Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
Cleveland Browns
Denver Broncos
Detroit Lions
Houston Texans
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Lions are looking for quarterback depth behind Matthew Stafford. The team is bringing in veterans Josh Johnson and Landry Jones for workouts, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link).
As Garafolo points out, current backup Tom Savage left yesterday’s preseason game after his head hit the turf, necessitating this move. Savage has a history of concussion issues, so it’s possible he’ll be sidelined for a while. Former Bears and Dolphins third-stringer David Fales is currently the only healthy quarterback on the roster behind Stafford.
Johnson is a legendary journeyman, already having spent time with 12 different NFL teams in his long and winding career. The 33-year-old turned into one of the best stories of the 2018 NFL season when he was signed off the street by the Redskins late in the season and suddenly thrust into the starting role. He played about as well as could’ve been expected, but has remained unsigned this offseason.
Johnson recently turned down a contract from the Ravens as he apparently felt he wasn’t going to be anything more than a short-term camp arm. Jones, a 2013 fourth-round pick of the Steelers, notably spent a few seasons as Ben Roethlisberger‘s backup. He was always somewhat competent when forced into action, but Pittsburgh eventually decided they wanted to upgrade, cutting him on the eve of the 2018 season. He briefly latched on with the Jaguars but spent most of the year out of the league. He spent a couple of months with the Raiders earlier this offseason before getting released.
On his first drive as a Lion, Jermaine Kearse suffered severe injuries. The recently signed wide receiver sustained a broken leg and ankle damage, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Kearse was blocking on a run play, and a defender rolled into him. The veteran wideout signed a minimum-salary Lions pact earlier this summer. He required an air cast after the injury, per the Detroit News’ Justin Rogers (on Twitter).
This news could obviously mean Kearse’s Lions tenure will be brief. Detroit returns Marvin Jones from injury and has emerging talent Kenny Golladay. The team added Danny Amendola on a one-year deal as well this offseason. The Lions drafted Travis Fulgam in Round 6 and signed return man Tommylee Lewis this year, too.
Kearse, 29, spent the past two seasons with the Jets. After an 810-yard Gang Green debut season, the former Seahawks UDFA find posted just 371 last season. The Lions marked his only known workout. For a player to be eligible to come off IR during the season, he must be carried through to the 53-man roster. If the Lions place Kearse on IR before then, he cannot play for them this season.
Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
Atlanta Falcons
Cleveland Browns
Dallas Cowboys
Detroit Lions
Jacksonville Jaguars
Los Angeles Rams
New York Jets
Philadelphia Eagles
Pittsburgh Steelers
Seattle Seahawks
Lions offensive lineman Joe Dahl is no longer entering a contract year. The Lions took care of their former fifth-round pick on Tuesday, agreeing to a two-year extension, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Dahl is expected to once again play a reserve role in Detroit, though he is competing for the Lions’ starting left guard spot. He is now signed through the 2021 season.
The Lions selected the Washington State product on Day 3 of the 2016 draft, and although he arrived during the Jim Caldwell regime’s run, Dahl has made an impression on Matt Patricia‘s staff. He has started four games in his three-season career.
This season’s Lions line is expected to look a lot like 2018’s, with last year’s starting five — Taylor Decker, Kenny Wiggins, Frank Ragnow, Graham Glasgow and Ricky Wagner — all still under contract. Dahl stands to be perhaps Detroit’s top interior backup, if he cannot beat out the 30-year-old Wiggins for a starting gig.
Here are Sunday’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
Denver Broncos
Detroit Lions
New York Jets
Philadelphia Eagles
Today’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
Buffalo Bills
Detroit Lions
Indianapolis Colts
New England Patriots
New York Jets
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Lions have moved on from one of their longest-tenured players. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the team has released running back Theo Riddick. His roster spot will be taken by defensive lineman Mike Daniels, who signed with Detroit yesterday.
The Notre Dame product has been with the Lions since he was drafted in the sixth round of the 2013 draft. The running back soon became one of Matthew Stafford‘s favorite targets, as Riddick has finished with at least 50 receptions per season since 2015. Actually, as our own Dallas Robinson pointed out, the 28-year-old has garnered more pass targets than rush attempts in half of his NFL seasons, and his career 3.6-yards-per-carry indicates that he’s much more dangerous in the passing game.
Despite his production, there was some speculation that the Lions could move on from the veteran. Riddick agreed to a three-year, $11.5MM extension with Detroit back in 2016, and he was set to count for $4.625MM on the team’s 2019 salary cap. Now, the Lions will only be left with ~$963K in dead cap.
Furthermore, the running back had one of his worst NFL seasons from a statistical standpoint, and the Lions added veteran C.J. Anderson and rookie Ty Johnson to pair with Kerryon Johnson and Zach Zenner. While none of those players possess the pass-catching prowess of Riddick, it was clear that the veteran was the odd man out.
Riddick is still relatively young, and plenty of teams could use a top-notch third-down back. It wouldn’t be shocking to see the running back quickly catch on with a brand-new organization.
UPDATE, 4:55pm: Daniels’ deal is worth $9.1MM, with $7.8MM of it being fully guaranteed, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). That’s a great payday for Daniels to get this time of year, and he might end up making more than if the Packers hadn’t released him in the first place. Daniels had been set to earn $8.1MM in the final year of his deal with Green Bay.
UPDATE, 4:23pm: It’s a one-year deal for Daniels, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
3:22pm: The Lions will sign defensive lineman Mike Daniels, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets. The two sides are finalizing things now, but the deal should be completed soon. 
The Packers extended Daniels via four-year, $41MM contract during the 2015 season. For the most part, the deal has paid off. Daniels earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2017, though he was less productive in 2018 before ultimately landing on IR in December with a foot injury.
In his Pro Bowl campaign, Daniels notched five sacks and 49 tackles across 14 games. Last year, he had two sacks and 18 tackles in ten contests.
With the Lions, he’ll join fellow D-Line newcomers Trey Flowers, Darius Kilgo, Austin Bryant, and P.J. Johnson. Flowers is currently on the PUP list while Kilgo and Damon Harrison are on NFI, so Daniels will be especially valued in the near term.
Many expected the former Packers lineman to land with the Browns, but it was not meant to be. John Dorsey and fellow team execs Alonzo Highsmith and Eliot Wolf were in Green Bay when Daniels was drafted in the 2012 fourth round, but the Lions possibly had the greater need and the higher offer.
Daniels reportedly wanted to land with a Super Bowl contender so he must believe in the Lions’ potential, even though they are not one of Vegas’ odds-on leaders for the 2019 season.