Lions Place LB Derrick Barnes On Injured Reserve
3:50pm: Barnes has indeed been placed on IR, per a team announcement. The move comes as no surprise, but it ensures Detroit will be without a key starter for a stretch. It will be interesting to see how Barnes’ recovery progresses and when he will become an option to return to action.
1:18pm: The Lions’ injury situation just keeps getting worse, with linebacker Derrick Barnes expected to be placed on injured reserve after sustaining a knee injury in Detroit’s Week 3 victory over the Cardinals on Sunday, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
Head coach Dan Campbell said that Barnes would be out for a significant amount of time, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Barnes may even require surgery, making a stint on injured reserve an even more likely option as the team evaluates his knee and determines a long-term outlook for his recovery.
Barnes joins defensive end Marcus Davenport and center Frank Ragnow on the list of injured Lions coming out of Sunday’s game. Davenport suffered a season-ending elbow injury, while Ragnow tore his pectoral muscle.
“It’s going to hurt to lose Barnes,” said Campbell on Monday, but he emphasized that he has “a ton of faith” in the team’s remaining linebackers. He has multiple options to replace Barnes, who started the season alongside veteran Alex Anzalone and 2023 first-round pick Jack Campbell in defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn‘s 4-3 scheme. Malcolm Rodriguez, a 2022 sixth-rounder who became a fan favorite on Hard Knocks as a rookie, is the most likely candidate for Barnes’ spot, with Ben Niemann and Jalen Reeves-Maybin providing additional depth.
Barnes was a fourth-round pick by the Lions in 2021 who appeared in 32 games with 10 starts across his first two NFL seasons before earning a starting role in 2023 as the third off-ball linebacker behind Anzalone and Campbell. Landing on injured reserve will sideline Barnes until at least Week 8, though surgery could hold him out longer.
Lions C Frank Ragnow Sustains Torn Pec
The Lions are set to be without their Pro Bowl center for an extended period. Frank Ragnow suffered a torn pectoral muscle during the team’s Week 3 win, Dan Campbell confirmed Tuesday.
Campbell said during an appearance on 97.1’s Costa & Jansen with Heather (via ESPN.com’s Eric Woodyard) the veteran blocker wants to keep playing. The Lions look to have dodged a bullet, with NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport indicating it is a partial tear. Still, Ragnow should be expected to miss time.
[RELATED: Lions’ Marcus Davenport Out For Season]
“He’s tough; he’s stubborn, so he wants to go, and he always wants to go, but this is something we’re still talking about right now,” Campbell said. “I’m not entirely sure what we’re gonna do with him. A lot of it is where is he gonna feel by middle or end of the week, but he does have something in there and he did play through some of this last week.”
Last year showed pectoral tears are not season-enders, with the Lions among the teams to see successful rehab efforts commence. C.J. Gardner-Johnson went down with a torn pec in Week 2 and made it back in time for the Lions’ regular-season finale. Bills DT DaQuan Jones and Eagles cornerback Avonte Maddox also returned from September pec tears. Ragnow, who has missed extended time in just one of his previous six NFL seasons, may be shut down for a while, but given that this is a partial tear, his recovery timetable may not be nearly as lengthy as the above-referenced trio’s from 2023.
Attached to the lucrative extension he signed in 2021, Ragnow missed most of that season — a 3-13-1 campaign that began this Campbell- and Brad Holmes-overseen rebuild effort — due to a toe injury. Ragnow played four games in 2021 but was on the field for 16 games in 2022 and 15 last season. Both those showings produced Pro Bowl nods for the former first-round pick.
A second-team All-Pro twice (as Jason Kelce gobbled up first-team honors for an extended period), Ragnow has started all 83 NFL games he has played. The former No. 20 overall pick is one of two Bob Quinn-era investments in place on a well-built O-line, joining left tackle Taylor Decker. The Lions used Evan Brown as Ragnow’s primary replacement in 2021; Brown left in free agency last year. Ragnow, 28, did not miss a snap against the Cardinals, who now employ Brown.
Detroit brought back Graham Glasgow in 2023 and re-signed the veteran guard this year. Glasgow has a background at center, having played there for the Broncos in 2022 and with the Lions in Ragnow’s 2018 rookie year; the latter worked at left guard to start his NFL run. Dan Skipper, who saw time as a sixth O-lineman against Arizona, has played guard at points in his career; he and Glasgow give the team options. The Lions also have former UDFAs Michael Niese and Kayode Awosika as backup interior O-linemen on their 53-man roster. Awosika has been with the team since 2022, Niese since 2023.
