Tag: Will Harris

Dan Campbell ‘fines’ Tracy Walker, impressed with Lions safeties

With Day 4 of training camp underway, Dan Campbell provided a fun Tracy Walker story and sings the praises of the safety group

Heading into day four of Detroit Lions training camp, you can already tell a different vibe this year versus previous years. There is electric energy surrounding the organization bringing the best out of everyone around it, from the players to the fans.

The previous regime players have beat around the bush a little when discussing their experiences from the previous regime. Still, it is not hard to read between the lines that the last regime had left a sour taste in everyone’s mouth, especially from the defensive backs.

Tracy Walker spoke about his displeasure last year yesterday at his post-practice press conference and how he has felt more comfortable from top to bottom with coaches and schemes than last year.

In Dan Campbell’s press conference on Saturday morning, Tracy Walker was brought up as being a potential leader for the Lions, and Campbell instantly agreed. He described the safety group as players who need to be master communicators for the defense as they run the show and set the table in coverage and felt Walker fits that bill perfectly as someone who is very vocal and smart as a whip.

Campbell provided the media with a Tracy Walker story from yesterday’s training camp. Walker told Campbell he would get a pick and bring the ball back to him and promised up and down he would deliver the bill. Unfortunately, he didn’t get the chance to, and Campbell jokingly fined him $50, but Campbell ended up paying the fine for him but told Walker he still owes him.

Now, this is where you can tell the players are way looser and having fun this year because I can guarantee Walker wouldn’t have pulled this one off with last year’s regime.

Campbell continuing singing the praises of the secondary with Will Harris, who so far has struggled in his stint in the NFL, but it sounds like he has impressed the coaches so far. Campbell said he knows it is early in the process, but Harris is coming along and picking up the defense nicely.

Considering Harris hasn’t progressed as much as some were hoping for, it is good to hear he has improved, considering the safety group was not heavily featured this offseason as most thought it would be. So now was it an oversight on the front office, or did they see Harris as more an asset than a liability than most of us thought? We will have to wait and see when training camp ramps up in the coming weeks.

To finish off his press conference, Campbell went on to talk about how secondary grow right in front of his eyes and can see they are starting to mesh and figure everything out. The coaching staff has made it a mission to simplify assignments and make everything more instinctual than overthinking it. As a result, you can probably bet that we see a more improved secondary group this early in training camp.

We will have to wait and see if all of this is smoke and mirrors or there is actual heat behind it all, but so far out of training camp, the secondary might not be as hosed as thought they would be and see a rise in play from players most of us have probably written off.

3 Lions players lose workout bonuses by skipping voluntary activities this week

Three Detroit players have workout bonuses built into their contracts, and not participating this week means the trio will sacrifice the money

The Detroit Lions players, at the strong behest of the NFLPA, are not participating in the scheduled voluntary workouts this week. The Lions players are one of many sets around the NFL that won’t attend the traditional kickoff of the veteran offseason.

The decision is costing some Lions players some money. Three Detroit players have workout bonuses built into their contracts, and not participating this week means the trio will sacrifice the money.

Linebacker Jamie Collins loses the most. Skipping the workouts with the rest of the team will cost Collins $200,000. Two Day 2 picks from the 2019 NFL draft, linebacker Jahlani Tavai and safety Will Harris, are the other Lions who will miss workout bonuses. Tavai loses $50,000 while Harris nullifies the $30,000 bonus.

All bonus info is from Over The Cap

Resetting the Lions depth chart in the secondary

Resetting the Lions depth chart in the secondary after recent free agency additions

The Detroit Lions have been quite busy addressing the secondary in free agency. New GM Brad Holmes and the Lions have added a few new players to the defensive backfield.

The latest addition is safety Dean Marlowe, who jumps into a projected starting role…for now, anyway. With the NFL draft coming up in less than three weeks, here’s where the depth chart in the Detroit secondary stands:

Cornerback

Starters: Jeff Okudah, Quinton Dunbar

Slot: Corn Elder

Reserves: Amani Oruwariye, Mike Ford

Dunbar gets the veteran nod over Oruwariye, though that would almost certainly be a spot up for a training camp competition. Elder wins the slot role almost by default; Dunbar is the only other CB with any functional experience playing inside in the NFL.

