HEADLINES

Detroit Lions News & Rumors

Lions Designate CB Jamal Agnew For Return

November 28th, 2018 at 6:39pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Lions have designated cornerback/returner Jamal Agnew to return from injured reserve, the club announced today.

Agnew was originally placed on IR on October 15, and given the NFL’s requirement that IR/return players miss six weeks, the earliest Agnew can return is Week 15. He was allowed to return to practice today, however, opening a three-week window during which the Lions must decide whether to activate Agnew to their 53-man roster, or leave him on injured reserve for the remainder of the season.

Agnew, 23, earned All-Pro honors as a specialist during his rookie season in 2017 after leading the NFL in punt return yardage and average, and also scored two touchdowns on special teams. His prowess in the kicking game had continued into this season, but Agnew had also been asked to play more on defense, where his playtime percentage had jumped from just 7.8% a year ago to 36.3% in 2018. Pro Football Focus gave Agnew poor marks for his coverage abilities, however, grading him as a bottom-10 cornerback.

Detroit has no chance at making the postseason, so it’s fair to wonder why the Lions would risk Agnew’s health in a lost year. But as Kyle Meinke of MLive.com writes, Agnew could use the final three weeks of the 2018 campaign to get more experience playing cornerback. Detroit can certainly use all the help it can get, as the club has been deploying lackluster options Nevin Lawson and Mike Ford (an undrafted rookie free agent) alongside Darius Slay. The Lions currently rank 31st in both pass defense DVOA and opposing passer rating allowed.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/27/18

November 27th, 2018 at 9:58pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed: OL Gerhard de Beer

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Oakland Raiders

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Lions Work Out RB C.J. Anderson

November 27th, 2018 at 4:27pm CST by Sam Robinson

Operating as the Broncos’ starter for a fourth straight season in 2017, C.J. Anderson exceeded 1,000 rushing yards for the first time. But he’s been released twice this year.

The Panthers cut the sixth-year running back earlier this season, but the Lions are looking into him, Adam Caplan of Sirius XM Radio tweets. Anderson worked out for the Lions on Tuesday.

Christian McCaffrey‘s played on 97 percent of the Panthers’ offensive snaps this season, leaving little time for Anderson. The 27-year-old back envisioned a chance to hit the 2019 free agency market after a productive season. With 24 carries for 104 yards, the UDFA success story has not contributed much in 2018.

The Broncos cut Anderson in April, putting the running back in a similar position to Dez Bryant — only at a position on which teams don’t spend as much money. He rushed for 1,007 yards in 2017 and was key to Denver’s 2015 Super Bowl march, amassing 234 yards in the three Bronco playoff games that year. The Broncos matched a four-year, $18MM Dolphins offer sheet in 2016 and deployed Anderson as their starter the following two seasons before cutting bait and going with younger backs this year.

Detroit has been without Kerryon Johnson, going with LeGarrette Blount, Zach Zenner and pass-catching back Theo Riddick in that time.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/26/18

November 26th, 2018 at 8:56pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s practice squad updates:

Arizona Cardinals

Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

  • Released: DB Horace Richardson

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

New York Giants

Oakland Raiders

San Francisco 49ers

Washington Redskins

Lions To Place WR Marvin Jones On IR

November 26th, 2018 at 2:09pm CST by Sam Robinson

Marvin Jones‘ third Lions season will come to an end early. Detroit will place the veteran wide receiver on IR, Justin Rogers of the Detroit News tweets.

A knee injury has sidelined Jones in recent weeks. The Lions are signing linebacker Nicholas Grigsby to fill Jones’ roster spot, per Rogers (on Twitter).

Detroit dealt Golden Tate to Philadelphia this season but soon after lost Jones to injury. The 2017 Lions saw both players exceed 1,000 yards, making them the only 1,000-1,000 receiver tandem last season, but this year’s group will play without both the rest of the way. Kenny Golladay will take over as the Lions’ No. 1 wideout.

Signed through 2020 on his $40MM deal, Jones had played in 31 regular-season games with Detroit from 2016-17. He’ll end up missing seven this season. The 28-year-old wideout caught 35 passes for 508 yards and five touchdowns this season.

