Broncos Discussed Greg Dulcich In Trades, Were Not Close To Making Buyer’s Move
Although the Broncos endured a one-sided loss to the Ravens in Week 9, they hit the trade deadline 5-4 and still hold a wild-card spot at the midway point. Denver’s offense also lagged behind its defense during the season’s first half, opening the door to a potential upgrade. No such move transpired, and it does not appear anything was close.
Sean Payton said the team did not make a strong effort to add talent at the deadline, preferring to keep its nucleus intact. This comes a year after the Broncos, who had made some of this NFL period’s highest-profile seller’s moves in recent years, resisted shaking up their team despite standing 3-5 at least year’s deadline.
[RELATED: Broncos Were Not Planning To Extend Baron Browning]
“I like this group,’’ Payton said, via the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson. “We weren’t considering giving up a second-(round pick). … The phone rings, we pick up and yet we have to look at it in the eyes of what’s best for our team. … I don’t think we even got close to discussing someone seriously. … We’re focused on this team.”
After a slow start, Bo Nix has inched his way to the 21st spot in QBR. That mark sits second among rookies this season. Denver’s offense on the whole ranks 23rd in scoring, 25th in yards and 24th in DVOA. The Broncos have been unable to rely on receivers beyond Courtland Sutton, even as rookies Troy Franklin and Devaughn Vele have contributed in spurts; the team has needed the two rookies, as 2023 second-rounder Marvin Mims has not carved out a role like the team hoped post-Jerry Jeudy. Sutton leads the Broncos with 499 yards. No other pass catcher has 220, with none of Denver’s auxiliary receivers reaching 200 yet.
Denver is also once again limited at tight end. Greg Dulcich has not struggled with injuries this year but has still failed to make an impact, catching just five passes for 28 yards in limited duty. The team’s would-be top receiving tight end has fallen to healthy-scratch status in Payton’s second season, having not played since Week 5. The Broncos have used 2023 trade acquisition Adam Trautman, one of a few former Saints on Payton’s roster, as their top tight end. Trautman has just seven receptions for 121 yards in his second Broncos season.
The Broncos did make a seller’s move, dealing Baron Browning to the Cardinals for a sixth-round pick. The team also discussed Dulcich with other clubs before the deadline, per ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler. While some level of interest is believed to have formed for the 2022 third-round pick, the Broncos will stick with the UCLA product for the time being.
Chosen in GM George Paton‘s second draft as GM (but before Payton’s arrival), Dulcich impressed when available as a rookie by accumulating 411 yards and two touchdowns for an offense that had nosedived during the disjointed Nathaniel Hackett–Russell Wilson season. Dulcich got there in just 10 games, missing time due to hamstring trouble. Two hamstring-driven IR placements followed in 2023, limiting Dulcich to 32 offensive snaps all season. Dulcich was not a full participant in the Broncos’ offseason program this year but returned by training camp.
Payton’s team is believed to have looked into tight end upgrades this offseason, but nothing came to pass. Dulcich has played 120 snaps this season. He remains under contract through 2025 but is falling out of favor with this coaching staff.
Bears’ Andrew Billings Undergoes Surgery
NOVEMBER 7: Billings’ surgery (which did indeed address a tear) was a success, as noted by ESPN’s Courtney Cronin. As he turns his attention to rehab, a stint on injured reserve will officially begin in the coming days.
NOVEMBER 6: While the Bears used two Day 2 picks on defensive tackles last year, they have kept veteran Andrew Billings in the starting lineup. Billings, who signed an extension last year, has started all eight Chicago games this year.
Billings’ run will pause, however, with Matt Eberflus indicating (via The Athletic’s Adam Jahns) the eighth-year D-tackle will require surgery to repair a pectoral injury. Although the NFL saw a few players return after early-season pec tears last year, Billings having suffered a tear would almost definitely sideline him for the season. It is not known if a full tear occurred, though.
The Bears gave Billings a two-year, $8MM extension last November; he has started 25 straight games since joining the team as a 2023 free agent. Billings, 29, initially caught on with the Bears via a one-year, $2.75MM deal. He has provided a good return on that investment, having played 60% of the Bears’ defensive snaps this season — his highest total since 2018.
Pro Football Focus has Billings slotted just inside the top 50 overall among interior D-linemen but has him graded as a top-10 player at the position in the pass-rushing department — even if the seasoned pro has just one sack and three QB hits this season. An IR placement would shelve Billings for four games, but it sounds like his upcoming absence will last longer.