Safety

Starters: Tracy Walker, Dean Marlowe

Reserves: Will Harris, Godwin Igwebuike, C.J. Moore, Bobby Price, Jalen Elliott

If you’re looking for clues for the lineup, the Lions own official roster tips off this one. Marlowe is listed at free safety, the only safety to receive a positional designation. Walker and Igwebuike are listed as defensive back, not just safety.

Igwebuike, Price and Elliott have never played a regular-season snap on defense.

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Detroit Lions Week 12 injury designations: Kenny Golladay OUT, D’Andre Swift Questionable

The Detroit Lions have declared the injury designations for their Week 12 Thanksgiving Day matchup with the Houston Texans.

The Detroit Lions (4-6) have declared the injury designations for their Week 12 Thanksgiving Day matchup with the Houston Texans (3-7), and six players have been ruled out including starting wide receivers Kenny Golladay and Danny Amendola.

Here’s a look at the Lions’ full injury report, with the updated changes in injury status listed in bold.

Injured reserve

Vaitai was added to injured reserve earlier today and he will be unable to play until after Week 14 at the earliest. As we have seen with the players listed above, eligibility does not necessarily mean a player will return on time.

Ruled OUT

Player Injury Monday Tuesday Wednesday Designation
Kenny Golladay Hip Limited Practice* No Practice* No Practice OUT
Danny Amendola Hip No Practice* Limited Practice* No Practice OUT
Da’Shawn Hand Groin No Practice* No Practice* No Practice OUT
Austin Bryant Thigh Limited Practice* Limited Practice* Limited Practice OUT
Jeff Okudah Shoulder No Practice* No Practice* No Practice OUT
Mike Ford Concussion No Practice* No Practice* No Practice OUT

*estimate

Golladay’s contract season is beginning to look like a lost one, as he is inactive yet again, making this his sixth game missed on the season — he has only partially played in five.

Golladay isn’t the only starting receiver out as Amendola will miss his second week in a row. Based on last week’s depth chart, Marvin Hall will likely take on Golladay’s starting role, while Jamal Agnew will rep in Amendola’s place. This also further explains the move to add Mohamad Sanu to the active roster earlier today.

Hand and Bryant will also be missing their second consecutive game, and practice squad defensive tackle Albert Huggins has been elevated to the active roster to give back end depth.

Dee Virgin was also elevated to the active roster. He will give the Lions depth at corner and will almost assuredly take over Ford’s starting gunner position. With Ford and Oruwariye OUT, the Lions only have four cornerbacks available on the active roster this week: Desmond Trufant, Justin Coleman, Amani Oruwariye (who is injured and listed as questionable), and Virgin.

Questionable

Player Injury Monday Tuesday Wednesday Designation
D’Andre Swift Concussion No Practice* Limited Practice* Limited Practice Questionable
Reggie Ragland Ankle Limited Practice* Limited Practice* Limited Practice Questionable
Amani Oruwariye Back Not Listed Not Listed Limited Practice Questionable

*estimate

Swift has now completed one non-contact and one practice with contact and will just need to receive medical clearance from an independent doctor outside of Allen Park in order to be cleared of his concussion. If he passes this final stage of the league’s protocol, he would be available to play on Thursday.

Ragland has been limited all week after injuring his ankle last Sunday, but signs point towards him being available as well.

Oruwariye being added to the injury report the day before a game is not ideal. It’s unclear if he injured his back today or earlier in the week, but the fact that he is listed as Questionable instead of OUT is a positive sign. He looks like he may be headed for a game-time decision tomorrow.

No injury designation

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
Matthew Stafford Thumb Limited Practice* Limited Practice* Full Practice No designation
Marvin Hall Toe Limited Practice* Limited Practice* Full Practice No designation
T.J. Hockenson Toe Limited Practice* Limited Practice* Full Practice No designation
Jonah Jackson Knee Limited Practice* Limited Practice* Full Practice No designation
Jarrad Davis Knee Limited Practice* Limited Practice* Limited Practice No designation
Christian Jones Knee Limited Practice* Limited Practice* Limited Practice No designation
Will Harris Groin Limited Practice* Full Practice* Full Practice No designation

*estimate

Five starters have been upgraded from a limited to full practice today and no name among them is bigger than quarterback Matthew Stafford. He, along with coaches, have insisted Stafford has not been impeded by his injured thumb and a full practice backs this up.

