Detroit Lions Rumors & News - Pro Football Rumors

Matthew Stafford Tears Ligaments In Throwing Hand

December 11th, 2016 at 5:33pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Lions moved to 9-4 today and remain in strong position to clinch their first NFC North championship, but the franchise’s degree of difficulty looks to have been raised. Matthew Stafford will be required to throw with a glove on his hand due to tearing multiple ligaments in his right middle finger, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports.

The eighth-year quarterback also dislocated the finger, per Schefter, with the top of it bent downwards “at a 90-degree angle” with the passer having no control over the top part of it at present, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com notes.

Rothstein points out Stafford intends to play through this malady, one that could well sideline many players. Stafford injured the finger during a first-quarter play on which he was called for intentional grounding, but his throwing hand collided with Bears pass-rusher Leonard Floyd, resulting in Stafford putting a glove on to manage it the rest of the way. Although he threw a touchdown pass to Anquan Boldin and gave the Lions a lead they didn’t relinquish with a touchdown run, leading Detroit to another comeback victory, Stafford said postgame the injury affected his grip and the velocity of his throws.

“Just tried to play through it,” Stafford said, via Rothstein. “Play as good as I could. I let those guys know that it may not be pretty coming in there, but those guys made some great plays for me. Obviously didn’t play as well as I can.”

Stafford completed 21-of-35 passes for 223 yards and threw two interceptions in addition to his TD toss. He has dealt with this kind of setback before. During the 2011 season, the former No. 1 overall pick fractured the index finger on his throwing hand and wore a glove. Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press points out he threw four interceptions in his first game with the glove that year and five more in the ensuing two contests. However, Stafford finished that season with a glowing stat line — 41 touchdown passes and 5,038 air yards — during a campaign in which the Lions qualified for the playoffs.

Seeking their second playoff berth in three years and first division title in 23 seasons, the Lions close the season with games against the Giants, Cowboys and Packers.

Lions Waive TE Brandon Pettigrew

December 9th, 2016 at 12:50pm CST by Zachary Links

The Lions have released tight end Brandon Pettigrew from the physically unable to perform list.

Pettigrew returned to practice in November but was unable to get healthy enough to make a return. Since he was unable to play this year, the Lions dropped Pettigrew in order to save $129K/week. Initially signed to a four-year, $16MM deal prior to the 2014 season, Pettigrew’s deal was reworked this year to a “split contract,” giving the Lions a discount while the tight end was on the PUP list.

It’s worth noting that Pettigrew’s knee is structurally sound and he’s “ready to go” (Twitter link via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press). That means rival teams could take a hard look at the veteran tight end. He may not get claimed on waivers, but he can be expected to field calls once he’s a true free agent.

Once a target for Matthew Stafford in the passing game, Pettigrew has been used mainly as a blocking tight end in recent years. Pettigrew, 31, caught only 17 passes for 137 yards between 2014 and 2015.

Lions Likely To Move On From Brandon Pettigrew

December 7th, 2016 at 9:11pm CST by Ben Levine

The Lions cleared out tight end Brandon Pettigrew‘s locker today, and Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports that it’s only a matter of time before the team moves on from the 31-year-old. Pettigrew, who has sat out the entire season as he’s recovered from a torn anterior cruciate ligament, is under contract through 2017.
The Lions shouldn’t expect much from running back Joique Bell, writes ESPN.com’s Michael Rothstein. The team could certainly use a running back, and Bell did have an 860-yard campaign with Detroit in 2014. However, Rothstein believes the 30-year-old’s best days are behind him. The Lions added the veteran running back yesterday.

[SOURCE LINK]

Pollard Alliance Releases HC Candidates List

December 7th, 2016 at 10:49am CST by Zachary Links

The Fritz Pollard Alliance Foundation typically releases its list of recommended minority head coaching candidates in January. This year, we have an early preview of the list, courtesy of Tom Pelissero of USA Today. This year’s suggested candidates will include Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, Bills offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn, Cardinals OC Harold Goodwin, and Vikings DC George Edwards.