Chicago drafted Gervon Dexter in the 2023 second round and Zacch Pickens in the third. The team traded for former Eberflus Colts charge Chris Williams just before the season as well. Pickens and Williams figure to see more time alongside Dexter moving forward. Dexter has joined Billings in making eight starts for a Bears team that was linked to DT additions this offseason.
Andrew Berry: Browns Brass Was Aligned On 2022 Deshaun Watson Trade
As the Browns sink to the AFC North basement following the offseason extensions for Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski, assigning blame for the Deshaun Watson decisions will come up as the organization moves forward.
Jimmy Haslam came out and said his GM hatched the plan to propose Watson the fully guaranteed $230MM. That contract call prompted the quarterback to waive his no-trade clause for Cleveland after he had previously eliminated the team from consideration. Two-plus years after Haslam’s comments, Berry said the organization was in agreement on the move.
Asked if ownership mandated the Watson trade cross the goal line two years ago, Berry said (via ESPN.com’s Daniel Oyefusi) “All of us were on board.” This aligns with a recent report indicating Stefanski was in agreement with Berry about the trade, one that led Baker Mayfield to Charlotte and ultimately has the Browns in a historic predicament.
Watson’s Achilles tear prevented Stefanski from making the decision to bench the high-priced starter, as the fifth-year Browns HC had repeatedly said the embattled QB gave the team the best chance to win. Watson ranks last in QBR. When asked if a healthy Watson would play for the Browns again, Berry said (via cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot), “It’s always possible.” Stefanski had declined to confirm, due largely to Watson’s health, the QB would be his 2025 starter.
Berry, who was hired two weeks after Stefanski in 2020, said the two-time Coach of the Year is “part of the solution,” via the Akron Beacon Journal’s Chris Easterling. If ownership is to move on despite signing Berry and Stefanski to extensions (of unknown length), it would be unexpected that one would stay and the other would go. So, Berry’s endorsement may not carry too much weight here. At 2-7 and with Watson’s guarantees running through 2026, the Browns’ power duo should certainly not be considered locks to return in 2025.
The Browns outflanked the Falcons to land Watson, whom the Panthers and Saints also pursued as finalists three offseasons ago. All teams had agreed on trade terms with the Texans, who collected a historic haul for the Pro Bowl QB. Berry has seen his ability to build a roster around Watson take a hit due to the Browns not having a first-round pick since the trade. The Browns became the first team since the 1976 49ers (Jim Plunkett) to trade three first-rounders for a veteran QB; to say the deal has backfired would be a mild assessment of the situation.
Watson has not fit in Stefanski’s offense, with his play further declining despite the Browns booting OC Alex Van Pelt for Ken Dorsey this year. Dorsey is now calling the plays in Cleveland, with Stefanski stepping back for the first time in his tenure, but Jameis Winston — a Watson-backed QB addition — is at the controls. When asked if he regrets not bringing back Joe Flacco, who said repeatedly he wanted to return after his Comeback Player of the Year campaign, Berry responded (via Easterling) the he has “a lot of confidence” in the Browns’ current QB room. Flacco said the Browns did not offer him a deal.
Helping build rosters that feature a host of eight-figure-per-year players, Berry authorized two restructures of Watson’s contract — the second of which coming in August. That created cap space in 2023 and 2024 but has two monster cap numbers staring at the Browns for 2025 and ’26. Watson is due to count $72.9MM on Cleveland’s next two payrolls. With the eighth-year player settling his latest civil suit, the chances the Browns are bailed out by a second personal conduct suspension have been reduced. Though, an NFL investigation continues.
As it stands, the Browns are on the hook for two more fully guaranteed $46MM base salaries — and the inflated cap hits that came from the restructures. It would cost the Browns $172MM to cut Watson in 2025, and even though that would be spread over two years in a post-June 1 transaction, the sum would more than double the current single-player dead money record — Russell Wilson‘s $83MM-plus tab the Broncos are navigating. Wilson’s dead cap more than doubling the previous single-player record illustrates how far into uncharted territory the Browns are because of their controversial 2022 trade.
When asked about how Watson’s contract will hinder the Browns down the road, Berry responded (via Cabot) “We’ll be able to build a team” regardless of that deal being on the books. Whether Berry is around to make those decisions will be perhaps the lead Browns storyline entering the 2025 offseason.