Detroit Lions Week 12 Tuesday injury report: D’Andre Swift returns, Kenny Golladay downgraded

Examining the Detroit Lions injury report ahead of their Week 12 match up with the Houston Texans on Thanksgiving.

The Detroit Lions (4-6) held a walk-through practice as they prepare for a Thanksgiving Day matchup with the Houston Texans (3-7). Tuesday offered another set of estimated practice results as they only performed a walk-through, but it was full of both good and bad news.

Good news: D’Andre Swift returned to a limited practice and has a chance to play on Sunday if he continues to progress through the league’s concussion protocol. Bad News: Kenny Golladay was downgraded to no practice and appears unlikely to play.

Here’s a look at the Lions’ full injury report, with the updated changes in injury status listed in bold.

Injured reserve

No Practice

Player Injury Monday Tuesday Wednesday Designation
Kenny Golladay Hip Limited Practice* No Practice*
Da’Shawn Hand Groin No Practice* No Practice*
Jeff Okudah Shoulder No Practice* No Practice*
Mike Ford Concussion No Practice* No Practice*

*estimate

For the second week in a row, Golladay was a mid-week downgrade on the injury report. Things are not looking good for his chance of playing on Thursday.

Hand and Okudah being listed as estimated non-participants is not good news for their availability, as it is an indicator that trainers are not seeing improvements in their injuries.

Ford not being listed as a participant in any capacity means he will not be able to clear the league’s concussion protocols and will miss this week’s game. The Lions will once again be on the hunt to find a new starting gunner.

Limited practice

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
Matthew Stafford Thumb Limited Practice* Limited Practice*
D’Andre Swift Concussion No Practice* Limited Practice*
Danny Amendola Hip No Practice*  Limited Practice*
Marvin Hall Toe Limited Practice* Limited Practice*
T.J. Hockenson Toe Limited Practice* Limited Practice*
Hal Vaitai Foot Limited Practice* Limited Practice*
Jonah Jackson Knee Limited Practice* Limited Practice*
Austin Bryant Thigh Limited Practice* Limited Practice*
Jarrad Davis Knee Limited Practice* Limited Practice*
Christian Jones Knee Limited Practice* Limited Practice*
Reggie Ragland Ankle Limited Practice* Limited Practice*

*estimate

Swift and Amendola were upgraded today, improving their chances of being available on Thursday.

Swift being listed as limited means he is progressing through the league’s protocols and likely only has two steps remaining in order to be cleared to play: 1) get in practice with contact on Wednesday; 2) be medically cleared by an independent doctor — which could also happen ahead of Thursday.

Everyone else appears to be on the right track to play this week. The only note on the remaining players listed here is on Vaitai, as it’s not clear if he was benched last week or if it was injury-related.

At his Tuesday press conference, coach Matt Patricia said Vaitai “is out there battling every day, and I think he’s pushing through some things that have restricted him a little bit.” Which didn’t really clarify what happened with Vaitai last Sunday.

Full Practice

Player Injury Monday Tuesday Wednesday Designation
Will Harris Groin Limited Practice* Full Practice*

*estimate

Harris being estimated to have been available to participate in a full practice means the trainers are liking what they see with his injury.

Texans’ Report

This section will be filled in one the Texans release their Tuesday injury report.

Detroit Lions Week 12 injury report: 16 players estimated as injured

Examining the Detroit Lions injury report ahead of their Week 12 match up with the Houston Texans on Thanksgiving.

The Detroit Lions (4-6) are preparing to host the Houston Texans (3-7) for their annual Thanksgiving day game, and because it’s a Thursday game, the team injury reports will be released on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday this week.

After yesterday’s game, the Lions did not hold a full practice today, so the injuries listed are best guesses from coaches and not based on today’s performances.

Here’s a look at the Lions’ full injury report, with the updated changes in injury status listed in bold.