Austin was a popular candidate for coaching vacancies last year but ultimately did not find a head coaching gig. After interviewing with the Browns, Dolphins, Giants, and Eagles, Austin indicated that he felt only two of the interviews were “legitimate” while the other two were only done to satisfy the Rooney Rule, which stipulates that a minority candidate must be interviewed for every job. Since the Browns hired a black coach in Hue Jackson, Austin presumably isn’t accusing Cleveland of interviewing him to fulfill the requirement.

The Bills installed Lynn as their OC in September after ousting Greg Roman. The Bills have been up-and-down this year, but they now stand at 6-6 despite injuries to key players. Lynn has had to run the Bills’ offense without star wide receiver Sammy Watkins for much of the year and teams will certainly take notice of his capable job despite the less-than-ideal circumstances.

Goodwin has made no secret of his desire to land a head coaching job. However, there are some factors working against him. First, the Cardinals offense has struggled this season. Secondly, despite rave reviews from those around him, Goodwin does not call the plays in Arizona, and that could deter interested teams.

Edwards was placed on the Pollard list for the first time last year and he returns this season. Like Goodwin, he does not call plays for his team despite the coordinator title. However, he comes with a strong recommendation from head coach Mike Zimmer and he did call the plays against the Cowboys when Zimmer was recovering from surgery. With Edwards at the wheel, the Vikings allowed just 17 points against one of the league’s most electric offenses.

The foundation also released a list of general manager candidates including Giants VP of player evaluation Marc Ross, Raiders director of player personnel Joey Clinkscales, former Lions GM and current Giants exec Martin Mayhew, and Eagles director of college scouting Trey Brown.

Lions Sign RB Joique Bell

December 6th, 2016 at 2:04pm CST by Zachary Links

The Lions announced that they have signed running back Joique Bell. At the same time, they have placed tight end Brandon Pettigrew on the physically unable to perform list and placed defensive end Armonty Bryant to injured reserve.

[RELATED: Lions Add CB Asa Jackson]

Bell has been on the open market since late October when the Bears released him. Bell, a sixth-year veteran who has spent the majority of his career with the NFC North rival Lions, appeared in four games for the Bears and totaled just three carries. Between his release from the Lions in February and his deal with Chicago, the 30-year-old sat on the open market for several months. Can he find success again with the Lions? That remains to be seen, but he won’t be counted on for as many carries this time around. He’ll now slot in as the team’s No. 4 RB behind Theo Riddick, Dwayne Washington, and Zach Zenner.

The Lions were hoping to get Brandon Pettigrew off of the PUP list and back on the field before the end of the season. Unfortunately, the big tight end couldn’t stay healthy. Detroit will have to make do without their best blocking TE for the rest of the month and – if they qualify – the playoffs.

Bryant was just activated after serving a three-game suspension. Unfortunately, he suffered a knee injury over the weekend. Bryant, 26, enjoyed something of a breakout season in 2015, racking up career-highs in sacks (5.5), tackles (40), and forced fumbles (two). In five games for Detroit this year, Bryant racked up five total tackles and three sacks.

In other Lions news, the team has plucked cornerback Asa Jackson from the Ravens.

Lions Sign Asa Jackson From Ravens’ P-Squad

December 6th, 2016 at 1:50pm CST by Zachary Links

The Lions are signing cornerback Asa Jackson off the Ravens’ practice squad, a source tells Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). Jackson will take the place of nickel corner Quandre Diggs who was lost for the season this week.

Jackson played under Teryl Austin in Baltimore when Austin served as the Ravens’ defensive backs coach. Now the defensive coordinator for the Lions, Austin put in a good word for Jackson. The Ravens waived Jackson ten days ago to make room for tight end Nick Boyle and re-signed him to taxi squad. That move allowed the Ravens to keep Jackson in the fold, but it also allowed him to get scooped up by rival teams.

Jackson, 26, has had multiple stints the Ravens. The former fifth-rounder has 18 career games on his resume and he’s totaled 30 tackles and three passes defended in that time.

Detroit’s pass defense has been among the worst in the NFL this year, and in fact ranks dead last in passing DVOA, according to Football Outsiders.

Anquan Boldin Earns Bonus

December 5th, 2016 at 9:25pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Veteran wide receiver Anquan Boldin earned a $500K incentive bonus when the Lions won their eighth game of the season on Sunday, Field Yates of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). Under the terms of the one-year deal he signed with Detroit, Boldin could possibly earn another $500K in not-likely-to-be-earned bonuses. Even in his age-36 season, Boldin is still producing, as he’s put up 52 receptions and six touchdowns this year.

