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Detroit Lions News & Rumors

NFC Notes: 49ers, Cousins, Lockette, Lions

November 16th, 2015 at 3:23pm CST by Luke Adams

Offensive lineman Daniel Kilgore and wide receiver DeAndre Smelter will begin practicing for the 49ers this week, head coach Jim Tomsula confirmed today (Twitter link via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle). Once they begin practicing, the Niners will have a three-week window to decide whether or not to activate Kilgore from the PUP list and Smelter from the NFI list.

Here’s more from around the NFC:

  • Asked whether Washington has engaged in contract talks with quarterback Kirk Cousins, whose current deal expires at year’s end, head coach Jay Gruden said that the team will “keep that in-house for now,” tweets Master Tesfatsion of the Washington Post. Gruden added that the team would love to retain Cousins, but said “that’s up to [GM] Scot [McCloughan], Kirk’s agent and Kirk” (link via John Keim of ESPN.com).
  • Despite suffering a significant injury that required neck surgery, Seahawks wide receiver and special-teamer Ricardo Lockette expects to play next season, writes Jayson Jenks of the Seattle Times. At the time of the injury, there was concern that Lockette’s career could be over, but he has high expectations for himself, telling Jenks he aims to be a Pro Bowler in 2016.
  • After shaking up their offensive coaching staff last month, the Lions are hiring Arizona State senior offensive analyst Ryan Silverfield as an assistant offensive line coach, a league source tells Thayer Evans of SI.com. Detroit parted ways with a pair of offensive line coaches when the team fired former offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, and didn’t replace both assistants immediately.
  • Following the team’s seventh straight loss, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) takes a look at an increasingly tense Cowboys locker room, with a focus on Dez Bryant and Greg Hardy.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/14/15

November 14th, 2015 at 4:07pm CST by Ben Levine

Here are Saturday’s minor transactions from around the NFL:

  • The Patriots promoted offensive lineman Chris Barker, reports ESPNBoston.com’s Mike Reiss (via Twitter), and safety Dewey McDonald re-signed to the Pats’ practice squad. With Sebastian Vollmer, Marcus Cannon and Tre’ Jackson all missing practice on Friday, the team was clearly seeking some reinforcement. Barker’s played in five games in two years. The Pats, who have rotated offensive linemen frequently this year, will dress six Sunday against the Giants, per Ben Volin of the Boston Globe (on Twitter).
  • The Lions promoted rookie safety Isaiah Johnson to their 53-man contingent and cut linebacker James-Michael Johnson to make room, Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com reports. Johnson’s promotion coincides with backup safety Isa Abdul-Quddus‘ questionable status for this week with a foot injury.
  • In a move that will help shore up a struggling secondary, the Raiders activated Nate Allen from IR-DTR and cut return man Marcus Thigpen, according to the Raiders’ website. After signing a lucrative deal as a free agent, Allen tore his MCL in Week 1, forcing the already-thin Raiders secondary into undesirable options alongside Charles Woodson. The 29-year-old Thigpen, a former undrafted free agent from Indiana, has played for six teams, with the Bills also employing him in 2015.
  • The Raiders also put safety Tevin McDonald back on their practice squad, per their website. McDonald’s been one of the more frequent rovers between the taxi squad and the active roster, being promoted and demoted several times this season.
  • The Seahawks placed Ricardo Lockette on injured reserve and activated Paul Richardson from the PUP list, according to a report on the team’s website. Lockette suffered a frightening neck injury in Week 8 against the Cowboys. Richardson hasn’t played since tearing an ACL in Seattle’s divisional-round victory over Carolina. The 23-year-old Richardson, a second-year player, caught 29 passes for 271 yards and a touchdown as a rookie.
  • To make room for inside linebacker Mike Hull, the Dolphins cut defensive lineman A.J. Francis, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Francis has played in just one game since the Dolphins picked him up on waivers in 2013. The 24-year-old Hull was one of Miami’s final preseason roster cuts.
  • The Raiders have promoted tight end Gabe Holmes from the practice squad, reports Scott Bair of CSNCalifornia.com (via Twitter). Holmes will presumably be filling the hole left by previously-waived Tevin McDonald, meaning the team will have to make another move to accommodate the returning Nate Allen.
  • The Cowboys have promoted linebacker Keith Smith from the practice squad, tweets David Moore of the Dallas Morning News. The former San Jose State standout has appeared in 14 career games, compiling seven tackles and one forced fumble.

