Lions Sign DT Caraun Reid
The Lions have signed free agent defensive tackle Caraun Reid and waived linebacker Thurston Armbrister, the club announced today.
Detroit is attempting to fortify its front four after placing veteran interior defender Haloti Ngata on injured reserve earlier today. While the Lions rank eighth in overall defensive DVOA, much of that success is due to the team’s secondary. Detroit’s defensive line, meanwhile, has received middling marks, as it ranks 17th in adjusted line yards and 18th in adjusted sack rate.
Reid isn’t the only new addition to the Lions’ front, as the club also agreed to sign former Packers defender Datone Jones this week. Before inking Reid and Jones to bolster its line, the Lions worked out defensive tackles Brandin Bryant and Joey Ivie, tweets veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer. Former Bears interior lineman Will Sutton also auditioned for Detroit.
Reid, 25, will now enter his second stint in the Motor City — he appeared in 26 games for the Lions from 2014-15, and made 12 starts in that latter season. Detroit waived him last September, and while he landed with the Chargers, Reid tore his ACL after only seven contests. The Lions have been running a multi-player rotation at defensive tackle, as Ngata, A’Shawn Robinson, Akeem Spence, and Jeremiah Ledbetter have all played on at least 40% of the team’s snaps this season. Reid will likely factor into that group as a reserve on the inside.
Like Reid, Armbrister has also enjoyed separate runs with the Lions. The 28-year-old saw action in 14 games for Detroit a season ago, but has since spent time on the Lions’ practice squad. He was promoted for the club’s prior two games, but was inactive for both contests. It shouldn’t be a surprise if Armbrister winds up back of Detroit’s taxi squad if he clears waivers.
NFL Workout Updates: 9/19/17
Today’s workout updates:
Carolina Panthers
- T Laurence Gibson; CB Tevin Homer (Twitter link via Howard Balzer)
Chicago Bears
- QBs Garrett Grayson and Bart Houston; WRs Marlon Brown, Bug Howard, Kyle Prater, Tevaun Smith, Daniel Williams, and James Wright; TE D.J. Tialavea; C Mark Spelman; T Givens Price; LBs Carl Bradford and Shayne Skov; DTs Stefan Charles, Mike Purcell, and Nick Williams (Link via Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune)
Dallas Cowboys
- OLs Michael Dunn, Jake Eldrenkamp, Kaleb Johnson, and Jarron Jones; LB Tre’Von Johnson; DT Caraun Reid, CBs Chris Lewis-Harris, JaCorey Shepherd, D’Joun Smith, and Ian Wells (Twitter link via Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News)
Green Bay Packers
- QB Jerod Evans; RB Algeron Brown; WRs C.J. Board, Alonzo Moore, and Jordan Williams; TE Ryan O’Malley; DTs Jeremy Faulk and Joey Ivie (Link via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- DTs Ryan Carrethers, John Hughes, and Cam Thomas (Twitter link via Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union)
Kansas City Chiefs
- LB Garrett Sickels; CBs Makinton Dorleant and Ezra Robinson (Twitter link via Adam Caplan)
Miami Dolphins
- LB Zaviar Gooden (Twitter link via Caplan)
New York Jets
- WRs Corey Brown, Josh Huff and Paul Turner; G Robert Myers; DL Stefan Charles, Datone Jones, Alex McCalister, and Joby Saint Fleur; CBs Malik Foreman and D.J. Killings; S Jordan Moore. (Twitter links via Tom Pelissero of NFL.com, Caplan, Balzer (1, 2) and Wilson)
San Francisco 49ers
- OL Willie Beavers, Wil Freeman, Laurence Gibson, and Max Rich (Twitter link via Caplan and Balzer)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- CB Randall Evans (Twitter link via Caplan)
Cowboys Trim Roster To 53
The Cowboys navigated the busy cut week and moved down to the 53-man limit. Here are the players Dallas removed from its roster to reach the regular-season standard.
Released:
- S Robert Blanton (story)
- T Emmett Cleary
- RB Ronnie Hillman
- QB Luke McCown (story)
- QB Kellen Moore (story)
Waived:
- DE Richard Ash
- DE Woody Baron
- RB Brandon Brown-Dukes
- WR Brian Brown
- C Ross Burbank
- CB Dejaun Butler
- DT Jordan Carrell
- T Clay DeBord (injury settlement)
- G Kadeem Edwards
- LB Keenan Gilchrist
- CB John Green
- WR Karel Hamilton
- P Sam Irwin-Hill
- DT Joey Ivie
- TE Blake Jarwin
- WR Andy Jones
- LB Joseph Jones
- DE Lenny Jones
- WR Lance Lenoir
- DE Darnell Leslie
- LB Lamar Louis
- TE M.J. McFarland
- DE Lewis Neal
- WR Uzoma Nwachukwu
- CB Sammy Seamster
- S Jameill Showers
- G Dan Skipper
- G Nate Theaker
- CB Marquez White
- LS Zach Wood
Placed on Reserved/Suspended list:
- DE David Irving
- DE Damontre Moore
Placed on IR:
- RB Duke Thomas
Cowboys Sign Seven Draft Picks
The Cowboys have agreed to pacts with seven draft picks, leaving third-round cornerback Jourdan Lewis as the only member of their nine-rookie class without a contract, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com. Dallas, which reached a deal with first-round defensive end Taco Charlton on Thursday afternoon, signed this group in the evening:
- Round 2-60: Chidobe Awuzie, CB (Colorado)
- 4-133: Ryan Switzer, WR (North Carolina)
- 6-191: Xavier Woods, S (Louisiana Tech)
- 6-216: Marquez White, CB (Florida State)
- 7-228: Joey Ivie, DT (Florida)
- 7-239: Noah Brown, WR (Ohio State)
- 7-246: Jordan Carrell, DE (Colorado)
Awuzie was reportedly gaining momentum as a potential first-rounder in the weeks leading up to the draft, but he ultimately come off the board late in the second. The four-year starter at Colorado had his most productive seasons from 2015-16, combining for 150 tackles, eight sacks and three interceptions, and should see plenty of playing time as a rookie in Dallas. The Cowboys, who ranked a mediocre-at-best 18th in DVOA against the pass last year, lost cornerbacks Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne to free agency. The club will try to make up for the veterans’ departures with a corner group consisting of Orlando Scandrick, Anthony Brown, Awuzie and Nolan Carroll, among others.