Lions DE Marcus Davenport Suffers Season-Ending Elbow Injury
3:55pm: Head coach Dan Campbell confirmed Davenport is indeed out for the year. His Lions tenure (barring a new deal in the offseason) will thus end after 89 defensive snaps. Davenport’s market will no doubt take a hit in the spring after back-to-back campaigns severely shortened by injury.
1:48pm: Marcus Davenport‘s first Lions campaign has been interrupted by the latest major injury of his career. The veteran edge rusher exited Sunday’s game with an elbow ailment which he was unable to play through. 
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports Davenport’s injury is “serious and significant.” Further testing will be needed to arrive at a firm diagnosis, but a long-term absence could very well be in store. Rapoport notes the 28-year-old could miss the remainder of the season as result of the injury.
Davenport entered the league with high expectations as a first-round pick. He was unable to suit up for a full campaign during any of his five years in New Orleans, however, and he took a one-year deal in free agency last year. That $13MM Vikings accord did not pan out with an ankle sprain requiring surgery and limiting him to only four contests.
To no surprise, the UTSA product’s free agent stock took a hit as a result. Davenport again inked a one-year contract on the open market, this time with the Lions. That $6MM pact contained $3MM guaranteed, a sign of the risk Detroit incurred by adding him. Davenport missed Week 2 due to a groin issue, but his 65% snap share when on the field this season demonstrates how large of a role the Lions had planned for him as a complement to Aidan Hutchinson.
The former No. 2 pick currently leads the league with 6.5 sacks, so Detroit’s pass rush will be expected to remain potent even if Davenport is shut down for the rest of the year. The likes of Josh Paschal and James Houston will be counted on to fill his spot in the starting lineup moving forward. Ahead of another trip to free agency, meanwhile, Davenport’s status will be worth watching closely.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/21/24
Today’s minor NFL transactions:
Arizona Cardinals
- Elevated: T Jackson Barton, T Charlie Heck
Baltimore Ravens
- Elevated: RB Chris Collier, CB Ka’dar Hollman
Carolina Panthers
- Elevated: DE DeShawn Williams
Chicago Bears
- Elevated: DE Byron Cowart, WR Collin Johnson
- Placed on IR: RB Travis Homer
Cleveland Browns
- Signed to active roster: RB Gary Brightwell, TE Blake Whiteheart
- Elevated: CB Tony Brown, TE Geoff Swaim
Dallas Cowboys
- Elevated: DE Carl Lawson, LB Nick Vigil
Detroit Lions
- Elevated: WR Tim Patrick, WR Allen Robinson
Green Bay Packers
- Elevated: QB Sean Clifford, CB Robert Rochell
Houston Texans
- Elevated: RB J.J. Taylor, LB Zeke Turner
Las Vegas Raiders
- Elevated: CB Sam Webb
Los Angeles Chargers
- Elevated: LB Shaquille Quarterman
Los Angeles Rams
- Elevated: TE Nikola Kalinic, WR Xavier Smith
Miami Dolphins
- Signed to active roster: QB Tim Boyle
- Elevated: WR Dee Eskridge, WR Erik Ezukanma
- Placed on IR: WR Grant DuBose
Minnesota Vikings
- Elevated: OLB Bo Richter, TE Robert Tonyan
New Orleans Saints
- Elevated: LB Isaiah Stalbird
New York Giants
- Elevated: CB Art Green, LB Ty Summers
Philadelphia Eagles
- Elevated: WR Parris Campbell, TE Jack Stoll
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Elevated: DL Mike Greene, WR Sterling Shepard
Tennessee Titans
- Elevated: LB Luke Gifford, RB Jabari Small
Players like Hollman, Vigil, Webb, and Quarterman will now be getting called up for the third time this season. The NFL rules limit a practice squad player to three standard gameday elevations per contract. If their teams want to get them into more games in the future, the normal route is for them to be signed to the active roster after this weekend then released/waived and signed to new practice squad deals, starting their three-game count over.
Shy Tuttle‘s foot injury will keep him off the field for Week 3, as the Panthers announced that the defensive tackle has been downgraded from doubtful to out. The Panthers called up Williams to temporarily take the open roster spot. The defensive end started 10 of his 16 appearances for the Panthers last season, and he landed back on Carolina’s practice squad last month after spending the preseason with the Bills.
The Browns announced a handful of moves ahead of their game with the Giants tomorrow. Notably, the team didn’t promote any offensive tackles, which provided some optimism surrounding the availability of their injured tackles. While Jedrick Wills Jr. is expected to play (per Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal), Jack Conklin will not (per Tony Grossi of 850 ESPN Cleveland). Conklin hasn’t played since Week 1 of the 2023 season while recovering from a torn ACL and MCL. He practiced this week and was initially listed as questionable for tomorrow’s game, but it sounds like a new hamstring injury is the culprit for his Week 3 absence.
