Detroit Lions News & Rumors

Lions Win; Jaguars To Pick No. 1 Overall 2022 NFL Draft 

The Lions held on to beat the Packers 37-30 on Sunday. With the win, the Lions improved to 3-13-1 on the year, ceding the No. 1 overall pick to the Jaguars.

The Jaguars also managed to close out their year with a win, upsetting the Colts 26-11. They get the best of all worlds, putting their division rival in jeopardy of missing the playoffs and closing the year with a win, all while retaining the top overall selection. They’ve also extended their home winning streak against the Colts, beating Indy in six straight Jacksonville games.

The early slate of Sunday games also saw the Titans clinch the No. 1 seed while the Bengals slipped in the AFC pecking order, potentially putting them on track to face the Patriots.

The Jaguars are in need of offensive line and edge help. Fortunately for them, this year’s class offers several high-profile options in both areas. Alabama tackle Evan Neal, who measures in at 6’7″ and 350 pounds, would go a long way towards protecting Trevor Lawrence. On the other side of the ball, defensive ends Aidan Hutchinson (Michigan) and Kayvon Thibodeaux (Oregon) are squarely in the conversation.

Lions, OC Anthony Lynn To Part Ways

The Lions and offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn are set to end their relationship after just one season, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). The parties are expected to part ways following Detroit’s 2021 finale this afternoon.

One year ago, the Chargers fired Lynn as their head coach after he spent four years in that role. Lynn initially planned to sit out the 2021 season, but he had discussions with the Seahawks about their OC post, and he ultimately elected to join Dan Campbell‘s inaugural staff in Detroit.

As it turns out, Lynn may have been better off following through on his original plan to take the year off. In November, he was stripped of his play-calling duties, and although he continued to help run the offensive meetings and structure the game plan and rushing attack, he conceded that he was not happy about the loss of responsibility (Twitter link via Justin Rogers of the Detroit News).

The Lions were averaging only 16.8 points per game during Lynn’s eight games as the offensive play-caller, and they failed to record a win during that time. In the following eight contests, they averaged 19.25 points per game and squeezed out two victories and a tie. Correlation does not equal causation, and myriad factors have contributed to another lost season for the Lions, but his time in the Motor City clearly did not help Lynn’s stock as a coach.

The 53-year-old may end up having to accept a position coach post to start working his way back up the ladder (he has previously served as the RBs coach of the Jaguars, Cowboys, Browns, Jets, and Bills). The fact that he is a highly-respected figure in the league will certainly help him get a job somewhere, and his HC experience could be especially useful to someone who lands a head coaching gig for the first time in 2022. He might also be interested in a job in the college ranks.

The Lions, meanwhile, will have to search for a new OC. Ben Johnson, the club’s TE coach who was appointed pass game coordinator when Campbell took over play-calling responsibilities from Lynn, is perhaps the top in-house option. It will also be interesting to see if Campbell wants to remain the play-caller going forward.

NFL COVID-19 List Updates: 1/8/22

Today’s updates for the reserve/COVID-19 and practice squad/COVID-19 lists:

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Football Team

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/8/22

Today’s taxi squad moves:

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

Los Angeles Rams

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/8/22

Here are Saturday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

NFL COVID-19 List Updates: 1/6/22

Here are the Thursday additions and subtractions from teams’ reserve/COVID-19 lists:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/6/22

Here are Thursday’s minor moves:

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

Los Angeles Rams

New England Patriots

NFL COVID-19 List Updates: 1/4/22-1/5/22

Here are Tuesday and Wednesday’s activations from and placements on the reserve/COVID-19 lists:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Jared Cook, LB Damon Lloyd (remains on IR)

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Updated 2022 NFL Draft Order

Eleven teams have punched their ticket to the playoffs with one week to go in the regular season. Meanwhile, the Colts, 49ers, Chargers, Saints, Raiders, Steelers, and (technically) Ravens all still have a shot. If you’re a fan of one of the other 14 teams, this list may be of equal interest to you. That is, if your team still owns their original first-round pick.

For non-playoff teams, the draft order will be determined by the inverted 2021 standings, plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. For playoff teams, the order is determined by their postseason outcome and regular season record.

As we look ahead to Week 18, here’s a look at the currently projected 2022 NFL Draft Order:

  1. Jacksonville Jaguars: 2-14
  2. Detroit Lions: 2-13-1
  3. Houston Texans: 4-12
  4. New York Jets: 4-12
  5. New York Giants: 4-12
  6. Carolina Panthers: 5-11
  7. New York Jets (via Seahawks)
  8. New York Giants (via Bears)
  9. Washington Football Team: 6-10
  10. Atlanta Falcons: 7-9
  11. Denver Broncos: 7-9
  12. Minnesota Vikings: 7-9
  13. Cleveland Browns: 7-9
  14. Philadelphia Eagles (via Dolphins)
  15. New Orleans Saints: 8-8
  16. Baltimore Ravens: 8-8
  17. Pittsburgh Steelers: 8-7-1
  18. Las Vegas Raiders: 9-7
  19. Philadelphia Eagles: 9-7*
  20. Los Angeles Chargers: 9-7*
  21. Philadelphia Eagles (via Colts)*
  22. Miami Dolphins (via 49ers)*
  23. New England Patriots*
  24. Arizona Cardinals: 10-5*
  25. Buffalo Bills: 10-6*
  26. Cincinnati Bengals: 10-6*
  27. Dallas Cowboys: 11-5*
  28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 12-4*
  29. Kansas City Chiefs: 11-5*
  30. Detroit Lions (via Rams): 12-4*
  31. Tennessee Titans: 11-5*
  32. Green Bay Packers: 13-3*

* = Playoffs

NFL COVID-19 List Updates: 1/3/22

Here are Monday’s activations from and placements on the reserve/COVID-19 lists:

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

  • Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: OT Mike Remmers (remains on IR)

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

  • Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: RB Raymond Calais (remains on IR)

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team