Detroit Lions News & Rumors

NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/17/22

Here are the latest draft pick signings around the NFL:

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/17/22

Here are today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

New Orleans Saints

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/16/22

Here are Monday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

  • Waived: CB Junior Faulk

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

  • Signed: LS Ross Reiter
  • Waived: DB Devin Hafford, QB/WR D’Eriq King

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

  • Claimed (from Broncos): T Drew Himmelman
  • Signed: CB Nijuel Hill, LB Bryce Notree
  • Waived: G Zack Bailey, LB Jordan Kunaszyk

NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/13/22

Several more mid- and late-round picks agreed to terms on their four-year rookie contracts Friday. Here are the latest agreements:

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

  • LB Malcolm Rodriguez (sixth round, Oklahoma State)
  • LB James Houston (sixth round, Jackson State)

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

Lions Sign 12 UDFAs

As teams’ classes of undrafted free agents continue to be announced, the Lions have confirmed their group of signings. Here is their list of UDFAs:

The team’s two largest commitments were amongst the offensive linemen in the group. PFF’s Doug Kyed reports (on Twitter) that Eze is receiving $170K in guaranteed money. The Memphis transfer has the size (six-foot-eight, 315 pounds) to at least compete for a place at the end of the roster on an NFL team. Jarvis, likewise, is set for notable compensation; the former Spartan will earn $155K in total guarantees, per Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network (Twitter link).

On the offensive side of the ball, Bell and Deese stand out in terms of contract details. In a pair of tweets, Wilson details that each of them will earn $100K in guaranteed money. A Nebraska transfer, Bell played two seasons with the Aztecs, recording over 1,000 scrimmage yards and nine rushing touchdowns in 2021. Deese also enjoyed a career year this past season, totalling 47 receptions for 730 yards and four touchdowns. Each will compete for depth roles behind entrenched starters D’Andre Swift and T.J. Hockenson at their respective positions.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/12/22

Today’s minor NFL transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

  • Released: WR Cyrus Holder, WR Henry Litwin

Detroit Lions

Las Vegas Raiders

NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/12/22

Thursday has featured several rookie deals finalized. Here are the mid- and late-round draftees to sign their four-year contracts today:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

  • WR Montrell Washington (fifth round, Samford)

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

  • RB Snoop Conner (fifth round, Ole Miss)
  • CB Gregory Junior (sixth round, Ouachita Baptist)
  • CB Montaric Brown (seventh round, Arkansas)

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Lions Sign Round 1 WR Jameson Williams

Jameson Williams agreed to terms on his fully guaranteed rookie contract Thursday, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). The Lions now have both their 2022 first-rounders signed, after having inked No. 2 overall pick Aidan Hutchinson to his rookie deal earlier this week.

The No. 12 overall pick, Williams will be tied to his rookie deal for at least three seasons and can be under Lions control through 2026 (via the fifth-year option). He is set to earn around $17.5MM on this contract.

Detroit traded its Nos. 32 and 34 picks to Minnesota to climb up for Williams, who zoomed onto the draft radar after his dominant season at Alabama. Williams joins DJ Chark as key offseason receiver additions for a Lions team that featured one of the NFL’s worst wideout situations in 2021.

Playing behind the likes of Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave at Ohio State, Williams transferred to an Alabama squad that had just lost DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle. The Crimson Tide put the slender speedster to work immediately, and Williams posted a monster season — 79 receptions, 1,572 yards, 15 touchdowns — as a junior to help the SEC powerhouse to another national championship game.

The torn ACL Williams suffered in that loss to Georgia did not impact his draft stock much, but the 179-pound pass catcher is expected to begin the season on the PUP list. Many NFL evaluators expect Williams to be out until November, via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com, though the rebuilding Lions are likely fine playing the long game with the recovering prospect.

In addition to signing Williams, the Lions and third-round safety Kerby Joseph agreed on the terms of his rookie contract. The Lions took Jones 97th overall out of Illinois. His four-year deal is worth just more than $5MM, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press notes.

Lions’ Amani Oruwariye Eyeing Long-Term Deal

After he enjoyed a breakout season, the Lions let it be known they were considering an extension with cornerback Amani OruwariyeAs detailed by Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, the desire to get a deal done is mutual. 

[RELATED: Lions Discussing Oruwariye Extension]

“Yeah, I love Detroit” the 26-year-old said when asked about his intention of signing long-term. “I mean, I love being here. I love everything it’s given me. It’s given me a chance to play in the NFL, so ideally that’s where I want to be at. But we’ll see.”

A fifth round pick in 2019, Oruwariye recorded a pair of interceptions in his rookie season, but it wasn’t until the following year that he became a full-time starter. He played a career-high 1,028 snaps in 2020, taking significant strides in pass coverage. That set the stage for this past campaign.

Stepping into the No. 1 role as a result of Jeff Okudah‘s torn Achilles, Oruwariye set career highs across the board in tackles (57), interceptions (six) and passes defensed (11), continuing to improve nearly all of his coverage statistics along the way. His level of play made him a strong candidate for an extension, so it came as little surprise when general manager Brad Holmes said the team was considering offering him one.

“Obviously, with Amani, with the ball production that he had, and just being a good teammate – he’s really developed as a leader” he said when discussing the subject last month. “He’s still a young guy… There’s still upside in him.”

If Oruwariye does land a second contract, he will likely earn a considerable raise from the $2.54MM he is due in 2022. While the team could wait one more season to extend him, doing so could ultimately drive his asking price up, if he continues his current career trajectory.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/11/22

We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

  • Claimed (from Giants): TE Rysen John
  • Waived/failed physical: TE Jesper Horsted

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

  • Claimed (from Colts): TE Eli Wolf
  • Waived: WR Chris Blair

Jacksonville Jaguars

New England Patriots

  • Claimed (from Lions): TE Matthew Sokol

New Orleans Saints

Pittsburgh Steelers