With both Joe Mixon and Dameon Pierce set to miss Sunday’s trip to Minnesota, the Texans are bringing up Taylor off the practice squad. Taylor will back up Cam Akers and Dare Ogunbowale against the Vikings this weekend.
Giants Work Out Four Kickers, To Add Greg Joseph Off Lions’ Practice Squad
Graham Gano‘s injury changed the Giants’ gameday procedure, costing them dearly in a narrow loss to the Commanders. After not attempting any extra points once Gano went down, the Giants will make their expected addition.
With Gano set to miss at least four games, New York worked out four kickers. The team, however, will take another course. The Giants are signing Greg Joseph off the Lions’ practice squad, per his agency. The team must keep Joseph on its 53-man roster for at least three weeks due to poaching him off another team’s P-squad. Gano is now on IR, per a Giants announcement.
The Giants initially attempted a free agency path here, with NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo indicating the team worked out Zane Gonzalez, Randy Bullock, Riley Patterson and Tanner Brown. Instead, it will be Joseph, who will head to team No. 3 this year. Joseph signed with the Packers early this offseason but did not make their 53-man roster, joining the Lions’ practice squad as Jake Bates insurance. But an immediate opportunity will come his way in New York.
Joseph, 30, spent the past three seasons as the Vikings’ kicker. He drilled a 61-yard game-winning field goal to beat the Giants in Week 16 of the 2022 season. Like Gano, who made a 63-yarder to beat the Giants as a Panther in 2018, Joseph will make his way to the NFC’s New York franchise.
Joseph made 86.8% of his field goals in 2021 but did not clear the 80% barrier in either of the past two seasons. He made 80% of his tries last season, missing three from between 40 and 49 yards, and saw the Vikings take a different route this year.
As for Gano, this is the second time he has landed on IR in as many seasons. Gano has suffered two injuries since the Giants gave him a three-year, $16.5MM extension ($11.34MM guaranteed) in September 2023. Gano, 37, missed nine games last season. The Giants will hope to have their regular specialist back from his hamstring injury this season, but they will need to use an IR activation to make that happen.
Bullock served as the Giants’ Gano replacement in six games last season, while Patterson could not secure a spot as the Commanders’ kicker in the preseason. (Gonzalez has not kicked since the 2021 season.) The Commanders, who settled on Austin Seibert as their latest kicker, became the first NFL team to win a game despite scoring zero touchdowns to their opponent’s three.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/14/24
Saturday’s minor transactions and gameday practice squad callups:
Arizona Cardinals
- Elevated: T Jackson Barton
Baltimore Ravens
- Elevated: CB Ka’dar Hollman, RB John Kelly
Carolina Panthers
- Elevated: TE Feleipe Franks
Dallas Cowboys
- Elevated: TE Princeton Fant, LB Nick Vigil
Denver Broncos
- Elevated: RB Tyler Badie, WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey
Detroit Lions
- Elevated: WR Tom Kennedy, WR Tim Patrick
Green Bay Packers
- Elevated: QB Sean Clifford
Houston Texans
- Elevated: CB D’Angelo Ross
Indianapolis Colts
- Elevated: DE Genard Avery, S Ronnie Harrison
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Elevated: CB Christian Braswell
Las Vegas Raiders
- Elevated: OLB K’Lavon Chaisson, CB Sam Webb
Los Angeles Chargers
- Elevated: S Tony Jefferson, LB Shaquille Quarterman
Minnesota Vikings
- Elevated: RB Myles Gaskin, DL Jonah Williams
New Orleans Saints
- Elevated: S Ugo Amadi, LB Isaiah Stalbird
New York Giants
- Elevated: LB Tomon Fox, LB Ty Summers
- Placed on IR: WR Gunner Olszewski
New York Jets
- Elevated: DE Jalyn Holmes
San Francisco 49ers
- Elevated: S Tracy Walker
- Placed on IR: RB Christian McCaffrey (story)
Seattle Seahawks
- Elevated: T McClendon Curtis, RB George Holani
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Elevated: DT C.J. Brewer, DL Mike Greene
Tennessee Titans
- Elevated: LB Luke Gifford
Washington Commanders
- Signed to active roster: LB Nick Bellore
- Elevated: CB Bobby Price, DE Carlos Watkins
Patrick was among the Broncos’ final roster cuts after a Saints trade was discussed. The 30-year-old missed the 2022 and ’23 campaigns due to ACL and Achilles tears, respectively. Patrick did not need to wait long to find a new opportunity, though, quickly landing a practice squad deal with the Lions. He is now positioned make his season debut tomorrow as a complementary option in Detroit’s passing attack.
