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Injury Notes: Zylstra, Cowboys, Giants, Kancey

July 31st, 2023 at 9:46pm CST by Ben Levine

Shane Zylstra will likely miss the upcoming season thanks to a knee injury. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the Lions tight end suffered a “serious and significant” knee injury that will keep him off the field for six months.

Rapoport notes that Zylstra is set to undergo more tests “but there isn’t a lot of optimism.” As Justin Rogers of the Detroit News tweets, the tight end suffered the injury while taking a “low shot” during a red zone drill.

Zylstra emerged as one of Jared Goff‘s favorite red zone targets in 2022. The tight end finished the season with only 11 catches for 60 yards, but four of those receptions were touchdowns. The Minnesota State product had another three catches during his rookie campaign.

Fortunately for Detroit, the team has some depth at tight end. The organization used a second-round pick on Sam LaPorta, and the rookie is expected to slide right into the starting lineup. The team is also rostering the likes of Brock Wright, James Mitchell, and Derrick Deese.

More injury notes from around the NFL…

  • A bruised toe has kept Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs off the practice field, Mike McCarthy told reporters (via Jon Machota of The Athletic on Twitter). The injury isn’t serious, and it sounds like the coaching staff is simply playing it safe with the star defender. Elsewhere in Dallas, tight end Luke Schoonmaker revealed that he’s dealing with a partial tear of his plantar fascia (via Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News on Twitter). The rookie said the injury is more challenging to deal with than a complete tear, but the player is still hopeful he’ll be able to return to the practice field in a week or two.
  • It sounds like Giants backup offensive lineman J.C. Hassenauer is set to miss a significant chunk of the upcoming season, if not the entire campaign. Coach Brian Daboll told reporters that Hassenauer injured his triceps and will require surgery (via Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News on Twitter). The lineman is expected to be sidelined “long term.” Second-round rookie John Michael Schmitz is expected to lead the depth chart, but Hassenauer’s injury could open opportunities for Jack Anderson and Shane Lemieux.
  • There was a scare at Buccaneers practice today when first-round defensive tackle Calijah Kancey was carted off the field with a leg injury. Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets that an MRI showed nothing serious, but the Buccaneers may still take it easy on the rookie so he’s ready to go for the start of the season. Per ESPN’s Jenna Laine, the Buccaneers organization had been thrilled with Kancey’s preparation for his first professional season. “He’s adapting to the scheme mentally, and then he was adding his physical part to it,” coach Todd Bowles said (via Laine). “He’s putting it together quicker than normal rookies do. So hopefully it’s not that bad and he can get back.”
  • Texans fullback Troy Hairston was carted off the field today with an undisclosed injury, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 in Houston (via Twitter). The former edge rusher went undrafted out of Central Michigan last year but caught on with the Texans. He changed positions to fullback and beat out Andy Janovich for the starting gig, resulting in Hairston getting into 16 games for the Texans last season.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/31/23

July 31st, 2023 at 8:14pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

  • Signed: CB Lorenzo Burns

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

  • Signed: CB Anthony Witherstone
  • Placed on IR: LB Isaiah Moore

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

New Orleans Saints

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Commanders

Derrick Gore is probably the most intriguing signee on the list, with the running back having seen time in 11 games for the Chiefs in 2021. He finished that season with 361 yards from scrimmage and a pair of touchdowns, but he didn’t have a chance for a followup performance in Kansas City. After landing on IR in late August last year, he was ultimately released by the Chiefs. Gore caught on with the Saints and spent the majority of the 2022 season on their practice squad.

Yasir Durant is another Chiefs product, with the lineman getting into 11 games for Kansas City in 2020. He appeared in seven games for the Patriots in 2021 before spending most of last season on the Saints practice squad. He’ll be taking the roster spot previously held by Christian DiLauro, who got into five games for the Titans and Broncos over the past two years.

