HEADLINES

Jace Billingsley

Lions Announce Roster Cuts

September 1st, 2018 at 4:54pm CST by Dallas Robinson

In addition to trading offensive tackle Corey Robinson to the Panthers, the Lions have also reduced their roster to 53 players.

Released:

Waived:

Placed on injured reserve:

Placed on PUP:

Waived from injured reserve:

With Rudock out of the picture, Matt Cassel will serve as the backup to quarterback Matthew Stafford. Freeny conceivably could have made the roster based on his familiarity with head coach Matt Patricia, but the Lions went in another direction.

Lions Place C Travis Swanson On IR

December 29th, 2017 at 8:33am CST by Sam Robinson

Travis Swanson will not return for the Lions’ Week 17 game against the Packers, and it’s possible the center has played his last game as a member of the team.

Detroit placed its fourth-year snapper on IR on Friday. Swanson suffered a concussion earlier this month and hasn’t played since Week 14. The Lions signed wide receiver Jace Billingsley to replace Swanson on the 53-man roster.

An unrestricted free agent at season’s end, Swanson has been a full-season starter in each of the past three seasons. However, the former third-round pick will end a third consecutive campaign on IR. He also saw a concussion send him to the injured list to conclude last season. He missed the final four Lions regular-season games in 2016.

Practice Squad Updates: 11/27/17

November 27th, 2017 at 9:33pm CST by GregGoldstein

Here are today’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

  • Signed: DB Jacob Hagen

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Green Bay Packers

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/22/17

November 22nd, 2017 at 6:44pm CST by Ben Levine

Here are today’s minor moves:

Detroit Lions

Miami Dolphins

New York Giants

Seattle Seahawks

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/14/17

November 14th, 2017 at 7:21pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Cincinnati Bengals

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Jacksonville Jaguars

Philadelphia Eagles

Washington Redskins

Lions Activate OTs Taylor Decker, Corey Robinson

November 11th, 2017 at 12:09pm CST by Ben Levine

The Lions have activated a pair of lineman today, adding some much-needed reinforcement to the unit. The team announced on Twitter that they’ve activated left tackle Taylor Decker off the PUP and tackle Corey Robinson off the injured reserve. To make room on the roster, the team has waived wideout Jace Billingsley (via Tim Twentyman on Twitter).

Taylor DeckerDecker suffered a shoulder injury way back during OTAs and subsequently underwent surgery on a torn labrum. A 2016 first-round pick, the Ohio State product started all 16 games last season, with Pro Football Focus rating him as one of the top offensive tackles in the game. Decker will surely be a welcome addition to a Lions’ offensive line that has allowed 26 sacks this season. Offseason addition Greg Robinson was brought in to replace the previously-injured Decker, but the lineman struggled during his tenure in Detroit and was waived-injured earlier this week.

“When Deck’s ready, Deck’s going to play,” head coach Jim Caldwell said earlier this week (via ESPN.com’s Michael Rothstein). “There’s a reason why he’s here, a reason why we picked him where we picked him. He’ll play when he’s ready.”

Robinson, a 2015 seventh-round pick, appeared in 14 games (three starts) for the Lions last season. The 25-year-old has battled through a foot injury since the end of last year, forcing him to miss the majority of the 2017 campaign. Thanks to his ability to play both tackle spots, Robinson should slide in as a top reserve behind Decker and Ricky Wagner.

Billingsley, a 2016 undrafted free agent out of Eastern Oregon State, has appeared in two career games, compiling a pair of special teams tackles.

Lions Promote WR Jace Billingsley

October 25th, 2017 at 12:17pm CST by Zachary Links

The Lions have promoted wide receiver Jace Billingsley to the 53-man roster. To take his place on the practice squad, the team has added quarterback Brad Kaaya. Jace Billingsley (vertical)

Billingsley, 24, first joined the Lions as an undrafted free agent in 2016. A product of NAIA school Eastern Oregon, Billingsley spent the bulk of 2016 on the Lions’ practice squad and earned a promotion to the 53-man team later in the year. He did not dress for a game, however.

Kaaya, a sixth-round pick, was in the same Lions rookie class as Billingsley. In September, the Lions opted against keeping Kaaya around as a third-string project. They forged ahead with Matthew Stafford and Jake Rudock as their only QBs on the varsity squad and missed their chance to stash Kaaya on the p-squad when the Panthers claimed him. On Oct. 18, they claimed him off of waivers from the Panthers, but released him on Monday in order to make room for the return of Khyri Thornton.

It appears that Kaaya’s stock has cooled since the spring of 2016 when evaluators were drooling over his football IQ. His reps likely could not find a 53-man roster spot for him elsewhere, leading him to the Lions’ taxi squad.

Sunday NFL Transactions: NFC North

September 3rd, 2017 at 4:03pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC North teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions for the Bears, Lions, Packers, and Vikings are noted below.

Additionally, as of 12:00pm CT today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.

Here are Sunday’s NFC North transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:

Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Minnesota Vikings

Lions Set 53-Man Roster

September 2nd, 2017 at 4:07pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Lions have met the NFL’s 53-man maximum requirement by making the following transactions:

Traded:

Released:

Waived:

Suspended:

Placed on non-football injury list:

Placed physically unable to perform list:

Lions Place Theo Riddick On IR

December 31st, 2016 at 3:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Lions already ruled Theo Riddick out of a potential elimination game on Sunday night, but if the team advances to the playoffs, it won’t have its top healthy running back’s services.

Detroit placed Riddick on IR to end his season, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. He’s missed the past three games with a wrist injury and will now have a full offseason to recover from the malady. The Lions signed wide receiver Jace Billingsley off their practice squad, Michael Rothstein reports.

Should the Lions either beat the Packers or receive help with a Redskins loss, they will have to use their backup running backs in the playoffs. Zach Zenner, Dwayne Washington and the recently re-signed Joique Bell represent the Lions’ backfield contingent heading into their pivotal Week 17 contest.

The recently extended Riddick finished his fourth season with 728 yards from scrimmage. Following Ameer Abdullah‘s early-season injury, the former passing-down back became the Lions’ top ground option. Riddick’s career-high 357 rushing yards still lead the team despite the 25-year-old back playing in just 10 games.

Last month, a report pointing to a possible Abdullah return emerged. Nothing has transpired on that front since. Both Zenner and Washington have amassed 265 rushing yards this season for a Lions rushing attack that ranks 30th, but Zenner is averaging 3.9 yards per carry compared to the rookie’s 2.9.

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