Injured reserve

No Practice

Player Injury Monday Tuesday Wednesday Designation
D’Andre Swift Concussion No Practice*
Danny Amendola Hip No Practice*
Da’Shawn Hand Groin No Practice*
Jeff Okudah Shoulder No Practice*
Mike Ford Concussion No Practice*

*estimate

Swift is still in the league’s concussion protocol and it’s not exactly clear how far along he is. If he were able to pass a workout regimen, then he would still have to make it through Tuesday’s practice in a non-contact capacity, then through Wednesday’s practice as a full-contact player. He would then have to be medically cleared by an independent doctor to be available for Thursday’s game.

Amendola missed all of last week with a hip injury and after being estimated as unlikely to have practiced today does not bode well for his availability on Thursday. It’s still early but not off to a great start.

Hand’s health is headed in the wrong direction. After being added to the injury report in the middle of last week, Hand looked like he had a chance to play on Sunday. Unfortunately, he was downgraded on Saturday and is now estimated to not have practiced today as well. Not a great start to the week.

Okudah was injured in yesterday’s game and was forced to leave the contest early. He has shown the ability to bounce back quickly from other injuries this year, but a short week complicates things.

Ford is in the same boat as Swift and will need to pass through all of the league’s protocols on a short week. He was also injured in yesterday’s game during a special teams play.

Limited practice

Player Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Designation
Matthew Stafford Thumb Limited Practice*
Kenny Golladay Hip Limited Practice*
Marvin Hall Toe Limited Practice*
T.J. Hockenson Toe Limited Practice*
Hal Vaitai Foot Limited Practice*
Jonah Jackson Knee Limited Practice*
Austin Bryant Thigh Limited Practice*
Jarrad Davis Knee Limited Practice*
Christian Jones Knee Limited Practice*
Reggie Ragland Ankle Limited Practice*
Will Harris Groin Limited Practice*

*estimate

Stafford, Hockenson, Vaitai, Davis, and Jones were all on the injury report last week but were able to play last Sunday. Vaitai was the only one in this group that left the game early, but it’s unclear if this was injury-related or a benching.

Golladay and Bryant are being upgraded in this estimated scenario, which is very positive news for their progress. If Golladay is able to play on Thursday, it would be a massive upgrade for the Lions’ offense.

Hall, Jackson, Ragland, and Harris are all new additions to the injury report. The fact that they were listed as listed instead of did not practice is a good sign for their availability.

Full Practice

Player Injury Monday Tuesday Wednesday Designation
No Players Full Practice*

*estimate

No Lions’ players are estimated to be in this category at this time.

Texans’ Report

This section will be updated when the Texans release their injury report.

4 realistic 11th-hour Saints trade targets before NFL deadline

The New Orleans Saints are rapidly approaching the 2020 NFL trade deadline having made one big move, but there is still room for more.

Could the New Orleans Saints make another move before the NFL trade deadline? They already acquired San Francisco 49ers linebacker Kwon Alexander, but a bigger shakeup doesn’t feel likely.

One popular target has been New England Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore, and while he would add a lot to the Saints secondary, they may not be willing to pay the reported asking price of a first-round pick and player in exchange for him.

So here are four more realistic options to keep an eye out for in the hours ahead. They may not move the needle as strongly, but these are the sort of band-aids that could help the Saints sustain success by fixing a number of smaller problems.

Potential candidates if the Detroit Lions are sellers at the NFL trade deadline

The Lions should at least get inquiries about a few players

The NFL’s trade deadline is 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Nov. 3rd. Bob Quinn and the Detroit Lions were buyers last week in picking up DE Everson Griffen from the Dallas Cowboys.

But that was before an ugly loss to the Indianapolis Colts that killed any positive momentum. Now the team is 3-4 and facing the prospect of playing the next few games without the best weapon on offense (WR Kenny Golladay) and best player on the defense (DE Trey Flowers).

If Quinn and the Lions decide to be sellers before the deadline, there isn’t a lot to take to market. With Golladay — the No. 1 name other teams will call about — out for at least a week with a vague hip injury, his trade value takes a hit.

Here are some other Lions who could get moved if the team decides it’s better off with the return compensation than the player himself.

Marvin Jones: The 30-year-old WR has fallen off in 2020 but still makes for a solid No. 2 WR on the outside. He’s entering the final months of his contract with the Lions. A contender could flip a late-round pick to rent Jones for eight games and a potential playoff run. Even if he leaves, Jones would be a candidate to return to Detroit in the offseason — provided he doesn’t retire.

