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Detroit Lions News & Rumors

Lions Sign Ishmaa’ily Kitchen

October 8th, 2015 at 10:43am CST by Luke Adams

The Lions have added another piece to their defensive line, signing free agent defensive tackle Ishmaa’ily Kitchen, according to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com. Defensive end Phillip Hunt was cut to make room for the club’s new defender.

Kitchen, 27, earned 279 defensive snaps for the Browns in 2014, making 27 tackles. While his play in the middle was unspectacular, the Kent State product was solid enough in his three years in Cleveland that the team felt comfortable tendering him a one-year contract offer worth $1.542MM when he hit restricted free agency. However, that contract was non-guaranteed, and the Browns waived him prior to the start of the regular season.

While it’s not clear if Kitchen will see the field right away in Detroit, the team needed to add some depth at defensive tackle after Tyrunn Walker suffered a season-ending leg injury this week. With Haloti Ngata‘s Week 5 availability also in doubt due to a calf issue, the Lions have signed Kitchen and veteran Andre Fluellen so far this week.

Kitchen was one of several players to work out for the Lions this week, with ex-Jets defensive tackle Kenrick Ellis also getting a look from the club.

Workout Notes: Bears, Broncos, Packers

October 7th, 2015 at 9:00pm CST by Zachary Links

Here’s a roundup of today’s auditions from around the NFL. All links go to Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle on Twitter), unless noted otherwise..

Lions Work Out Bryce Brown, Travaris Cadet, Daniel Thomas

October 7th, 2015 at 6:49pm CST by Zachary Links

The Lions auditioned a trio of notable running backs on Wednesday, according to Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Lions worked out Bryce Brown, Travaris Cadet, and Daniel Thomas all worked out for Detroit, though there are no deals with any of the tailbacks as of this writing.

Brown, 24, has showed flashes of promise in the past, but he was bounced by the Bills late in the offseason and has yet to find a new home. The Bills traded a 2015 fourth-round pick to the Eagles to acquire Brown before the start of last season and that’s a deal that GM Doug Whaley probably wouldn’t make again. In 2014, Brown ran for a whopping 126 yards off of 36 carries. Since getting cut loose by Buffalo, Brown has worked out for the Pats, Jets, Colts, and now the Lions.

Cadet, 26, was signed by the Pats as a free agent in March of this year. The 6-foot-1, 210-pounder spent the last three seasons with the Saints and saw time in only one Pats game this year before his release in late September. Cadet saw his first significant action for the Saints in 2014, hauling in 38 passes on 51 targets, totaling 296 yards and a touchdown on those receptions. Although he was listed as a running back and generally lined up in the backfield, the Appalachian State product only had 10 carries for 32 yards.

In four seasons with Miami, Thomas ran for 1,480 yards off of 409 attempts, good for just 3.6 yards per carry. Last year he saw time in 12 games, rushing for 168 yards off of 44 carries, good for a 3.8 yard average on each try. He landed with the Bears this offseason but his stay did not last very long. The Lions first looked at Thomas back in June, but they did not offer him a deal.

The Lions also auditioned tight end Cameron Clear and a few defensive tackles. One of those defensive tackles was Andre Fluellen and he reached agreement on a deal with Detroit this afternoon.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/7/15

October 7th, 2015 at 3:48pm CST by Luke Adams

Let’s round up Wednesday’s minor transactions from around the league:

  • Will the ninth time be the charm for Andre Fluellen? As Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com details, the Lions have signed the veteran defensive lineman for his ninth different stint with the team. Given all the time he has spent in Detroit, Fluellen obviously knows the Lions’ defensive system, so he’ll help provide depth in the middle with Tyrunn Walker on IR and Haloti Ngata hurting as well.
  • We heard on Monday that tight end Daniel Fells was headed to the Giants‘ injured reserve list due to a staph infection, and the team made that move official today, confirming it in a press release. New York promoted wide receiver Myles White to its active roster from the practice squad to get back up to 53 players.
  • The Bears have elevated defensive back Demontre Hurst to their active roster, the team announced today (via Twitter). Hurst is the second practice squad to get a promotion this week, as the club parted ways with punter Spencer Lanning and linebacker John Timu.
  • The Buccaneers have re-added linebacker Orie Lemon to their 53-man roster, according to a team release. Lemon takes the roster spot vacated by defensive end Josh Martin, who was waived/injured by Tampa Bay.
  • The Texans have reached a three-week injury settlement with linebacker Mike Mohamed, removing him from their IR, reports Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. The agreement allows Mohamed to sign with another team in three weeks, though he can’t return to Houston for nine weeks.

NFC Notes: Roberts, Saints, Ebron, 49ers

October 7th, 2015 at 11:36am CST by Luke Adams

Responding to a suggestion from Peter King of TheMMQB.com that Washington wide receiver Andre Roberts could be a logical trade target for the Ravens, Rich Tandler of CSNMidAtlantic.com writes that such a deal wouldn’t make much financial sense for Baltimore — or, presumably, any other team. Roberts is guaranteed a $2.75MM salary in 2015, the second season of a four-year contract, which is a significant amount of money for a player who has been banged up and unable to earn much playing time lately. That means Roberts is probably sticking in D.C. for now.

Here’s more from around the NFC:

  • Kai Forbath‘s workout tour continues in New Orleans, according to Mike Triplett of ESPN.com, who reports (via Twitter) that Forbath and Randy Bullock will be among the kickers auditioned by the Saints. Forbath has tried out for several teams in recent weeks, and was said to be the runner-up for clubs like the Texans and Eagles.
  • Lions tight end Eric Ebron tells ESPN’s Josina Anderson (all Twitter links) that it could take up to three weeks for him to recover from the knee injury he sustained on Monday night, but he’s relieved that it won’t require surgery.
  • Falcons head coach Dan Quinn hasn’t spoken to Roddy White yet about the receiver’s desire for more touches and a bigger role in the offense, but stressed that White is an important part of the team moving forward, says Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com.
  • Coming off a 17-3 loss, the 49ers trading an offensive player for a defensive player – as the team did yesterday – might not make much sense on the surface, but Kevin Lynch of the San Francisco Chronicle thinks it was a good move.

Lions To Place Tyrunn Walker On IR

October 6th, 2015 at 12:14pm CST by Luke Adams

Lions defensive lineman Tyrunn Walker suffered a broken fibula in last night’s game against the Seahawks, and will undergo surgery that will end his season, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). According to Rapoport, the Lions will place Walker on the injured reserve list, but he’s expected to eventually make a full recovery.

Walker, 25, took on a part-time role in New Orleans last season and played well, recording 19 tackles and 2.5 sacks. However, New Orleans elected not to make him a restricted free agent tender offer in the offseason, perhaps due to to cap constraints, and the Lions landed him as an unrestricted free agent.

In the early going this season, Walker had played more defensive snaps than any other player on the Lions’ defensive line, so losing him will big a blow to a club that had already been trying to deal with the offseason departures of Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley. Making matters worse, Haloti Ngata suffered a calf injury against Seattle and is getting an MRI today, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.

Caraun Reid, Gabe Wright, and Jermelle Cudjo are currently the only healthy defensive tackles on Detroit’s roster, so the team figures to eye depth at the position this week.

Workout Notes: 9/30/15

September 30th, 2015 at 4:20pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s workouts from around the NFL..

Workout Notes: Jets, Brown, Chargers, Lions

September 29th, 2015 at 6:29pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jets auditioned running back Bryce Brown on Tuesday, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter). Brown has showed flashes of promise in the past, but he was unable to stick with the Bills in 2015. The Bills traded a 2015 fourth-round pick to the Eagles to acquire Brown before the start of last season and that’s a deal that GM Doug Whaley probably wouldn’t make again. In 2014, Brown ran for a grand total of 126 yards off of 36 carries.

Here’s a rundown of other notable workouts from around the NFL..

NFL Waiver Order Now Based On 2015 Records

September 29th, 2015 at 8:46am CST by Luke Adams

For most of 2015, the Buccaneers, owners of a 2-14 record in 2014 and the first pick in the draft this spring, have had the No. 1 waiver priority, based on last year’s record. Throughout the offseason, the Bucs had the first shot at any player who passed through waivers, but that’s no longer the case. As Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets, today is the first day of the season that the NFL’s waiver order is determined by 2015 record.

While four teams have 0-3 records, the Lions currently have top waiver priority, since ties are broken based on a club’s strength of schedule — teams that have faced the weakest schedules get priority. Through three weeks, the Lions’ opponents have a combined 6-3 record, while the teams played by the 0-3 Ravens, Bears, and Saints all have at least seven total wins.

Conversely, the Patriots currently have the 32nd waiver priority in the NFL, based on their 3-0 record and their strength of schedule. The three teams New England has beat have a 5-4 overall combined record. By comparison, the three opponents the Broncos have faced, for instance, are just 1-8, so Denver is at the front of the 3-0 teams in terms of priority.

While the new waiver order could pay off for certain teams in the short term, it may be even more crucial later in the season. After the trade deadline passes in October, every player is subject to waivers — up until that point, only players with less than four years of experience can be claimed on waivers. That means that there may be some veteran talent claimed off waivers later in the year, and the league’s weakest teams will have first dibs.

Community Tailgate: Winless Teams

September 28th, 2015 at 2:57pm CST by Luke Adams

With the NFL season underway, we have a whole new series of topics to discuss, and PFR’s Community Tailgate is designed to address those topics. What’€™s the Community Tailgate all about? Well, it’€™s pretty simple. Every weekday, we’ll highlight one of the top stories going on in the NFL. Then, in the comment section below, we want you to weigh in and let us know what you think.

Of course, while the debate may get spirited, we ask that it all stays respectful. If you need a reminder of our rules, please check out our commenting policy. Basically, we ask that you refrain from inappropriate language, personal insults, and attacks. Speaking of commenting: we’ve made it much easier to leave a comment here at Pro Football Rumors. You are no longer required to be a registered user –€“ simply put in your name, email address, and comment and submit.

Through three weeks of the 2015 NFL season, 28 of the league’s 32 teams have managed to record at least one victory, with the Seahawks, Eagles, and Colts among the clubs that got into the win column in Week 3. However, that still leaves four teams that have lost all three of their games so far — the Ravens, Bears, Lions, and Saints.

While most of those teams didn’t show up in many preseason Super Bowl predictions, they all had playoff aspirations, and it will be a significant uphill battle for any of them to earn a postseason berth now. The Bears and Saints are in particularly rough shape, with their starting quarterbacks banged up and out of action this past weekend.

Here are the upcoming schedules for all four teams over the next five weeks, as they look to turn their respective seasons around:

  • Baltimore Ravens: at Steelers, vs. Browns, at 49ers, at Cardinals, vs. Chargers
  • Chicago Bears: vs. Raiders, at Chiefs, at Lions, Bye, vs. Vikings
  • Detroit Lions: at Seahawks, vs. Cardinals, vs. Bears, vs. Vikings, at Chiefs
  • New Orleans Saints: vs. Cowboys, at Eagles, vs. Falcons, at Colts, vs. Giants

None of those schedules are a cakewalk, but there are some winnable games in the mix. The Saints, for instance, should be favored against the Tony Romo-less Cowboys if Drew Brees returns to action this weekend. The Ravens have the underachieving Browns and Niners on their schedule. And the Bears and Lions play each other in Week 6, so at least one of them should come out of that game with a victory.

What are your thoughts on the NFL’s four remaining winless team? Will any of them turn things around and make a run at a postseason spot? Which team will take the longest to pick up a win? Will be seeing two or three of these clubs at the top of the 2016 draft order? Weigh in below in the comments section!

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