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Detroit Lions News & Rumors

Lions’ Kerryon Johnson Designated To Return

December 4th, 2019 at 2:16pm CST by Zachary Links

Lions running back Kerryon Johnson has been designated to return from injured reserve, head coach Matt Patricia announced on Wednesday. Johnson will be eligible to play in Week 16 against the Broncos, though it’s not guaranteed that he’ll be activated. 

The Lions are mathematically eliminated from the playoffs at 3-8-1, so the decision to play Johnson won’t be an easy one to make. The running back would surely like to see his first action since the sixth game of the season, but the Lions won’t want to risk further injury to one of their top skill players.

If nothing else, the move allows Johnson to practice with the club, starting today. Johnson, 22, was averaging just 3.3 yards per carry prior to the injury, but impressed in a limited sample as a rookie. In 2018, Johnson finished with 641 rushing yards on 118 attempts, good for a 5.4 yards per carry average. And, in Week 3 of that season, he snapped the Lions’ streak of 70 games without a 100-yard rusher.

The Lions, without Johnson in the lineup, will finish the year against the Vikings, Bucs, Broncos, and Packers. If the season ended today, they’d own the No. 6 overall pick.

NFL Workout Updates: 12/3/19

December 3rd, 2019 at 7:42pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s notes from the workout/visit circuit:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Tennessee Titans

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/3/19

December 3rd, 2019 at 4:32pm CST by Zachary Links

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

Arizona Cardinals

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

  • Claimed: C Patrick Morris (from Steelers)

Detroit Lions

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Rams

  • Promote TE Kendall Blanton
  • Placed on IR: WR JoJo Natson

Miami Dolphins

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Current 2020 NFL Draft Order

December 3rd, 2019 at 8:15am CST by Zachary Links

With 13 full weeks of the NFL season in the books, the 2020 draft order is beginning to take shape. Here’s the rundown of where things would stand if the 2019 season ended today:

1. Bengals: 1-11
2. Giants: 2-10
3. Redskins: 3-9
4. Dolphins: 3-9
5. Falcons: 3-9
6. Lions: 3-8-1
7. Cardinals: 3-8-1
8. Jaguars: 4-8
9. Jets: 4-8
10. Chargers: 4-8
11. Broncos 4-8
12. Eagles 5-7
13. Buccaneers 5-7
T-14. Panthers 5-7
T-14. Browns
16. Raiders 6-6
17. Colts 6-6
18. Raiders (via Bears) 6-6
19. Titans 7-5
20. Jaguars (via Rams) 7-5
21. Cowboys 6-6
22. Dolphins (via Steelers) 7-5
23. Vikings 8-4
24. Chiefs 8-4
25. Dolphins (via Texans) 8-4
26. Bills 9-3
27. Packers 9-3
28. Saints 10-2
29. Patriots 10-2
30. 49ers 10-2
31. Ravens 10-2
32. Seahawks 10-2

Lions To Place T.J. Hockenson On IR

December 2nd, 2019 at 2:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

T.J. Hockenson‘s first NFL season will end early. The No. 8 overall pick suffered an ankle injury that will prompt the Lions to place him on IR, Matt Patricia said Monday.

The Iowa product will wrap up his first season with 32 receptions for 367 yards and two touchdowns. Fellow Big Ten-produced rookie David Blough repeatedly tried to get Hockenson going on Thanksgiving Day, targeting him a season-high 11 times, but that effort ended with six receptions for 18 yards. It was emblematic of Hockenson’s rookie year.

After it looked like Hockenson would buck the trend of rookie tight ends being slow to assimilate to NFL action, he did not contribute too much statistically. More than a third of Hockenson’s yardage numbers came via his six-catch, 131-yard debut against the Cardinals. He did suffer a concussion and a shoulder injury, however. Hockenson still figures to be a key target for Matthew Stafford next season.

Detroit used a first-round pick on a tight end for the third time in 10 years, with Hockenson following Brandon Pettigrew and Eric Ebron. Hockenson joined Noah Fant as Iowa tight ends chosen in Round 1. Considering the leap fellow Iowa product George Kittle made in his second season, more can be expected of the ex-Hawkeyes as NFL sophomores.

Lions Sign Joe Callahan To Practice Squad

November 30th, 2019 at 2:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

Joe Callahan has thrown just seven passes since entering the league as a 2016 UDFA, but the quarterback is now on a seventh team. The Lions’ Saturday quarterback moves included bringing Callahan onto their practice squad.

The Division III product has done well to stay on the NFL radar, having been on active rosters, practice squads and a mainstay on the workout circuit.