Extra Points: Lions, Patriots, Jets

November 14th, 2015 at 12:20pm CST by Ben Levine

Lions owner Martha Ford sent a letter to season-ticker holders yesterday, assuring the fans that the organization is focused on improving the team.

“You have done your part,” the letter read (via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press). “You deserve a Lions football team that is a consistent winner and one that competes for championships.

“In order to achieve this, we will conduct a thorough and exhaustive national search for the best people to lead our organization.”

The team already made a series of moves, having let go of general manager Martin Mayhew and president Tom Lewand. Ford attributed those moves to the Lions’ disappointing season, but she also acknowledged that the firings underscored ownerships commitment to the fans.

“You deserve much better,” Ford wrote. “You deserve a Lions football team that is a consistent winner and one that competes for championships.”

Let’s check out some more notes from around the NFL…

  • Meanwhile, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that the Lions have not hired an independent search firm to help pursue a new president and/or general manager.
  • A trio of Patriots practice squads players will see their pay bumped from $6,000 a week to $10,000 a week (via ESPN’s Mike Reiss on Twitter): linebacker Darius Fleming, tight end Asante Cleveland and receiver Chris Harper. As the reporter notes, many teams often increase practice squad player’s salaries as a “reward for their behind-the-scenes work.”
  • Since the Jets played on Thursday night, wideout Quincy Enunwa‘s suspension has ended, tweets Howard Balzer of FoxSportsMidwest.com. The second-year player’s roster exemption expires on November 23rd.

Lions Interim GM On Outlook, Stafford, Johnson

November 14th, 2015 at 9:04am CST by Ben Levine

Lions interim general manager Sheldon White made his first public comments yesterday since the team let go of former GM Martin Mayhew and president Tom Lewand. The executive was at the podium to discuss the team’s acquisition of defensive lineman C.J. Wilson, but he predictably ended up answering questions regarding his job and the organization.

We’ve compiled some of the notable quotes below, all via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press and Chris Wesseling of NFL.com…

On his main priority as general manager:

“We have to win. Will I be a candidate (for the GM job full-time)? I can give you the best way to be a candidate is to win games. Obviously, if we don’t, then I won’t be a candidate. But if we win these games and we find ways to get better and improve our roster, maybe I will be.”

On his “interim tag,” and how he’s envisioning the future:

“I love the clarity that Mrs. Ford told me. She told me she’s hiring me as the interim general manager, but the reality of it is, this isn’t a Supreme Court justice appointment. The only person with a lifetime appointment in this building is our owner, and so the way I look at everybody, we’re all interim general managers, we’re interim coaches, we’re interim players. Eventually, it’ll be over, and we’ll be telling stories.”

On acquiring players for the rest of the season:

“There’s somebody out there, and we’ll see them. And it may be our team or some other team, but there’s some player out there that can help us win, help a team win, and they’re going to before the end of the year. It’s our job to grind it and find those guys. Are they on the street? Are they on practice squads? Are they in our building already and we just need to give them an opportunity to play?”

On the future of two of his team’s biggest stars: Calvin Johnson and Matthew Stafford:

“Those guys are awesome. They’re awesome. The things that I have to do on my end, in my opinion those guys are ultra-talented. I have to continue to surround them and continue to build our roster and you’ll see all the talents that those guys have. And they are unbelievable.”

NFC North Notes: Wallace, Lions, Megatron

November 13th, 2015 at 6:44pm CST by Zachary Links

Mike Wallace knows that his hefty contract could make this a one-and-done season with the Vikings, as Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press writes. Wallace is making $9.9MM this year and due to earn $11.5MM in 2016, but next year’s salary is not guaranteed. Meanwhile, Minnesota is pretty stacked at wide receiver, a stable that includes rookie Stefon Diggs.

“I’m not stupid. I’m a pretty smart guy. I understand everything,” Wallace said. “When you go to look at that, that’s a lot of money to leave out there that you want to get, but you have to make plays to get those numbers up. We’ll see.”

