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The Lions have placed 29-year old linebacker Isaiah Ekejiuba on the Injured Reserve list due to a severely injured shoulder. Ekejiuba played in all 3 games for the Lions this year and he had 2 tackles. Ekejiuba has now played in 12 games in his first two years with the Lions and he has 12 tackles and 2 forced fumbles. The Lions might miss Ekejiuba a little bit on special teams, but that’s about it.
The Lions have claimed 26-year old DT Corvey Irvin off waivers from the Panthers. Irvin played in 2 games for the Panthers last year and he had 4 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss. The Lions hope the former 3rd round pick responds to a change of scenery as they think he can play.
The Lions have claimed 23-year old G/C Jacques McClendon off waivers from the Colts. McClendon played in 4 games (0 starts) as a rookie for the Colts last year. The Lions are looking for offensive line depth, so this is a worthwhile gamble to bring McClendon in and give him a shot to win a backup job in 2011.
The Lions have waived 25-year old RB Aaron Brown. Brown played in 6 games (0 starts) for the Lions last year and he carried the ball 17 times for 58 yards (3.4 ypc). He also caught 8 passes for 45 yards (5.6 avg) last year. Brown played in 21 games (2 starts) in his two years with the Lions and he carried the ball 44 times for 189 yards (4.3 ypc). He also caught 17 passes for 129 yards (7.6 avg) with 1 TD grab for the Lions. Brown also returned 42 kickoffs for 951 yards (22.6 avg) for the Lions. This isn’t much of a loss for the Lions, but I think Brown will get a shot with another team at some point in 2011.
The Lions have claimed 25-year old RB Keiland Williams off waivers from the Redskins. Williams played in 15 games (3 starts) in his rookie year in 2010 for the Redskins. He carried the ball 65 times for 261 yards (4.0 ypc) with 3 TD runs and he also caught 39 passes for 309 yards (7.9 avg) with 2 TD grabs. Williams looked solid as a rookie last year, so I like this pickup for the Lions.
The Detroit Lions have released 25-year old WR Derrick Williams. Williams played in 7 games (1 start) for the Lions last season and he caught 3 passes for 30 yards (10.0 avg). He played in 18 games (1 start) in his two years with the Lions and he caught 9 passes for 82 yards (9.1 avg). He also had 1 carry for 4 yards. Williams did help out a little bit on special teams though as he returned 42 kickoffs for 931 yards (22.2 avg) for the Lions. Some team will give Williams another shot in 2011, but this is a good sign for the Lions WRs going forward.
The Lions have waived 25-year old safety Caleb Campbell. Campbell played in 3 games as a rookie for the Lions last year and he had 3 tackles. With all of the improvements the Lions have made to the roster in the offseason, a player like Campbell just didn’t fit in anymore. Hopefully another team will give Campbell a chance as he is from Army.
The Lions have released 25-year old OG Donald Thomas. Thomas didn’t get into any games for the Lions last year. He has played in 17 games (13 starts) in his first three years in the NFL. The Lions didn’t want Thomas clogging up a roster spot, which is what led to his release. This is no loss.
The Lions have released 29-year old CB Nathan Vasher. Vasher played in 14 games for the Lions last year and he finished up with 19 tackles, 1 interception, 5 passes defensed and 1 tackle for a loss. He has now played in 87 games in his first 7 years in the NFL and he has 183 tackles, 49 passes defensed, 20 interceptions (2 returned for TDs), 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery and 1 tackle for a loss. The Lions have improved the secondary for 2011, so Vasher wasn’t need anymore.
The Lions have released 33-year old punter Nick Harris. Harris played in all 16 games for the Lions last year. He punted the ball 90 times for 4,018 yards (44.6 avg) last year. He only had 8 touchbacks (8.9%) and he pinned the opposition inside their own 20-yard line 24 times (26.7%). Harris played in 123 games in his 8 years with the Lions in which he punted the ball 627 times for 27,073 yards (43.2 avg). He had 47 touchbacks (7.5%) and he pinned the opposing team inside their own 20-yard line 189 times (30.1%). Harris was beaten out for the punter job on the Lions by undrafted rookie Ryan Donahue.