While Haslam authorized Berry and Stefanski extensions, the owner has been quite active in firing HCs and execs during his 13-year tenure. Will the Watson decisions sink both Berry and Stefanski (or just one?), or will ownership exercise uncharacteristic patience following this season’s significant step back?
Cowboys Not Considering Starting Trey Lance Over Cooper Rush
Trey Lance has been on the Cowboys’ roster for more than 14 months. Dallas added the former San Francisco starter after Sam Darnold had beaten him out for the 49ers’ QB2 job in 2023, effectively going forward with a roster stash. But Lance has not made much progress with his second NFL team.
The former No. 3 overall pick entered this season as the Cowboys’ third-stringer, doing so after being inactive throughout the 2023 slate. Any notions of him factoring into the team’s 2025 starter conversation were buried once the team gave Dak Prescott a record-smashing extension (four years, $240MM). With Prescott moving to IR, the door is open for Lance. For the time being, however, a 3-5 Cowboys team does not appear to have designs on starting him.
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Cooper Rush is the locked-in starter over Lance, according to ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano, who indicates the team believes the veteran provides a better chance to win. Lance-specific packages may be implemented, but Graziano adds no consideration is being given to him leapfrogging Rush on the depth chart for a potential extended look. This comes after Stephen Jones kept the door open for Lance work amid Prescott’s hamstring injury.
With the Cowboys teetering on the brink of dropping out of the playoff chase during a season in which Mike McCarthy is a lame duck, it is certainly understandable the coaching staff is not interested in long-term evaluations just yet. Whether ownership could eventually intervene could be an interesting subplot for this year’s Cowboys edition, especially if the team’s current losing streak continues without Prescott, who is guaranteed to miss at least four games.
Dallas has held its own with Rush at the helm in the past, going 5-1 with the former UDFA as the starter. Rush, who is five years into his second Cowboys stint, replaced Prescott in September 2022 — after the longtime starter suffered a thumb injury. Prescott missed five games that season, and Rush earned praise by going 4-1 as a starter during that stretch. He completed less than 59% of his passes, however, at just 6.5 yards per clip. Prescott already exited Week 9 ranked 25th in QBR, highlighting issues with the quarterback’s performance and the team around him. It will be interesting to see how Rush fares in this situation, as he now holds the keys to the Cowboys reentering playoff discussions or moving toward the NFC basement.
An midsummer report indicating Lance had a chance to usurp Rush did not precede such a move, as Rush held onto the No. 2 QB gig during training camp. The Cowboys gave Lance extensive preseason work, as the North Dakota State alum has a historically thin resume — for a top prospect, at least — in terms of game work post-high school. The Cowboys were tied to a fully guaranteed $5MM on Lance’s contract by trading for him, but they joined the Steelers (Justin Fields), Jaguars (Mac Jones) and Broncos (Zach Wilson) in declining the fifth-year option on a traded first-round QB from the 2021 class.
With Rush a fairly known commodity at 30, any Lance work would immediately generate more interest in Dallas. Lance, 24, has not seen any regular-season action since a fractured ankle sustained in Week 2 of the 2022 season moved him out of the 49ers’ starting lineup. The 49ers had reached a renegotiated deal with Jimmy Garoppolo as Lance insurance that year, after the team spent the offseason dangling Garoppolo in trades. With Lance proving unready, Garoppolo (and then Brock Purdy) piloted San Francisco back to the NFC championship game. Darnold then beat out Lance, who had effectively lost his job to a former seventh-round pick, leading him to Dallas.
The Cowboys have now given up fourth-round picks in trades for Lance and Jonathan Mingo, the latter transaction occurring Tuesday. While Mingo is signed through 2026, Lance is not headed toward 2025 free agency with any momentum. The Cowboys could potentially provide some by greenlighting some game work, but more than a year into his Dallas tenure, it is notable the team is not looking into moving him past an eighth-year backup to replace Prescott.
Broncos Designate C Luke Wattenberg, LB Drew Sanders For Return
The Broncos are 5-4 but did make a seller’s trade, unloading Baron Browning (to the Cardinals) for a sixth-round pick. This came shortly after the team extended fellow outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper.
Cooper and Nik Bonitto will continue to anchor Denver’s edge rush, while third-round rookie Jonah Elliss figures to see his snaps increase. But the Broncos also may have a boost coming from a 2023 third-rounder soon. Drew Sanders is now back at practice, returning to work months after suffering an Achilles tear.
