HEADLINES

Detroit Lions News & Rumors

Lions’ Ansah, Levy Could Miss Extended Time

September 19th, 2016 at 7:08pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Lions’ best pass rusher, defensive end Ziggy Ansah, suffered a high ankle sprain in the team’s 16-15 loss to the Titans on Sunday and will miss an undetermined amount of time, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Detroit played nearly all of Week 2 without Ansah, who limped off the field after three snaps and didn’t return.

Ziggy Ansah (vertical)

Ansah, whom the Lions chose fifth overall in the 2013 draft, has developed into a prolific sack artist in the NFL. After taking down opposing quarterbacks 15.5 times and forcing five fumbles during his first two seasons, he tallied 14.5 and four in those two categories last year. He hasn’t made much of a dent on the stat sheet this season in limited playing time for the 1-1 Lions, whose defense currently ranks 22nd in the league in scoring and 25th in yardage (though it is tied for seventh in sacks).

Up next for the Lions are the NFC North rival Packers, but Ansah won’t be on the field against the Aaron Rodgers-led club. The same might be true for another of the Lions’ integral defenders, linebacker DeAndre Levy, who didn’t practice last week and missed the Titans game. When asked Monday if Levy’s quad injury could end his season, head coach Jim Caldwell didn’t give the most reassuring response.

“We’ll see. You know we don’t talk about injuries,” said Caldwell (via Kyle Meinke of MLive.com).

Levy was one of the Lions’ top players from 2009-14, but he missed all but one game a season ago on account of a hip injury. A knee issue then caused Levy to sit out training camp over the summer, though he did recover in time to take the field Week 1. Levy’s inability to stay healthy since last year isn’t what he or the Lions envisioned when the two agreed to a four-year, $33MM contract extension in August 2015. Without Levy on Sunday, Detroit turned to fifth-round rookie Antwione Williams on the weak side. Williams picked up four tackles.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Lions Release Andrew Quarless

September 19th, 2016 at 3:41pm CST by Zachary Links

In August, the Lions signed Andrew Quarless with the idea that he could help the team on the other side of his two-game suspension. Oddly enough, on the week where Quarless is finally eligible to return to action, the Lions announced that they have released him. Andrew Quarless

The Lions signed Quarless at a time when they were unsure about the status of starter Eric Ebron. Fortunately, Ebron has been healthy thus far this year. The Lions will forge ahead with Ebron as their main tight end with Cole Wick, Khari Lee, and Orson Charles in support.

Quarless, 28 in October, spent most of the 2015 season on the Packers’ injured reserve. An MCL injury sidelined Quarless for about two and a half months, limiting him to five games and just four receptions for 31 yards for the season. He was probably hoping to take the field against his former team this Sunday, but he won’t get that chance now.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Travis Swanson Improvement May Keep Graham Glasgow Sidelined

September 18th, 2016 at 11:17am CST by Rory Parks
  • Kyle Meinke of MLive.com writes that Lions center Travis Swanson, whom the team selected in the third round of the 2014 draft, has finally begun to show signs of improvement. Swanson’s Week 1 performance against Indianapolis was stellar, and if he can continue along his current trajectory, Meinke says it may be a while before Lions fans see Graham Glasgow, the team’s third round pick in this year’s draft.

Could Lions Move On From Brandon Pettigrew?

September 17th, 2016 at 4:14pm CST by Sam Robinson

Lions Audition Three Linemen

September 16th, 2016 at 6:22pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Friday’s workouts from around the NFL:

  • The Cardinals auditioned a pair of offensive linemen, guard Vlad Ducasse and tackle Garry Williams, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN (on Twitter). Ducasse is the more experienced of the two, having made 78 appearances and 22 starts since the Jets drafted him in the second round in 2010. Ducasse totaled a career-high 11 starts with Chicago last season. Williams has played far fewer games than Ducasse (41), but he has made just one fewer start (21). The 30-year-old’s latest action came in 2014, though, and he hasn’t appeared in more than one game in a season since 2012. Williams spent the first five years of his career with the Panthers.
  • The Lions tried out two offensive tackles – Sam Young and Laurence Gibson – and defensive tackle Cliff Matthews, tweets Caplan. Young, a sixth-round pick in 2010, has amassed a combined 58 appearances and 13 starts with the Cowboys, Bills and Jaguars. He suited up in all 16 games last season for the first time. The Falcons chose Matthews in the seventh round of the 2011 draft, and he ultimately appeared in 32 games with Atlanta from 2012-14.
  • The Browns worked out offensive lineman Mike Leidtke, as agent Brett Tessler tweets. Liedtke, an Illinois State product, auditioned for New Orleans last week.
  • Punter A.J. Hughes tried out for the Bears, according to Caplan (Twitter link).

Zach Links contributed to this post.

PFR’s Impact Rookies Series

September 15th, 2016 at 1:49pm CST by Zachary Links

All summer long, longtime scouting consultant Dave-Te Thomas of The NFL Draft Report has been breaking down the draft class of every team in the league and identifying the players that can immediately make a difference. The Impact Rookies series, which wrapped up today with a look at the Seahawks, provides unique insight to this year’s NFL freshman class from a veteran guru who worked closely with several teams around the league leading up to the draft.

Here is the full rundown of the Impact Rookies series:

AFC East

AFC North

AFC South

AFC West

NFC East

NFC North

NFC South

NFC West 

Nate Washington Worked Out For Lions

September 14th, 2016 at 4:28pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Free agent wide receiver Nate Washington had a workout with the Lions on Wednesday, according to Doug Kyed of NESN (Twitter link). Washington, whom the Patriots released Aug. 24, previously worked out for the Saints last week.

Nate Washington (vertical)

The 33-year-old Washington has been a member of three teams since going undrafted from Division III Tiffin University in 2005. He spent a productive 2015 as a member of the Texans, with whom he hauled in 47 passes for 658 yards and four touchdowns. Washington, who has also played three years in Pittsburgh and six seasons in Tennessee, has 458 receptions and 44 touchdowns to his name. In his most prolific campaign, 2011, the 6-foot-1, 185-pounder recorded career highs in catches (74), targets (121), yards (1,023) and scores (seven) with the Titans.

If Washington signs with Detroit, he’ll slide into a veteran-laden receiving corps that currently only has four options – Marvin Jones, Golden Tate, Anquan Boldin and Andre Roberts. That quartet combined for modest numbers, 15 receptions and 169 yards, in the Lions’ 39-35 win over the Colts on Sunday.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Details On Josh Bynes' Injury Settlement

September 13th, 2016 at 9:01pm CST by Ben Levine
  • Linebacker Josh Bynes‘ injury settlement with the Lions is for four weeks, a source tells PFR (Twitter link). As such, Bynes wouldn’t be able to re-sign with Detroit until late October, given that he’s required to sit out for the duration of the settlement plus an additional three weeks. Those stipulations only apply to a potential reunion with the Lions, as Bynes an sign with another club at any time.

    [SOURCE LINK]

Lions Work Out Three Defensive Backs

September 13th, 2016 at 7:59pm CST by Ben Levine
Load More Posts