Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell has been going for it on fourth downs even more than normal. Will that change? He answers.
The Detroit Lions are making some changes to their tight end room, parting ways with a veteran who appeared in 11 games this season to make space for some defensive help.
The Lions announced on Tuesday that they waived tight end Ross Dwelley and signed cornerback Arthur Maulet to the active roster. Dwelley’s release came as a bit of a surprise given the team’s lack of depth at tight end, but the need in the secondary may have been greater.
Lions Left Thin at Tight End
The Lions had a strong group of tight ends going into this season, but lost star Sam LaPorta to a season-ending injury and have seen veteran Shane Zylstra dealing with injuries as well. The veteran Dwelley filled in, appearing in 11 games but making only a light impact as a pass-catcher with only two receptions for 11 yards.
As John Maakaron of SI.com noted, the Lions are now thin at the position.
“The decision leaves Anthony Firkser and Hayden Rucci as the only tight ends on the 53-man active roster,” Maakaron wrote. “Giovanni Ricci currently holds a spot on the practice squad. Shane Zylstra practiced last week, but was sidelined again due to a knee injury.”
Dwelley has appeared in 112 games with 18 starts since coming into the league in 2018, but served more as a blocking tight end than a receiver. He has made just 47 receptions for 530 yards and five touchdowns over his eight NFL seasons.
The Lions may need strong contributions from the remaining tight ends down the final stratch of the season. The Lions likely need to win three of their remaining four games to ensure a spot in the playoffs, and may need to win out to stay in the competitive wild-card race in the NFC.
The Lions got back on track with a win over the Dallas Cowboys last week and have 10 days to prepare for the hot Los Angeles Rams, led by former Lions quarterback and MVP frontrunner Matthew Stafford.
Despite having a bit of momentum, Lions head coach Dan Campbell said the team needs to play like their backs are against the wall.
“Nothing has changed just in that regard, you’ve got to win,” he said, via Fox 2 Detroit. “You know, we had to win last year. That’s the way it felt. You know, you never felt like you could take a breath last year. It was for something different, but yet you know, (last year) you’re trying to get the one seed, you’re trying to get that home game … and now it’s no different.”
Lions Bring Back Veteran Cornerback
The Lions brought back Maulet, who played in six games for them this season and can help fill a big hole in the secondary. The team lost star safety Brian Branch to a season-ending torn Achilles, with Maulet providing some depth and help in the slot.
Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard has previously expressed plenty of faith in Maulet.
“No, if the game’s on the line, it’s going to be Arthur Maulet in press man, and he’s going to find a way to get the ball out of the basket,” Sheppard said, via MLive.com.
It was a quiet day at Ashburn, but the Washington Commanders did make a roster move.
There were no player or coach press conferences, as Tuesday is typically the players’ off day during the week. Coaches, of course, are there working hard on game plans each week, but they don’t have to appear before the press as they do on other days of the work week.
The Commanders did make a player move on Tuesday, swapping a player on their practice squad. Receiver Chris Moore, who had just been released by the team last week when they activated receiver Noah Brown, was re-signed to the Commanders’ practice squad. Making room for Moore, the Commanders released receiver River Cracraft from the practice squad.
With Zach Ertz now gone and unavailable for these last four weeks, the Commanders addressed their tight end position group by working out tight ends Colin Granger, Dalton Keene (Virginia Tech), and Gee Scott.
Also being worked out on Tuesday were defensive backs Keenan Isaac and Kevon Seymour. Some Commanders fans follow the team closely enough to remember that Seymour was on the 2024 roster, appearing in three games. Fewer still will recall that the NFL suspended Seymour for violating its Performance Enhancing Drug policy (PEDs).