Lions CB Quandre Diggs Likely Done For Year

December 5th, 2016 at 6:52pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Lions cornerback Quandre Diggs injured his pectoral in Sunday’s game against the Saints and will likely miss the remainder of the 2016 campaign, freelance reporter Rand Getlin tweets. Diggs will undergo more tests on Tuesday, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link), but Diggs’ outlook is “not looking good right now.”

Detroit’s pass defense has been among the worst in the NFL this year, and in fact ranks dead last in passing DVOA, according to Football Outsiders. Specifically, the Lions rank 32nd against “other receivers,” per FO, which indicates that Detroit is particularly poor against pass-catchers that don’t rank among the top-two on an opponent’s roster — the exact players that Diggs had been covering as the club’s slot corner. Pro Football Focus, too, hasn’t been bullish on Diggs’ play, grading him as the league’s No. 105 CB among 122 qualifiers.

Still, Diggs has been available during his sophomore NFL season, as he’s appeared in all 12 games, posting 38 tackles, one pass defensed, and one fumble recovery while playing on 56.4% of Detroit’s defensive snaps. As Birkett writes in a full article, Diggs had been losing playing to safety Rafael Bush in recent weeks, while rookie defensive back Adairius Barnes figures to see more time going forward.

NFL Spending By Team Over Last Four Seasons

December 5th, 2016 at 5:44pm CST by Zachary Links

The NFLPA has released the official data on team spending over the last four seasons. The Collective Bargaining Agreement stipulates that each team must utilize 89% of the salary cap over two four-year periods, 2013-16 and 2017-20. As previously reported, the Raiders are the only team that has yet to satisfy that requirement for the closing period. The CBA also requires the league, as a whole, to spend 95% of the cap, in cash, for the same period. That requirement has been easily met.

Here is the full rundown of every team’s spending in declining order:

Philadelphia Eagles – $613,928,134
Denver Broncos – $587,712,791
Seattle Seahawks – $584,305,975
Green Bay Packers – $583,138,740
Miami Dolphins – $577,975,260
Kansas City Chiefs – $575,541,332
Buffalo Bills – $573,647,850
Chicago Bears – $568,301,610
Cincinnati Bengals – $567,289,411
Baltimore Ravens – $562,425,698
San Diego Chargers – $562,232,116
Indianapolis Colts – $556,335,689
Atlanta Falcons – $550,614,572
New York Giants – $543,787,033
Arizona Cardinals – $543,327,538
Los Angeles Rams – $541,957,711
New Orleans Saints – $539,836,498
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – $539,736,102
Minnesota Vikings – $539,162,454
New York Jets – $533,151,519
Washington Redskins – $532,545,662
Pittsburgh Steelers – $530,698,171
Detroit Lions – $530,210,549
Tennessee Titans – $524,505,256
Dallas Cowboys – $523,033,036
Houston Texans – $517,212,166
Jacksonville Jaguars – $516,908,734
Cleveland Browns – $516,158,864
San Francisco 49ers – $514,488,198
New England Patriots – $500,083,836
Carolina Panthers – $495,149,346
Oakland Raiders – $491,433,408

Bears Claim CB Johnthan Banks

December 5th, 2016 at 4:57pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bears have claimed cornerback Johnthan Banks off waivers from the Lions, as Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. He’ll take the roster spot of Jay Cutler, who has been officially placed on injured reserve. Cutler learned late last week that he has been ruled out for the year. The Bears also waived linebacker Lamin Barrow from injured reserve.

Banks was cut by the Lions over the weekend, a move that was overshadowed because Justin Forsett was cut at the same time. Banks, a former second round pick, was traded from the Buccaneers to the Lions in early November. The change of scenery didn’t change much for the 27-year-old, but the Bears are curious enough to take a look at him. With a 3-9 record, Chicago has nothing to lose.

In other Bears news, the team also brought in three wide receivers for tryouts: Jared Abbrederis, Bralon Addison, and Brelan Chancellor (Twitter link via Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune). All three players have experience as returners.

Detroit Lions News & Rumors