Bill is joined by Lindsay Jones of The Athletic to definitively rank all 20 teams that missed the playoffs last year for the upcoming season, including the Raiders (5:28), Lions, (14:39), Jets (25), Vikings (47:51), Panthers (53:22) and many more.
Lions fan Kam Register took a chance, inviting Lions CB Darius Slay to his graduation party via Twitter. What followed made for a lifelong memory.
Did the Browns indeed have the best offseason? Which teams struggled to reach their goals? NFL Nation ranks them and looks toward training camp.
Could a former first-round selection be done with the Pittsburgh Steelers? NFL Nation picks a player on each team who might not make the opening day roster.
Randall Cobb and a 312-pound tight end lead a list of eye-opening performances from under-the-radar players this offseason.
Another attempt by the Patriots to shore up their tight end position ended when their trade with the Lions for Michael Roberts was rescinded due to a failed physical, a source told Adam Schefter.
The Lions have waived TE Michael Roberts after he reverted back to the franchise on Friday following a trade to New England on Thursday.
Lions training camp schedule to date (times based on what is on the team website): July 25, 9:30 am. July 26, 9:30 a.m. July 27, 9:30 a.m. July 28, 9:30 a.m. July 29: OFF July 30: 9:30 a.m. July 31: 9:30 a.m. Aug. 1: 9:30 a.m. Aug. 2: 5:30 p.m. at Ford Field Aug. 3: OFF Aug. 4: 9:30 a.m. Aug. 5: 9:30 a.m. JOINT WITH PATRIOTS Aug. 6: 9:30 a.m. JOINT WITH PATRIOTS Aug. 7: 9:30 a.m. JOINT WITH PATRIOTS Aug. 8: Lions-Patriots
A converted QB and an underachieving former high draft pick turned heads during the Lions' offseason workouts, Who else made a positive impression?
Jadeveon Clowney, Trent Williams and Chris Jones skipped mandatory minicamps. Don't call them holdouts ... yet.
The trade of Michael Roberts means the Lions only have one tight end on the roster that was here at the end of last season -- depth player Jerome Cunningham. Having T.J. Hockenson, Jesse James, Logan Thomas and Isaac Nauta as newcomers -- James and Thomas as free agent signings and Hockenson and Nauta as draft picks -- meant a complete overhaul of the position.
The Patriots have acquired third-year tight end Michael Roberts from the Lions for a conditional seventh-round pick in 2020. The Patriots are thin at tight end as they transition without Rob Gronkowski.
Bo Jackson, Deion Sanders, Tom Kennedy? The Lions' rookie receiver and former lacrosse pro is hoping to make a lasting impact in the NFL.
Former Lions DC Gunther Cunningham was one of two winners of the PFWA Dr. Z award for lifetime achievement for an assistant coach in football. Cunningham spent almost his whole career as an assistant or coordinator until moving to work at Pro Football Focus in 2016. Cunningham died on May 11 at age 72. Cunningham was also the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs for two years in 1999 and 2000.
The Lions signed quarterback David Fales and offensive lineman Luke Bowanko on Monday, waiving quarterback Connor Cook and safety David Jones. Cook had been consistently working with the third team in the offseason and Jones had been rehabbing what appeared to be an undisclosed injury. Fales will likely push Tom Savage for the backup quarterback job. Bowanko has played in 46 NFL games between Jacksonville, Baltimore and Washington. He started 14 games at center for the Jaguars as a rookie in 2014. The Lions have been looking for offensive line depth and Bowanko gives them another veteran option.
Jermaine Kearse wanted to get rid of the bad taste of a disappointing 2018 season. To do that, he joined the Lions and reunited with Darrell Bevell.
A note on T.J. Hockenson: Unlike the Lions' prior first round picks Frank Ragnow, Jarrad Davis and Taylor Decker, he hasn't received a ton of first-team reps. Part of that could be due to Jesse James also needing to learn the offense. There's also that Hockenson could be learning different parts with different units. But something to consider early on, although tight end is a very difficult position to learn.
A name I wrote down a lot today — rookie WR Travis Fulgham. The sixth-round pick out of Old Dominion had at least three grabs in critical-in-practice situations, including a touchdown on a fourth-down over Teez Tabor (although whether or not Matthew Stafford would have been sacked is debatable). Fulgham joins T.J. Hockenson, Will Harris and Jahlani Tavai as picks getting some first-team run.
Matthew Stafford on knowing his beer chugging would go viral: I don't know what viral means. Not surprising since he is on no social media.
Darius Slay and Damon Harrison finish off the Lions minicamp week with their third no-show. Marvin Jones and Kenny Golladay continue to not do anything other than rehab work. For second straight day, Oday Aboushi and Joe Dahl were the first-team guards. Still wouldn't read into it but it's something to watch when July comes.
Matt Patricia said a lot of what they do right now with the offensive line this part of the year is more mental -- including the position they put them in. He said this in response to switching up the guards at Wednesday's practice -- Oday Aboushi and Joe Dahl in for Kenny Wiggins and Graham Glasgow with the first-team offense. Patricia definitely likes Dahl's versatility on the offensive line.
Matt Patricia said Jermaine Kearse can "make some pretty ridiculous catches," which was part of what intrigued them. Patricia saw Kearse first hand in Super Bowl XLIX. Also, he's familiar with Darrell Bevell and his offense from their time together in Seattle.
Receiver Jermaine Kearse, who is coming off his most disappointing NFL season with only 37 catches for 371 yards for the Jets, has signed with the Lions.
| RD(PK) | PLAYER | POS | SCHOOL |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1(8) | T.J. Hockenson | TE | Iowa |
| 2(11) | Jahlani Tavai | ILB | Hawai'i' |
| 3(17) | Will Harris | S | Boston College |
| 4(15) | Austin Bryant | DE | Clemson |
| 5(8) | Amani Oruwariye | CB | Penn State |
| 6(11) | Travis Fulgham | WR | Old Dominion |
| 6(13) | Ty Johnson | RB | Maryland |
| 7(10) | Isaac Nauta | TE | Georgia |
| 7(15) | PJ Johnson | DT | Arizona |