The Lions placed Jeff Driskel on IR and signed Kyle Sloter off the Cardinals’ practice squad. With Matthew Stafford dealing with back injuries, and seemingly an IR candidate himself, Detroit added some insurance in Callahan. Sloter and David Blough are Detroit’s only healthy passers on its active roster.

Since coming into the league as a Wesley College (Del.) product, Callahan has previously been with the Saints, Packers, Browns, Eagles, Buccaneers and Redskins. His game action came during a 2017 Packers contest, during which he completed 5 of 7 passes for 11 yards.

Lions To Sign Sloter, Place Driskel On IR

November 30th, 2019 at 1:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

2:04pm: Instead of placing Stafford on IR, the Lions will slide Driskel to their injured list, per Yates (on Twitter). Driskel started three games for the Lions in place of Stafford this season but missed Detroit’s Thanksgiving Day game with a hamstring injury. Although Driskel got in three limited practices this week, he will nevertheless end up on IR. Sloter and Blough are now the only healthy quarterbacks on the Lions’ roster.

1:55pm: Kyle Sloter will head back to an NFC North franchise. The Lions will sign the former UDFA quarterback off the Cardinals’ practice squad, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.

This will give Detroit four quarterbacks on its active roster. While it could be a precursor to a Matthew Stafford IR trip, no such move has been made yet. Stafford, Sloter, Jeff Driskel and David Blough will reside on the Lions’ 53-man roster.

Shortly after teams finalized their rosters in early September, the Lions scheduled a Sloter workout. But he instead opted to join the Cardinals’ practice squad. Nearly three months later, Sloter will head to Detroit.

Sloter spent two seasons with the Vikings, who plucked him off waivers from the Broncos after his strong 2017 preseason as a rookie UDFA. The Northern Colorado alum, however, could not beat out Sean Mannion for Minnesota’s backup job this year. The Cardinals signed him to their practice squad shortly after the Vikings cut him.

Stafford has missed the past four Lions games, giving way to first Driskel and then Blough. Stafford has objected to being shut down early, but with the Lions now well out of contention at 3-8-1, it would not make much sense to redeploy their franchise centerpiece this season. The 31-year-old passer is dealing with fractured bones in his back.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/27/19

November 27th, 2019 at 8:58pm CST by Marc Delucchi

Here are Wednesday’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Detroit Lions

New York Giants

Oakland Raiders

San Francisco 49ers

Washington

Lions QB David Blough Expected To Start Thursday

November 27th, 2019 at 6:54pm CST by Marc Delucchi

Lions quarterback David Blough is expected to make his first career start tomorrow in place of Jeff Driskel, a source tells Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. Driskel is not expected to be able to play through a hamstring injury that’s been causing him problems.

Blough will be the third different player to start under center for the Lions. Driskel stepped in for franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford when he went down with an injury of his own. The Lions do not have another quarterback on their roster, which means tight end (and collegiate quarterback) Logan Thomas will serve as the team’s emergency backup.

An undrafted free agent out of Purdue, Blough, originally signed with the Browns. However, as roster cuts approached, the Lions agreed to swap conditional draft picks in exchange for the rookie signalcaller. Unlike Driskel, Blough is not a mobile quarterback (he ran a 4.9 40-yard dash during the draft process), and will have to rely on his skills as a pocket passer to take down the Bears.

In his first career start, Blough will be going up against one of the better defenses in football (Bears) on one of the biggest stages of the year (Thanksgiving). The pressure and bright lights will be on and he will get a chance to make an impression.

Lions Work Out Two QBs

November 26th, 2019 at 9:47pm CST by Ben Levine

The Lions’ quarterbacks are both ailing, so the team brought in a pair of signal-callers for auditions today. Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports (via Twitter) that Detroit worked out Joe Callahan and Taryn Christion.

Callahan, 26, has spent time with six organizations (not including two stints with the Packers) since entering the league as an undrafted free agent in 2016. The Wesley (DE) product appeared in a single game for the Packers during the 2017 season, completing five of his seven pass attempts for 11 yards. Callahan was waived by the Ravens at the end of the 2019 preseason, and he was later selected by the Seattle Dragons during the XFL Draft.

Christion, an undrafted rookie out of South Dakota State, spent the preseason with the Cowboys. He actually had a solid outing during the team’s preseason finale vs. the Buccaneers, completing 11 of his 17 attempts for 142 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. The 22-year-old spent time on the Steelers practice squad earlier this season.

The Lions have a short week, as the team will be playing in their annual Thanksgiving contest. It’s uncertain if Matthew Stafford will return this season from a back injury, and fill-in Jeff Driskel is currently dealing with his own hamstring injury. Otherwise, the Lions are only rostering third-stringer David Blough. We learned yesterday that the Lions were hunting for some quarterback help, as the XFL blocked the Lions from signing quarterback Josh Johnson.

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