Olszewski is dealing with a groin injury and he was known to be facing a long-term absence. Today’s move thus comes as no surprise, but it ensures at least a four-week absence. The former All-Pro scored a punt return touchdown with Pittsburgh early last season and added another during his 10-game Giants stretch to close out the year. The team will need to rely on other options in the return game for the time being.
Lions DT D.J. Reader To Play In Week 2
D.J. Reader is set to make his Lions debut during Week 2. Head coach Dan Campbell confirmed on Friday that the veteran defensive tackle will be available on Sunday. 
[RELATED: Lions Begin Extension Talks With Alim McNeill]
Signs pointed in that direction recently, so it comes as no surprise Reader will make his Lions debut against the Buccaneers. The 30-year-old missed considerable time during training camp while rehabbing the torn quad which ended his 2023 campaign. Reader was activated from the reserve/PUP list in late August, though, removing the need for him to miss the first month of the season with a PUP designation during roster cuts.
Reader practiced on a limited basis last week, but it came as no surprise he and the team opted for a cautious approach. The former Texan and Bengal was a full participant this week, and he is therefore in line to handle a notable workload along the defensive interior. Reader is confident he has recovered in full after a lengthy rehab process.
“Feel really good about where I’m at,” he said (via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press). “Mentally, a lot tougher than I was just going through it. It’s just, it’s one of those injuries… It can really get you down and have you fighting that wall for a while… I’ve got a good group of people around me, good spirits and just been able to really work through.”
During his time in Cincinnati, Reader remained a full-time starter and served as an effective run stopper. He is expected to translate that early-down success to the Motor City while playing on a two-year contract. That pact carries a maximum value of $27.25MM, but only $7.4MM of that figure is fully guaranteed. Much of Reader’s future with the Lions beyond 2024 will thus depend on his ability to return to his previous form over the coming months as he aims to play a key role on one of the NFC’s presumed contenders.
Hall Of Fame LB Joe Schmidt Dies At 92
Former Lions linebacker and head coach Joe Schmidt passed away yesterday, the team announced. The Hall of Famer was 92. 
Schmidt was selected in the seventh round of the 1953 draft, and he immediately became a standout contributor. The following season saw him earn the first of 10 consecutive Pro Bowl invitations – tied for a franchise record – and Schmidt also began a string of All-Pro honors during that span. He collected a first- or second-team nod every campaign from 1954-62. A key figure in his team’s success, Schmidt helped lead the Lions to two NFL championships (1953 and ’57) and earned a place on the 1950s All-Decade team.
An inaugural member of the Lions’ ring of honor, Schmidt continued his decorated tenure in the Motor City by serving as the team’s head coach from 1967-72. During the final four years of that spell, Detroit posted a winning record before the Pitt alum ended his second football career.
In 1973, Schmidt was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Regarded as the greatest defender in Lions history, he is credited as one of the pioneers for middle linebackers operating as the quarterback of the defense with his style of play.
“Joe Schmidt had the heart of a Lion, which made it appropriate that he was also the heart of our team,” a statement from owner Martha Firestone Ford reads. “Joe was a key part of our championship seasons and continued to be an important part of our organization until his passing. Joe made his home in Detroit and carried his success from the field into our community. I am saddened to hear of his passing, but I have nothing but fond memories of the person he was. I share my deepest condolences with Marilyn and his children.”
Across 159 combined regular and postseason games, Schmidt collected 27 total interceptions and 17 fumble recoveries (including a league-leading eight in 1955) during his career. His No. 56 is retired by the Lions, and he is a member of the NFL’s 100th Anniversary All-Time team.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/11/24
Today’s practice squad transactions:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: OT Charlie Heck
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: TE Feleipe Franks
Denver Broncos
- Signed: WR Kaden Davis
Detroit Lions
- Signed: DL Chris Smith
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: S Ronnie Harrison Jr., CB Kelvin Joseph
- Released: DE Titus Leo
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: CB Dicaprio Bootle
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: CB Shemar Jean-Charles
New York Jets
- Signed: LB Jackson Sirmon
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: S Caden Sterns
- Released: TE Jack Stoll
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: OL Chris Hubbard
- Released: DE Jonathan Garvin
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: LB Kyron Johnson
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/11/24
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed to active roster: OLB Julian Okwara
Detroit Lions
- Signed to active roster: DL Kyle Peko
Tennessee Titans
- Signed to active roster: DL James Lynch
A former third-round pick by the Lions, Julian Okwara ultimately spent four seasons in Detroit. The linebacker saw time in 38 games (four starts) during his Lions tenure, compiling 54 tackles and nine sacks. This included a five-sack performance in 2021, although he struggled to match those counting stats over the past two years. The 26-year-old spent the preseason with the Eagles before joining Arizona’s practice squad prior to the regular season.