year old Lewis did more work on special teams than offense with the Saints from 2016 to 2018. Including the playoffs, he appeared in 38 games, returning 41 punts for 360 yards and 24 kicks for 528 return yards. When he did take the field with the Saints offense, he caught 20 of 29 passes for 252 receiving yards, scoring two touchdowns, and logged 8 rushing attempts for another 31 yards.

His only target in the postseason is the most infamous of his career, having been blatantly fouled with both pass interference and a helmet-to-helmet hit by Los Angeles Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman in the 2018 NFC Championship Game. But the NFL’s “all-star” postseason officiating crew decided it was clean, and the Rams were helped into Super Bowl LIII, which they lost 13-3. Maybe Lewis should have sold the illegal hit better?

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