While Sanders is in the PUP-return window, center Luke Wattenberg has received a return designation as well, 9News’ Mike Klis notes. Wattenberg spent the past four weeks on IR, but he is moving toward being one of the Broncos’ injury activations. Denver has used four and still has Josh Reynolds as a likely candidate to count for a spot. The free agent wide receiver pickup has not returned to practice. While he was in line to be back from the finger injury that landed him on IR, being wounded in an October shooting delayed the timetable.
Sanders will not count toward Denver’s eight activations, having resided on the PUP list all season. He went down soon after the Broncos started their offseason program in April, providing a runway toward a return this season. Last season, Sanders played in all 17 games and made four starts. At Arkansas in 2022, Sanders finished with 9.5 sacks and 103 tackles. His versatility could present options for his pro team as well.
An Alabama transfer, Sanders has spent time at OLB and in an off-ball linebacker spot. A role as a pass rusher would help the Broncos, who could effectively have him replace Browning, though the team also lost top tackler Alex Singleton for the season. Justin Strnad has worked as Singleton’s primary replacement alongside Cody Barton.
Wattenberg beat out Alex Forsyth for the center job following Lloyd Cushenberry‘s free agency defection. Pro Football Focus has viewed Forsyth as having been the better option this season, ranking the 2023 seventh-round pick — who snapped to Bo Nix at Oregon during the 2022 season — 11th compared to Wattenberg’s 28th-place ranking. It will be interesting to see how the Broncos proceed here. If nothing else, the player edged out of the starting lineup would represent important depth.
Steelers Inquired On Seahawks’ D.K. Metcalf
Had Christian Kirk not gone down with a broken collarbone, the Jaguars wide receiver may well have become the Steelers’ long-sought-after wide receiver solution. With Kirk’s Week 8 injury taking him out of the equation, Pittsburgh zeroed in on the Jets’ roster.
The Steelers had targeted Davante Adams, among many others, this year but assumed during talks with the Raiders that the Jets would end up with the ex-Aaron Rodgers target. They were right, leading to the Williams pursuit. While some posturing may have taken place on the Jets’ part after Allen Lazard‘s IR trip, but the Steelers sending over a fifth-round pick finished the deal to end a months-long WR pursuit.
Known more for selling than buying at the receiver position, the Steelers conducted a search that moved beyond Kirk, Adams and Williams. It involved both Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, and after having trade parameters in place with the 49ers on Aiyuk, that failed deal preceded Cooper Kupp inquiry. The Steelers’ NFC West effort did not stop with the California teams; they are believed to have asked about D.K. Metcalf as well, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler notes.
When a recent report surfaced indicating teams were inquiring with the Seahawks on Metcalf, it was safe to assume the Steelers were part of that mix. It does not seem like the Seahawks ventured as far down the trade road compared to the Rams or 49ers with their respective receivers, as Fowler adds Seattle closed the door on such a transaction quickly.
Having slipped to the back of the second round in 2019, Metcalf joined Samuel, A.J. Brown, Terry McLaurin and Diontae Johnson as higher-end starters from Day 2 of that draft. That batch all signed extensions during the 2022 offseason, with Metcalf tied to a three-year, $72MM deal that runs through 2025. This timeline gives the Seahawks an extra year to evaluate Metcalf in Ryan Grubb‘s offense, and while it would stand to reason teams will check in again come 2025 — perhaps the Steelers, as Williams’ contract expires at season’s end — the sixth-year veteran will not be easy to pry away.
The Seahawks saw Jaxon Smith-Njigba take a step forward in Metcalf’s absence Sunday, but the latter has been the team’s top wideout for a couple years. The big-bodied target has three 1,000-yard seasons on his NFL resume. Tyler Lockett is now 32, with Metcalf profiling as the more logical piece who will be tabbed to play alongside Smith-Njigba going forward. Metcalf, 26, is tied to an $18MM base salary in 2025. Three void years are on the contract, which would spike the dead money to $21MM in the event of a Hawks trade next year.