Darius Harris will be joining the Raiders following a career year in Kansas City. After being limited to only 11 games through his first two seasons in the NFL, Harris got into all 17 games for the Chiefs last year, including four starts. The former UDFA finished the year with 43 tackles and 1.5 sacks, and he added another five tackles in three playoff games. One of Harris’s strongest performances of the 2022 season came against the Raiders when he had 10 tackles and a sack.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/29/23

July 29th, 2023 at 7:10pm CST by Adam La Rose

Saturday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Cleveland Browns

  • Activated from NFI: G Colby Gossett 
  • Waived (injury designation): CB BoPete Keyes

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

  • Claimed off waivers (from Titans): OL James Empey

Houston Texans

  • Placed on IR: OL Dylan Deatherage

Indianapolis Colts

  • Waived: CB Cole Coleman

New York Giants

With Butler being moved from the NFI list to injured reserve, he is out for the season. The former first-rounder signed a futures deal with New York in January, after spending the past campaign on and off the team’s practice squad. He made just one appearance for the Giants in 2022, and will be four years removed from his career-best six-sack season with the Panthers in 2019. Butler, 29, has started 19 of his 77 career regular season games.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/28/23

July 28th, 2023 at 7:30pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are today’s minor moves from around the league as we head into the weekend:

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

  • Waived: OL Dylan Deatherage

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Waived: LB Tyreek Maddox-Williams

Los Angeles Rams

New England Patriots

New York Jets

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

  • Waived: OL James Empey

Mullen was placed on the NFI list two days ago. Apparently, his failure to disclose the non-football injury led to his release. Claimed off of waivers early into the offseason this year, Mullen has spent a good amount of time in Baltimore but has yet to see any game time. The Ravens hoped he might add some depth to their secondary, but with today’s transaction, the former second-round pick hits the free agent market.

Dantzler, a former third-round pick in Minnesota, also finds himself available in free agency after a short stint with the Bills. After signing with his second team of the offseason last month, Dantzler was waived with an injury designation.

Lions Audition QB Teddy Bridgewater

July 26th, 2023 at 9:47am CST by Sam Robinson

With Hendon Hooker looking at a potential injury redshirt of sorts, the Lions are considering a short-term upgrade behind Jared Goff. One of Dan Campbell‘s former Saints coworkers remains on the team’s radar.

The third-year Lions HC confirmed the team’s interest in Teddy Bridgewater, indicating the staff has kept tabs on the veteran quarterback this offseason. The Lions brought in Bridgewater for a workout recently, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.

This comes after the Lions previously expressed confidence in their QB room as a whole. Nate Sudfeld is currently positioned as Goff’s top backup. But the Lions made Bridgewater a “strong offer” in April. Even after the recent praise of the signal-caller group, the Lions are still eyeing help here as they grapple with rising expectations.

“We’ve kept in touch with Teddy and we’ve kept Nate abreast of that, too,” Campbell said, via the Detroit News’ Justin Rogers. “We haven’t hidden anything (from him). So it went good. Gave us a chance to sit down with him face-to-face, particularly Ben (Johnson), Bru (QBs coach Mark Brunell) and Brad (Holmes). It gets me face-to-face with him again. Then just the medical (evaluation). So it was good. It was a good visit. We’ll see where it goes.”

Campbell was with the Saints during Bridgewater’s two-season tenure, which ran from 2018-19. The 30-year-old quarterback has since moved to Charlotte, Denver and Miami. He and Carson Wentz have long hovered as the top two QB2 options available, with each having extensive starting experience. Bridgewater has made 65 career starts and would certainly provide the Lions with a 2023 upgrade behind Goff.

“It doesn’t mean that Nate is out of anything if we go this route and it works out,” Campbell said of the Bridgewater visit. “You’ll feel good about whoever comes out of the fire will be the right guy to help you along the way. But yeah, you don’t want the wheels to fall off.”

This marks Bridgewater’s first known visit this year. He is coming off a forgettable season with the Dolphins. Bridgewater made two starts but suffered injuries in each game. He was unavailable to close Miami’s season, with a dislocated pinkie sidelining him for the Dolphins’ regular-season finale and their wild-card game against the Bills. Bridgewater, however, had the Broncos at 7-7 as their primary starter in 2021. One of those games involved a one-sided win over Campbell’s Lions. Bridgewater’s second concussion that season ended up sidelining him for the rest of the year, leading to three Drew Lock-led starts and the Broncos firing Vic Fangio. In 2020 with the Panthers, Bridgewater completed 69% of his passes and started 15 games.