Stafford's Future In Doubt?

November 25th, 2018 at 7:03pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Matthew Stafford fell flat on Thanksgiving, throwing a pair of interceptions that cost the Lions the game. The loss dropped the Lions to 4-7 on the year, and more or less eliminated them from the NFC playoff picture. It naturally sparked a new wave of questions about Stafford’s future with the team, and has led many to speculate that he might not be the longterm solution in Detroit. Due to the “culture change” the Lions are implementing, it’s possible Detroit’s transformation “eventually will result in a new quarterback”, according to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com.

While Florio does note that Stafford’s massive contract will make it hard to move on from him before 2020 at the earliest, he does float a trade as a possibility. While Stafford hasn’t been great this year, he’d be an upgrade for many teams. The most likely course of action still remains that the Lions stick with Stafford and possibly make a change at offensive coordinator with Jim Bob Cooter if the offense continues to struggle.

  • Mitchell Trubisky missed the Bears’ win over the Lions on Thanksgiving, and while the initial thought was that he could’ve played had it been a Sunday game, it’s no guarantee he’s back for Week 13. “It is not certain he will [return] and missing one more game is possible”, a source told Adam Schefter of ESPN (Twitter link). Chase Daniel was just as good as Trubisky has been in his one start, so it’s not too much of a downgrade for Chicago’s offense. Schefter does add that if Trubisky is forced to sit out against the Giants, he’ll return the next week at the latest.

Lions Waive S Don Carey

November 23rd, 2018 at 12:13pm CST by Zachary Links

The Lions waived safety Don Carey on Friday, according to a team announcement. The move will create room for cornerback Marcus Cooper, who was claimed off waivers from the Bears on Thanksgiving. 

[RELATED: Lions Claim Marcus Cooper]

Because the Lions played on Thursday, the addition of Cooper was formally delayed until the next day. Carey was active for this week’s game against Chicago and served as a special teams gunner alongside Charles Washington. Carey had just returned to the Lions on Nov. 20, so his latest stint with the team lasted only a few days.

Carey bounced around the league after being selected in the sixth round of the 2009 draft by the Brown. Later on, the Norfolk State product found a home in Detroit. After signing with the Lions in 2011, Carey proceeded to play the next seven years for the organization. The 31-year-old served as mostly a backup and special teamer during his tenure in Detroit, including a 2017 campaign where he compiled nine tackles and one forced fumble in 13 games.

Cooper is expected to step into Carey’s old role, which means that he’ll serve as a cornerback behind Darius Slay, Nevin Lawson, Teez Tabor, DeShawn Shead, and Mike Ford.

Lions Claim CB Marcus Cooper

November 22nd, 2018 at 4:24pm CST by Sam Robinson

Marcus Cooper has not factored into the 2018 season much, but he’ll have a chance to make up for lost time with another NFC North team.

The Lions claimed the veteran cornerback off waivers from the Bears on Thursday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). The claim will be deferred to Friday.

The Bears defeated the Lions in Thanksgiving’s early game, and Cooper will be set for a Chicago-to-Detroit flight soon as well.

He’s played just three snaps this season for the division-leading Bears. A hamstring injury’s intervened, but the Lions are presumably viewing the 28-year-old corner as a better bet to see snaps than the Bears did this year.

Having recently picked up cornerback/special-teamer Don Carey, the Lions may be set to make another move at corner Friday. They have six on the roster prior to Cooper’s arrival. The former Chiefs and Cardinals defender signed a one-year, $1.5MM deal to return to Chicago this year, doing so shortly after the team cut bait on the three-year, $13.5MM pact agreed to in 2017.

Lions Won't Bring Back Lang

November 22nd, 2018 at 3:29pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg
  • Lions offensive lineman T.J. Lang has always been one of the best guards in football when he’s healthy, but has had another injury plagued year this season. He was recently placed on injured reserve with a neck injury, and Detroit “won’t bring Lang back at his current salary”, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Lang is scheduled to make $8.25MM in the final year of his deal next season, and isn’t worth the injury risk already into his 30’s.
Load More Posts