Williams will attempt to assimilate into Arthur Smith‘s offense alongside George Pickens, who becomes extension-eligible in 2025. The Steelers’ search for a longer-term WR2 figures to involve the draft, where the organization typically finds its receiver answers. Between this past draft and Tuesday’s trade deadline, however, the Steelers searched far and wide for a veteran to help Pickens in their now-Russell Wilson-led offense.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/6/24
Here are Wednesday’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: S Russ Yeast
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: S Alex Cook, WR Cam Johnson
- Released: LB Chandler Wooten
Houston Texans
- Signed: DT Jayden Peevy
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: LB Cole Christiansen
- Released: RB Emani Bailey
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: LB Shaquille Quarterman, TE Eric Tomlinson
- Released: TE McCallan Castles
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: T Ryan Hayes
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: DL Ryder Anderson
New York Giants
- Signed: P Matt Haack, OL Bryan Hudson
- Released: T Joshua Miles
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: DL Domenique Davis, TE Matt Sokol
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: WR Russell Gage
- Released: WR Malik Turner
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: LB Jamie Sheriff
While a few players in today’s roundup are catching back on with teams after being cut from their respective club’s active roster, the 49ers are adding Gage. This marks the veteran wideout’s first gig since the Ravens cut him following training camp. Gage, who totaled 700-plus-yard seasons with the Falcons in 2020 and 2021, did not justify a three-year, $30MM Buccaneers contract. The 28-year-old receiver has not played in a regular-season game since suffering a season-nullifying knee injury — a patellar tendon rupture — during Bucs camp in 2023.
Panthers Activate RB Jonathon Brooks
The Panthers have slow-played Jonathon Brooks‘ return, but the second-round pick will be eligible to debut as a rookie. Carolina is activating the running back prospect off the NFI list today, Dave Canales said. The move is now official.
Carolina needed to activate Brooks by today; otherwise, this year’s top RB draftee would have needed to be transferred to season-ending IR. While Canales is not committing to Brooks debuting Sunday in Germany, the Texas product is now on the team’s 53-man roster.
Around the Combine, word emerged Brooks would be ready for training camp. But that did not come to pass. Carolina held Brooks out of camp and stashed him on the reserve/NFI list, mandating a four-game absence. More than a month after Brooks was first eligible to come back, he will do so.
A recent report from ESPN.com’s David Newton pointed to Brooks being on track to debut against the Giants on Sunday, and he has now logged four full practices — including today’s. Brooks has been on the shelf since going down in November 2023. Nine- to 12-month recoveries typically cover ACL rehabs, though every injury is obviously different. Given the Panthers’ standing, it is understandable they would want to be patient here.
The Panthers traded in front of the Giants to nab Brooks at No. 46. New York’s second-round window opened at No. 47, though the team was believed to be interested in cornerback help by that point. But GM Dan Morgan had aimed to outflank former coworker Joe Schoen here. The Giants did end up with promising rookie Tyrone Tracy in the fifth round, but Brooks was the only RB chosen in the first or second round this year, pointing to a higher ceiling.
The Panthers have Brooks signed through 2027, while starter Chuba Hubbard is in a contract year. Miles Sanders loomed as a trade candidate, but the former Eagles starter remains on the Carolina roster. Brooks should still be expected to garner steady work once he debuts, with the Panthers again trudging through a rebuild campaign.
Steelers’ Preston Smith Requested Trade From Packers
After rostering the likes of Melvin Ingram and Markus Golden as key OLB backups in recent years, the Steelers now have Preston Smith in that role. They traded a seventh-round pick to the Packers for the proven veteran, capping a two-trade day.
At 6-3, the Packers were not exactly in a seller’s position. But Smith had seen his playing time decline in Jeff Hafley‘s defense. As it turns out, Smith said (via The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo) he approached the Packers with a trade request — one aimed at finding his way back to a 3-4 defense. After more than 10 years in a 3-4 scheme, Green Bay converted to a 4-3 base alignment under Hafley this offseason.
“I didn’t feel like I was being useful in the system, and it wasn’t catering to my play style and moving forward,” Smith said, via ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky. “I wasn’t surprised when I got the call. I got what I asked for, and I’m at a place that — a great place — with some great teammates, and I’m excited for the new start, and I’m excited for the rest of this journey for this season.”
While base schemes do not matter on the level they once did due to the rise of sub-packages, they do still affect certain players. Edge rushers are among them, and Smith had spent his career as a 3-4 OLB — both in Green Bay and Washington. He will head to a Steelers team that has long used this defensive setup, being set to play a key rotational role behind T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith.