Will Harris: In his second season, the 2019 third-round pick has played his way out of the rotation. With Jayron Kearse playing significantly better in the same role and with no tangible improvement to his game after a bad rookie season, the Lions could try to sell off Harris with the idea he’s the defensive version of Travis Fulgham.

Kerryon Johnson: D’Andre Swift has taken over as the top dog in the backfield, and Adrian Peterson also continues to get more reps than Johnson. The team has enviable depth at RB and could part with Johnson to try and fill more glaring holes on the roster elsewhere. Shopping Peterson and his declining yards per carry also makes sense.

Joe Dahl: Detroit’s starting guard has played decently enough, but the team has fourth-round rookie Logan Stenberg waiting in the wings. If they’re looking to see if Stenberg can be the future, it makes sense to shop Dahl to one of the many OL-needy teams.

Matthew Stafford: Now is not the time to trade, or trade for, Stafford. I suspect teams will call and inquire, but it is more about planting possible seeds for after the season.

I don’t expect any moves of significance, but with a new owner in place it’s hard to predict the timbre of the team.

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Jamie Collins, Oday Aboushi and Will Harris all fined by the NFL

The NFL doled out fines for the first two weeks on Saturday

Three Detroit Lions players have been issued fines for illegal conduct during the first two games.

Linebacker Jamie Collins was fined $35,096 for making contact with referee Alex Kemp in the Week 1 loss to the Chicago Bears. Collins hit Kemp with his helmet as he was attempting to demonstrate an action being done to him. The penalty resulted in an ejection.

Offensive guard Oday Aboushi picked up a $5,221 fine for his personal foul penalty in the Week 2 loss in Green Bay. He blocked a defender to the turf Packer after the play was already over.

Safety Will Harris has also been fined $5,371 for an illegal hit in the Week 2 loss. Harris was guilty of two separate personal foul calls. It is unclear which hit resulted in the fine.

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Lions pivotal play of the game: Ugly errors before and after the half bury the Lions

The Detroit Lions suffered an embarrassing 42-21 loss against the Packers after making ugly errors they could not recover from.

The Detroit Lions could not overcome a number of costly mistakes made against the Green Bay Packers in Week 2, essentially cascading to point of no return.

After lowing yet another double-digit lead — an NFL record fourth in a row — the Lions would eventually lose 42-21, leaving many scratching their heads and searching for answers.

The Lions started off hot, scoring touchdowns on each of their two opening drives and holding the Packers to only three points, but things went downhill real quick.

Lets set the scene.

After forcing a Packers punt, the Lions are looking to end the first half with the lead. The drive opens with a D’Andre Swift run, then Matthew Stafford takes a sack that almost landed the Packers two points, but instead, it is a ten-yard sack, and the Lions end up on their own one-yard line.

The Packers use their last timeout to salvage any time they can get it to possibly land points to end the half. To keep the clock running, the Lions hand the ball to Adrian Peterson, but Oday Aboushi gets called for holding and, in turn, stops the clock leaving the Packers with a minute to drive down the field.

Green Bay opens their drive with an out of bounds throw, but Will Harris landed an unnecessary roughness call giving the Packers a free 15 yards. On the ensuing play, Harris was the culprit of another unnecessary roughness call this time horse-collaring Davante Adams after an eight-yard catch and stopping the clock on top of another free 15 yards for the Packers. A couple plays later and the Packers punch in it for six, giving them the lead.

A failed 57-field goal attempt from Matt Prater closes out the half, with the Packers in the lead — after the Lions had led the entire first half.

The Packers have all of the momentum opening the second half and capitalize with an Aaron Jones career-best 75 yard touchdown run.

To add further salt into the wound, not log after, Jamal Agnew gets called for unnecessary roughness penalty after calling for a fair catch and then blocking a Packers’ gunner, pushing the Lions to their five-yard line — this leads to a Stafford pick-six.

The number of mistakes the Lions committed at the end of the first half and to open up the second half was inexcusable.

The Lions will need a long look in the mirror after this loss and figure out where to go from here as they are heading into the desert for a Week 3 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals.