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Detroit Lions News & Rumors

NFC Notes: Brindza, Panthers, H. Smith

September 28th, 2015 at 12:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Buccaneers kicker Kyle Brindza had a rough day on Sunday, missing an extra point and three field goals as his team fell to the Texans by 10 points. However, head coach Lovie Smith stressed that the Bucs are sticking with Brindza, and don’t plan on auditioning any potential replacements this week, writes Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.

“No. Kyle is our kicker,” Smith said. “He, like a lot of us, had a disappointing day. That hasn’t been the case. You’re going to have off days, and this was an off day.”

Here are a few more Monday odds and ends from around the NFC:

  • Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter link) believes that the Panthers will eventually get cornerback Josh Norman locked up to an extension, though it will likely require an offer of $10MM+ per year, and will probably have to wait until the offseason. Norman reportedly turned down a contract offer worth about $7MM annually prior to the regular season.
  • Person (Twitter links) also passes along a pair of injury updates from Panthers head coach Ron Rivera, who says defensive end Charles Johnson has a hamstring issue and linebacker Thomas Davis has a pectoral injury. While Rivera doesn’t believe the Davis injury is serious, he says Johnson could be out for multiple weeks, and the club may look for outside help on the defensive line (Twitter links).
  • After picking up his fifth-year option for 2016, the Vikings decided to wait on signing safety Harrison Smith to a contract extension. As Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press observes (via Twitter), Smith’s price tag appears to be on the rise — through three weeks, the Vikings safety easily has the highest Pro Football Focus grade (+9.4) of anyone at the position.
  • Despite the Lions‘ offensive struggles so far this year, head coach Jim Caldwell hasn’t given consideration to taking over playcalling duties from OC Joe Lombardi, tweets Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/23/15

September 23rd, 2015 at 4:46pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are the latest practice squad signings and cuts from across the NFL:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

Dallas Cowboys

  • Signed: DE Efe Obada (Twitter link via Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com)

Detroit Lions

  • Signed: WR/KR Kaelin Clay (link via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press)
  • Cut: WR Kendrick Ings

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

  • Signed: TE Sean McGrath (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle), CB Eric Patterson (via Mike Chappell of FOX59 on Twitter)
  • Cut: OL David Arkin

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

  • Signed: TE Connor Hamlett (Twitter link via Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune)

Tennessee Titans

Workout Notes: 9/23/15

September 23rd, 2015 at 2:16pm CST by Luke Adams

Teams around the NFL are bringing in players for workouts, surveying the free agent landscape for possible practice squad additions or 53-man roster players, either for the near future or down the road. Here are a few of the latest auditions from across the league, via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (all links go to Twitter):

AFC:

NFC:

Injury Updates: 9/20/15

September 20th, 2015 at 4:38pm CST by Rob DiRe

The big news is the Tony Romo injury, which could have a devastating effect on the Cowboys’ season. We already looked at a major injury to Bills safety Aaron Williams – who appeared to be doing okay after being taken to a hospital, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (via Twitter) – and a potential starting quarterback injury for Jay Cutler of the Bears. Here’s a roundup of other noteworthy injuries from Sunday’s action. Any additional injury updates from the afternoon games will be added to the top of the page throughout the day.

Earlier:

  • Ereck Flowers left the Giants-Falcons game with an ankle injury, and was not able to return, writes Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). Flowers has dealt with ankle injuries for a few weeks, and Jordan Raanan of NJ.com notes that head coach Tom Coughlin hopes those issues aren’t continuous (via Twitter).
  • Eagles linebacker Kiko Alonso has been ruled out of the remainder of today’s game vs. the Cowboys due to a left knee injury, tweets Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. As McLane observes, that’s the same knee that suffered a torn ACL in 2014.
  • Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford was getting X-rays taken after the loss to the Vikings, reports Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter). Detroit Lions senior writer Tim Twentyman writes that Stafford confirmed the X-rays were taken of his chest and ribs (via Twitter).
  • Buccaneers defensive tackle Gerald McCoy left the 26-19 win over the Saints with a right arm injury, reports Jenna Laine of Sports Talk 1040 The Team in Tampa (via Twitter). Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times adds that McCoy was not moving his right arm in the locker room (via Twitter).
  • Titans right guard Chance Warmack will have an MRI on his knee on Monday after injuring it today, but the initial diagnosis is a sprained MCL, according to Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com (Twitter links).

Latest On DeAndre Levy

September 18th, 2015 at 6:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

A rumor that made its way into Jim Caldwell‘s Friday press conference has no bearing on why DeAndre Levy will miss his second straight game Sunday, according to the linebacker’s agent.

Caldwell declined to address a report that Levy, who’s been out for over three weeks due to a muscle strain in his hip, contracted a parasite while vacationing in Chile this summer, per Kyle Meinke of MLive.com. DetroitSportsRag.com originally reported the parasite rumor that Levy’s agent, Joe Panos, told NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter) the report was “100 percent false.”

The Lions don’t expect Levy to be out much longer, using their IR-DTR slot on rookie cornerback Alex Carter instead of their newly extended outside backer.

Caldwell, however, also offered no clarity as to when Levy will return. Josh Bynes will again start in his place. The Lions’ schedule strength increases in the next two weeks, with the Broncos and Seahawks on the docket.

Meinke notes the Lions would face stiff sanctions for doctoring an injury report, meaning the second-highest-paid 4-3 outside linebacker is almost certainly dealing with a hip malady.