So far, Wallace has just 27 receptions for 296 yards. At that pace, his 54 catches would be fewest since his rookie year, and 592 yards would be a career-low. Diggs, meanwhile, has 28 catches for 461 yards despite being inactive for the first three of Minnesota’s eight games.

Here’s more from the NFC North:

  • Lions interim GM Sheldon White was non-committal when asked about the futures of Calvin Johnson and Matthew Stafford, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press writes. Stafford, 27, has struggled for most of the season and the Lions can get out from his deal this offseason with just an $11MM cap hit. Johnson, 30, is one of the most talented receivers in the game, but at his age he’s likely not worth the ~$16MM salary he’s due to make next year, a rate that comes with a whopping $24MM cap hit.
  • Contrary to published reports, two people familiar with the situation told Larry Lage of The Associated Press that the Lions have not hired a firm to assist them with their search for new executives.
  • In a separate piece, Birkett wonders if ex-Lions GM Martin Mayhew could get another chance to be a GM elsewhere. For what it’s worth, former Lions senior personnel executive Shack Harris feels that Mayhew should get another shot.
  • Per Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the Packers tried out several defensive players today, including cornerbacks Donald Celiscar and Joel Ross, linebacker Derrick Mathews, and defensive end B.J. McBryde.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

NFC Notes: Stafford, Palmer, Lockette

November 13th, 2015 at 10:42am CST by Luke Adams

After surveying seven NFL coaches and personnel men, Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com say the results were unanimous, with those sources suggesting the Lions would be “foolish” to part with Matthew Stafford in 2016. Although Stafford could net a nice haul of draft picks for Detroit, the fact that there’d be no obvious replacement in free agency or the draft makes it unlikely that the Lions make a move.

Here’s more from around the NFC:

  • With Carson Palmer having another strong season in Arizona, the Cardinals now firmly believe that the veteran can be the team’s quarterback “for years to come,” according to Schefter and Mortensen. Assuming Palmer doesn’t run into any serious health problems, the Cards believe Palmer can play out his current contract – which voids after the 2017 season – and may want to retain him beyond that.
  • Defensive back DeShawn Shead wasn’t the only player to receive a $25K signing bonus from the Seahawks this week — according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Seattle did the same thing for wide receiver Ricardo Lockette. While $25K isn’t a huge amount for an NFL player, teams don’t often simply give a player a mid-season bonus without making any other changes to his contract, so it’s a commendable move by the Seahawks — particularly if it happened after Lockette underwent season-ending neck surgery.
  • With a game against the Bears on tap this weekend, Rams head coach Jeff Fisher admitted to reporters that he viewed Jay Cutler as the top quarterback prospect in the 2006 NFL draft, as Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com writes. Of course, Fisher – who was coaching the Titans at the time, and didn’t yet have final say on draft decisions – ended up with Vince Young, the third overall pick in that draft.
  • The Giants will work out former Eastern Washington tackle Jake Rodgers next Tuesday, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Rodgers was selected by the Falcons in the seventh round of this year’s draft, but was cut prior to the regular season.

West Notes: Megatron, Cardinals, Seahawks

November 12th, 2015 at 9:26pm CST by Zachary Links

If Calvin Johnson and the Lions were to part ways, Megatron’s best landing spot would be with the Raiders, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports opines. Johnson, 31 in September, may not have more than three or four top-shelf seasons left in him and that’s a luxury that a rebuilding team like Detroit might not be able to afford.

If the Lions were to cut Johnson, they’d immediately open $11MM in cap room for 2016, and $21MM in 2017, when his dead money would be completely off the books. Meanwhile, a team landing him via trade would only be on the hook for Johnson’s base salaries, which total $32.45MM over the next two seasons.

So, why Megatron to Oakland? Robinson points out that Michael Crabtree is set to hit the open market and Johnson, who offers up far more talent and bigger matchup problems for opposing defenses, would be an excellent replacement. The Raiders could also have $75-$80MM in cap room next year, so they could afford Johnson’s substantial deal.