Smith, who will turn 32 next week, had played six seasons with the Packers. The former Washington draftee joined fellow deadline trade piece Za’Darius Smith in signing with the Pack in 2019, and the Smiths played central roles in Green Bay booking three straight playoff byes from 2019-21. Preston Smith outlasted Za’Darius, whom the Packers cut in 2022. That came as the team re-signed Preston to a four-year, $52.5MM deal. That contract runs through the 2026 season.
Preston Smith started every Packers game this season, which still makes it a bit surprising the team signed off on this swap. The 10th-year edge rusher — made a defensive end under Hafley — had played 54% of Green Bay’s defensive snaps; that rate is down from his previous seasons with the team. Smith played 71% of the Pack’s defensive snaps in their opener and eclipsed 60% in two of the team’s next three games, but he dipped below 45% in two of the previous three Green Bay contests.
For the season, Smith has 2.5 sacks and just four QB hits. Prior to this year, the ex-second-round pick had given the Packers reliable work on the edge. He tallied between eight and nine sacks between the 2021 and ’23 seasons and notched 12 during his first Packers slate. He will take over the role the Steelers had hoped Golden would play again, but Golden changed those plans by retiring shortly after re-signing in August. Smith has been a more consistent player than Golden, and coupled with Nick Herbig — who is recovering from injury but still on Pittsburgh’s active roster — the recent import should be positioned to make an impact for a suddenly deep OLB corps.
The Packers have Lukas Van Ness seemingly earmarked to take over alongside Rashan Gary. Thanks to the former’s fifth-year option, the Packers can keep both on their current contracts through 2027. Van Ness has played 41% of Green Bay’s defensive snaps this season, though the 2023 first-rounder has just one sack and two QB hits. Kingsley Enagbare will also be positioned to see more playing time, though it is interesting the Packers made this move considering their record and that Gary has not quite recaptured his form. No Packer rusher enters Week 10 with more than three sacks.
Lions Designate CB Emmanuel Moseley, S Ifeatu Melifonwu For Return
The most significant of the Lions’ defensive injury matters will not clear up anytime soon, but beyond Aidan Hutchinson, the team should have some pieces back for Aaron Glenn‘s unit soon. Both Emmanuel Moseley and Ifeatu Melifonwu are returning to practice.
Dan Campbell said Wednesday (via ESPN.com’s Eric Woodyard) the veteran cornerback and safety’s IR-return clocks will start. Both will have 21 days to return to the Lions’ 53-man roster. Moseley has been on the shelf since going down early in training camp; Melifonwu also suffered an injury during practice, his occurring in early September.
This is familiar territory for Moseley, who has proven a resilient player. The former 49ers starter suffered an ACL tear midway through the 2022 season and needed more time to recover than the Lions expected. Moseley finally returned but ended up sustaining another ACL tear two plays into his Detroit debut. The Lions still re-signed the veteran boundary corner, and they still have him in their 2024 plan despite the latest injury — a torn pec.
The Lions initially gave Moseley a one-year, $6MM deal in 2023, with Brad Holmes noting he likely would have been out of their price range had the 2022 ACL setback not occurred. Moseley ended up needing a second procedure last summer but was ready to debut by Week 5 of last season. Expected to play a regular role as a boundary defender, Moseley went down once again.
Signed to a one-year, $2.88MM deal this offseason, Moseley was not on the Lions’ active/PUP list to start training camp this year. He suffered the pec tear during the second week of camp. The Lions did not place him on IR until setting their 53-man roster, however, keeping the door open to an in-season return.
Detroit’s CB equation has changed considerably since Moseley’s initial signing. The team ditched Cameron Sutton after his domestic violence arrest and used first- and second-round picks on corners (Terrion Arnold, Ennis Rakestraw). That came after a trade for Carlton Davis. It will now be interesting to see what kind of a role Moseley will play. When he was last healthy for an extended stretch, the former UDFA started for the 49ers. Moseley has 33 starts on his NFL resume.
A former third-round pick, Melifonwu has not yet played this season. He suffered the ankle setback shortly before the Lions’ opener. The Syracuse alum started the Lions’ final six games last season and worked with the first-stringers during each playoff contest. The Lions did not bench him when C.J. Gardner-Johnson returned from his pec tear in Week 18, keeping the free agency addition on the bench.
The NFC North leaders, however, have moved Brian Branch to safety to play with ascending talent Kerby Joseph. Both are having strong years, with Pro Football Focus ranking them at Nos. 1 and 2 at the position. Melifonwu, who is in a contract year, now looks to have a ceiling as a depth piece.