Levy, who hadn’t missed a game since 2012, signed a four-year deal worth $33.74MM last month.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/17/15

September 17th, 2015 at 7:04pm CST by Zachary Links

Here are Thursday’s practice squad signings and cuts from around the NFL:

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

  • Cut: RB Gus Johnson (via Todd Archer on Twitter)

Detroit Lions

Jacksonville Jaguars

New England Patriots

Oakland Raiders

  • Cut: OT Dan Kistler (via John Dickinson on Twitter)
  • Signed: TE Gabe Holmes

St. Louis Rams

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/16/15

September 16th, 2015 at 4:57pm CST by Zachary Links

Here are Tuesday’s practice squad signings and cuts from around the NFL:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

  • Signed: T Tony Hills (via Aaron Wilson on Twitter)
  • Cut: QB Bryn Renner

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

  • To be signed: T Joe Treadwell (via Wilson on Twitter)

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Oakland Raiders

  • Signed: WR DeAndre Carter (via Vic Tafur on Twitter)
  • Cut: LB Josh Shirley

Philadelphia Eagles

  • Signed: TE Connor Hamlett (via press release)
  • Cut: DE Brian Mihalik

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/14/15

September 14th, 2015 at 8:40pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves…

  • The Packers have removed wide receiver Larry Pinkard from their IR with an injury settlement, and the Chiefs have done the same with tight end Richard Gordon, per Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (Twitter links).

Earlier updates:

  • Not long after claiming him off waivers from the Bears, the Cowboys have cut offensive tackle Jordan Mills, according to Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (via Twitter). Per Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link), taking Mills’ spot on the roster is another offensive tackle, Charles Brown, who worked out for Dallas last week.
  • The Bears have made a change on defense, re-signing outside linebacker Sam Acho and placing defensive end Cornelius Washington on injured reserve, according to Caplan (Twitter links). Acho was cut by Chicago on Saturday with a non-football illness designation, but it didn’t take him long to make his way back to the roster.
  • The Saints are signing safety Kenny Phillips, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Phillips was with New Orleans all summer before being released last week as a late cut. After free safety Rafael Bush suffered a chest injury on Sunday, Phillips will help provide New Orleans with additional depth.
  • The Saints have also re-signed two players they cut on Saturday, adding running back Tim Hightower and offensive lineman Mike McGlynn back to their roster, tweets Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune. New Orleans waived fullback Toben Opurum and wide receiver Seantavius Jones to accommodate the returning players.
  • In a reversal of the team’s weekend transactions, Washington signed defensive end Frank Kearse and cut linebacker Houston Bates, as John Keim of ESPN.com writes.
  • The Jets have officially activated backup offensive lineman Oday Aboushi from their reserve/suspended list after he missed Week 1 due to a substance abuse violation, tweets Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com. For now, the Jets have a roster exemption for Aboushi, but they’ll have to decide this week whether to cut him or to move him to their 53-man roster, removing someone else.
  • According to Caplan (Twitter links), the Raiders have released safety Brandian Ross off their injured reserve list, and the Lions have done the same with wide receiver Greg Salas, giving him an injury settlement.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Lions Restructure Golden Tate’s Contract

September 10th, 2015 at 8:28am CST by Luke Adams

The Lions have created some breathing room under the cap by restructuring Golden Tate‘s contract, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter). The simple restructure was completed several days ago in order for the team to be cap-compliant when the season began, tweets Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap.

As Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets, the Lions converted $3.005MM of Tate’s $3.75MM salary for 2015 into a signing bonus, which will now be prorated over the remaining four years of his deal. The move reduces Tate’s base salary for this season to the minimum $745K, and creates about $2.25MM in cap room.

As Over the Cap’s data shows, the Lions are among the NFL teams closest to going over the cap in 2015, so reworking Tate’s deal gives the team a little flexibility to get through the season. The move will also increase Tate’s cap numbers by about $751K for each year from 2016 through 2018 — his cap hit will jump to over $7MM in ’16, $8.35MM in ’17, and $9.35MM in ’18.

Workout Notes: 9/9/15

September 9th, 2015 at 8:17pm CST by Zachary Links

Former Falcons center Joe Hawley is visiting the Buccaneers today, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Hawley could be a fit with Tampa Bay as he has a history with offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter from their time together in Atlanta. Hawley, 27 in October, was on his way to returning from the ACL surgery that ended his 2014 season prematurely when he was cut loose by the Falcons earlier this week.

Here are more of the latest workouts and free agent meetings (All links are from Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle via Twitter, unless noted otherwise)..

  • The Vikings auditioned defensive backs Ri’Shard Anderson and C.J. Roberts, tight end Brian Leonhardt, and linebacker Jordan Tripp, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
  • The Cowboys tried out offensive tackle Charles Brown today, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter). Current Cowboys tackle Tyron Smith backed up Brown when both players attended USC.
  • The Titans worked out safety Shaquille Richardson (link).
  • Keavon Milton visited the Panthers (link). The offensive lineman spent time on the Seahawks’ taxi squad in 2014 before being promoted to the 53-man roster in December.
  • Former Arena Football League wide receiver Lonnie Outlaw visited the Lions (link).
  • The Buccaneers worked out linebacker Julian Stanford and linebacker Tyrell Adams (link).
  • The Giants auditioned safety Shiloh Keo, linebacker Nico Johnson, cornerback Tramain Jacobs, ex-Jets wide receiver Shaq Evans, safety Durell Eskridge, and cornerback Dwight Bentley (link). The Giants also tried out Joe Looney, Nick Moody, Henoc Muamba, Quayshawn Nealy, Xavier Proctor, and Alameda Ta’amu (link).
  • The Colts tried out offensive lineman Travis Bond, wide receiver Marquez Clark, linebacker Edwin Jackson, and defensive tackle Derrick Lott (link).
  • The Jaguars tried out Rasheed Bailey, Matt Blanchard, and Cody Fajardo (link).
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