Here’s more from around the NFL’s West divisions:

  • Several key Cardinals players are on the verge of free agency and general manager Steve Keim has been trying to extend some of them. Still, the GM continues to indicate that nothing is on the verge of getting done at this time, Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com writes.
  • The Seahawks recently added a $25K signing bonus to defensive back DeShawn Shead‘s contract, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. There are no other alterations to the deal, so it doesn’t appear that Shead gave up anything to get that additional cash.
  • The 49ers worked out cornerback Chykie Brown as well as defensive backs Buddy Jackson, and Brandon McGee, tweets Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle.
  • The Cardinals worked out cornerback Jordan Mabin, Wilson tweets.
  • The Chiefs worked out offensive tackle Caylin Hauptmann, defensive end B.J. McBryde, and wide receiver Larry Pinkard, Wilson tweets.

Lions Notes: Stafford, Megatron, Hardy

November 12th, 2015 at 9:15am CST by Zachary Links

Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com profiled Marty Hurney as a potential GM candidate for the Lions and his background is certainly interesting. Hurney got his start as a sportswriter before moving on to work in Washington’s PR department. Eventually, he took a front office job with the Chargers which led to a salary cap job with the Panthers and in Carolina, he ascended to the GM spot in 2002. Hurney was fired by the Panthers in 2012 and he’s now a radio host in Charlotte. His draft aggressiveness is something that the Lions could use, but Rothstein isn’t sure if he can be lured away from his broadcasting gig. Hurney also made his fair share of mistakes while at the helm of the Panthers and he would have to answer for some questionable decisions.

Here’s more from Detroit:

  • Ultimately, the Lions’ next GM will have to decide what to do with Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson, and the pair’s future in Detroit seems somewhat linked, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press writes. If the Lions decide to start anew at quarterback, it might not make sense to keep a receiver with one of the highest cap figures in the league. Johnson could ultimately restructure his deal to extend his time in Detroit, but failing that he could very well be following Stafford out the door.
  • Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy had his suspension reduced to four games on appeal with the help of the NFLPA. As Lions safety Glover Quin explains, however, the union wasn’t necessarily advocating for him to play, but they were rather looking to ensure that the rules were being enforced fairly. “The P.A. is not the league,” Quin, the Lions’ players rep, told Birkett writes. “The P.A. is the union and our job is to protect the rights of players. So, no, we don’t condone domestic violence. But within the disciplinary phases, if the league does something wrong in the CBA, it’s our job as players as a union to at least protect his rights.”
  • In a conference call with Detroit reporters, Packers coach Mike McCarthy spoke highly of Eliot Wolf, who could be a candidate for the Lions’ GM job. “Eliot is a fine, young man, excellent co-worker,” McCarthy said of the 33-year-old, according to Birkett. “I really enjoy working with him. He does a great job in our personnel department and I think he’s excellent. He’s a real asset to our organization.” Wolf is thought to be the heir apparent in Green Bay, however, and he might be a longshot to leave the Packers organization.

Extra Points: Stafford, Los Angeles, Packers

November 11th, 2015 at 9:12pm CST by Zachary Links

If Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford is made available, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) would expect the Texans, 49ers, Browns, and Jets to all express interest given their quarterback needs. Stafford has reasonable base salaries of $17MM and $16.5MM (both non-guaranteed) in 2016 and 2017, so he could have appeal to clubs despite his struggles. Meanwhile, teams looking at QBs feel that Stafford has more to offer than any signal caller in the draft.

Here’s more from around the NFL:

  • Jets owner Woody Johnson says a decision on Los Angeles could come after January and perhaps even as late as March, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets. It sounds like we’ll have to wait a while before we learn the fate of the Raiders, Rams, and Chargers.
  • The Packers worked out defensive tackle Toby Johnson, according to Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).
  • The Saints worked out wide receiver Damarr Aultman, cornerback Dwight Bentley, and fullback Trey Millard, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).
  • The Patriots worked out offensive tackle Reid Fragel, as Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets.
  • Former Texans wide receiver DeVier Posey worked out for the Bengals today, according to a source who spoke with Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/10/15

November 10th, 2015 at 4:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Earlier today, we learned that the Ravens had signed running back Terrance West to their practice squad, cutting defensive end Nordly Capi to make room. That’s one of a handful of practice squad changes around the league today, so let’s round up the rest….

Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed: DT Eric Crume (press release via team)
  • Cut: DT Justin Hamilton

Indianapolis Colts

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

St. Louis Rams

  • Signed: LB Matthew Wells (Twitter link via Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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