Goff did not miss any games last season but missed three during the 2021 campaign. A seventh-year veteran, Sudfeld has never started an NFL game and has only appeared in six.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/23/23

July 23rd, 2023 at 5:58pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are today’s minor moves heading into the week:

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Detroit Lions

Ravens fans can breathe a sigh of relief now that Bateman is set to return for camp. Bateman missed most of the team’s spring activities after receiving a cortisone shot in hopes it would help him get back in time for camp. It was slightly concerning that he didn’t initially report with the rest of the team, but general manager Eric DeCosta had reassured the media that Bateman was expected back soon. Two days later and Bateman should be in attendance for camp to start this week.

Claypool has been dealing with a soft tissue injury from earlier in the offseason. He was expected back in time for camp but clearly will have to wait a bit to rejoin the team.

With the departure of Eli Apple in free agency, Awuzie is expected to take a step up in the Bengals’ defense this year. Cincinnati will hope to get him back and working with the first-team secondary again soon. The absences of Cochran and Collins leave the team a little thin on tackle depth, but the starters remain available as Jonah Williams avoids any injury designations.

Detroit will have Jameson Williams available for training camp but not for the start of the season. The Lions will be hoping to get the opposite result for Jones, who will be unavailable to start camp.

Lions DC Aaron Glenn Eyeing HC Position

July 23rd, 2023 at 3:11pm CST by Adam La Rose

Aaron Glenn has been part of the past two head coaching cycles, making his stock something to monitor during the 2023 campaign. The Lions defensive coordinator is facing increased expectations this season, and he is looking to parlay success into a top job at some point in the future.

The 51-year-old joined the Lions in 2021, when they gave him the first coordinator opportunity of his career. Detroit has generally struggled on that side of the ball during Glenn’s time at the helm, and after four games last season head coach Dan Campbell needed to publicly shout down speculation the former corner could be on the hot seat. A defensive turnaround to close out the campaign aided the Lions’ playoff push, however.

Between that brief period of success and the plethora of moves made this offseason to bolster the defense, Glenn’s unit is expected to take a dramatic step forward in 2023. A rebuilt secondary in particular should elevate a Lions team which ranked 30th against the pass last season and surrendered more than 25 points and 392 yards per game. Improvement could boost Glenn’ head coaching stock, something he is acutely aware of.

“Listen, I’m not going to sit here and say I don’t want to be a head coach, Glenn said, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “I do. I understand the patience that it takes to wait your turn until that happens. And even when it does happen, listen, I know there’s going to be a learning curve in that aspect, but I would say the thing these last three years, I learned so much about being in that position and understanding what that position takes to be successful.”

Glenn reportedly earned himself a multi-year extension in Detroit this winter, giving him stability ahead of a critical year for himself and his unit. He interviewed with the Saints last year and met with the Cardinals and Colts during the 2023 hiring cycle, though, illustrating the interest already shown in him around the league. Meeting or exceeding expectations could accelerate his track to a head coaching role, or at a minimum earn him a higher standing within the Lions’ organization.

Lions Re-Sign RB Justin Jackson

July 22nd, 2023 at 1:35pm CST by Ely Allen

Jun 22: The Lions have made good on their intentions, announcing the signing of Jackson this afternoon. In order to make room on the roster, Detroit cut loose another running back, waiving an undrafted signing from last year, Greg Bell.

Jun 21: After an offseason of turnover throughout the running backs room, it looks like the Lions intend to secure some consistency. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, Detroit holds the intention of re-signing free agent running back Justin Jackson.

Originally a seventh-round pick in 2018, Jackson came out of Northwestern as the school’s all-time leading rusher and as only the ninth player in college football history to have four years with 1,000 yards rushing. He served as a reliable backup throughout his rookie deal for Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler in Los Angeles before eventually getting to test free agency last offseason.

He was a late addition, signing with Detroit a little less than a year ago. The Lions were already set atop the depth chart with D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams, but Jackson came in and assumed a RB3-role after getting promoted off of the practice squad early in the season. He ended up slipping ahead of Craig Reynolds, who had impressed in two starts the previous season, for the backup role behind Swift and Williams.

With Swift and Williams now departed, due to trade and free agency, respectively, Jackson would become the team’s leading returning rusher, despite 2022 seeing a career-low 170 rushing yards. The departures of Swift and Williams don’t necessarily point to a promotion for Jackson. With Alabama’s Jahmyr Gibbs joining the team as a first-round pick and David Montgomery coming across the division in free agency, Jackson should find himself back at RB3. Signing Jackson would also answer the question of who is returning kickoffs in Detroit, after he served as the team’s primary kick returner in 2022.

It’s an interesting room right now as none of the team’s rushers have seen necessarily high-end production. While Montgomery consistently delivers seasons of at least 800 rushing yards, his highest output has only ever been 1,070. Similarly, Gibbs never saw elite production during time in Atlanta or Tuscaloosa in college, topping out at 926 rushing yards in a season. Regardless of who takes over a lead-role or whether the two backs split time, if Jackson does indeed sign, Detroit would know it has reliable depth behind Gibbs and Montgomery in Jackson, Reynolds, and Jermar Jefferson.

Lions Place QB Hendon Hooker On NFI List

July 20th, 2023 at 6:31pm CST by Ben Levine

Hendon Hooker will begin his first NFL training camp on the sideline. The team announced that they’ve placed the rookie quarterback on the active/non-football injury list.

The Tennessee product was a favorite for the Heisman Trophy in 2022 after tossing 27 touchdowns vs. only two interceptions in 11 games (he added another five touchdowns on the ground). However, a torn ACL and meniscus ended his college career prematurely, and he ended up sliding to the Lions in the third round of the draft.

While Hooker has continued to tell reporters that he’s ahead of schedule in his recovery from the knee injury, the Lions have also made it clear that they’re going to take it slow with the rookie. Fortunately for the organization, there isn’t any urgency to get the quarterback on the field, and even if he was healthy heading into training camp, Hooker probably wouldn’t be in contention for a significant role in 2023.

The Lions still have Jared Goff atop their depth chart, and if the veteran is able to repeat his production from last year, there’s a good chance the Lions will keep him under center for the 2024 season, as well. The team also has Nate Sudfeld as a serviceable backup, meaning Hooker will likely be eyeing a QB3 role for his rookie campaign. In the meantime, UDFA Adrian Martinez will get some extra run during training camp and the preseason.

The Lions also placed tight end Derrick Deese Jr. and defensive lineman Zach Morton on the NFI list today. Morton is an undrafted free agent out of nearby Akron, and he joined the Lions following a 2022 campaign where he compiled 4.5 sacks. Deese spent most of his 2022 rookie season on Detroit’s practice squad before inking a futures contract.

Lions To Release K Michael Badgley

July 20th, 2023 at 12:33pm CST by Adam La Rose

Set to be in place as the Lions’ kicker for a second consecutive season, Michael Badgley will instead need to find another new home. Detroit is releasing the journeyman kicker, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link).

Badgley entered the 2022 season without a team, joining the Bears for what wound up as a one-game audition. He was released shortly thereafter and signed by the Lions in October in an aim to find a suitable replacement for the injured Austin Seibert. Badgley held down the role for the remainder of the season, converting 20 of 24 field goal tries (good for an 83.% success rate) and all 33 of his extra point attempts. Those totals earned him a new Lions deal in March.

Entering training camp, Badgley was named by team reporter Tim Twentyman as the favorite in a competition which also includes Riley Patterson and former XFLer Parker Romo. Patterson has experience in Detroit, having played seven games for the Lions in 2021 before spending last season in Jacksonville. The Jaguars’ addition of veteran Brandon McManus left him on the open market, and he will now look to reclaim his old job in the Motor City. Romo signed with the Saints as a UDFA last year but has yet to make an appearance in the NFL.

Given his success from last season, it comes as a surprise that Badgley once again finds himself without a team, especially before the onset of training camp. Today’s move will result in $743K in cap savings for the Lions, while generating a dead money charge of $350K. Detroit was already in better shape than most teams with respect to cap space, so a modest financial gain was not needed to free up the flexibility for any other moves the team could be lining up.

Badgley, 27, will look to latch onto a roster in the coming days and insert himself into a new kicking competition. Opportunities may be hard to come by, though, with the likes of Robbie Gould, Mason Crosby, Randy Bullock and Brett Maher all on the open market at this point. The Lions’ evaluation of their remaining kickers, meanwhile, will be more straightforward with one fewer participant.

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