Ricardo Silva Signed To Practice Squad, Ross Weaver Released

After waiving safety Ricardo Silva on Monday to make room for newly signed cornerback Drayton Florence, the Detroit Lions have re-signed Silva to the practice squad, reports MLive's Justin Rogers. The team released former Michigan State cornerback Ross Weaver to make room for Silva. According to Rogers, Lions coach Jim Schwartz is a fan of Silva's work ethic:

"He's a very hard worker," coach Jim Schwartz said during the preseason. "He's always made plays when we put him on the field, but I think he's taken a big step in his just general knowledge of defense and special teams. He's improving."

The Lions had just signed Weaver, an undrafted rookie, to the practice squad Sept. 2.

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Lions Head Coach Jim Schwartz Explains Kellen Moore's Inclusion On Roster

Former Boise State University quarterback Kellen Moore made the Detroit Lions' 53-man roster, as was reported on Friday. On Monday, Lions head coach Jim Schwartz offered up an explanation for his decision: the team simply felt he was one of 53 best players remaining in camp.

"Quarterbacks are a commodity," Schwartz said. "It's a very important position, and we liked what we saw from Kellen. We wanted to find a way to keep the best 53. We thought he was one of them."

Pride Of Detroit's Sean Yuille isn't sure that there is a justification for three quarterbacks on the roster, and hopes that Moore won't see any playing time, though only because that would mean the team's best interests are being met.

The hope for the Lions is that Moore won't even dress once during 2012. The only way he will be active on game day is if an injury happens with Matthew Stafford or Shaun Hill. The best-case scenario would be for him to end up like Drew Stanton in 2011 and not be active for a single game. In practice he will obviously get a chance to improve by running the scout team, and hopefully over the course of the next couple years he will improve enough to take over as Stafford's backup when Shaun Hill moves on.

The Lions kick off the 2012 season against the St. Louis Rams on Saturday at Ford Field. The game is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. ET.

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Lions Roster Update: Detroit Waives Ricardo Silva After Signing Drayton Florence

As predicted by Pride of Detroit's Sean Yuille, the Detroit Lions announced on Monday that they're waiving safety Ricardo Silva in order to make room for veteran cornerback Drayton Florence. Florence, who spent the last three years with the Buffalo Bills, was signed by the team this past Sunday.

Lions are waiving safety Ricardo Silva to make room for cornerback Drayton Florence

— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) September 3, 2012

Silva, an undrafted free agent from Hampton, appeared in four games for the Lions in 2011, recording three tackles. There has been speculation that Silva will be added by the Lions to the team's practice squad, but there has yet to be an announcement on that front.

In 2011 with the Buffalo, Florence started all 16 games. He had 50 tackles, 12 pass break ups, three interceptions (one returned for a touchdown) and one forced fumble.

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Detroit Lions Establish 8-Man Practice Squad

The Detroit Lions signed defensive lineman Lorenzo Washington and fullback Shaun Chapas to their practice squad on Sunday, according to Tim Twentyman. Those additions complete Detroit's practice squad roster, as the Lions also added wide receiver Kris Durham to the practice roster on Sunday.

Related: Lions Practice Squad: Detroit Adds Shaun Chapas, Lorenzo Washington

Chapas, who was a seventh-round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, played with Matthew Stafford at the University of Georgia. He appeared in three games for the Dallas Cowboys in 2011. Washington was an undrafted prospect who began his career with the Cowboys before moving on to stops with the New England Patriots and New York Jets.

The Lions open up their regular season schedule against St. Louis on Sept. 9.

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Lions To Add Drayton Florence, According To Report

The Detroit Lions have reached an agreement with veteran cornerback Drayton Florence, according to NBC's Pro Football Talk blog.

As expected, CB Drayton Florence will sign with the Lions today.

— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) September 2, 2012

The report confirms the rumor started by Detroit receiver Kassim Osgood. On Saturday, Osgood tweeted a welcome message to Florence, his former teammate with the San Diego Chargers.

Florence was released by the Denver Broncos this past week, and he brings nine years of NFL experience to the Lions. He most recently played with the Buffalo Bills, where he recorded at least 50 tackles in the past three seasons. In the past two seasons, he had three interceptions each.

Florence has career numbers of 441 tackles and 17 interceptions.

The Lions will need to release a player from their 53-man roster to complete the signing. Secondary players Jonte Green and Ricardo Silva are potential candidates.

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Lions Sign Drayton Florence, According To Kassim Osgood

The Detroit Lions have added veteran cornerback Drayton Florence to the roster on Saturday, according to Lions wide receiver Kassim Osgood. Florence and Osgood were teammates on the San Diego Chargers from 2003-2007. The Lions have not confirmed the signing.

Florence, a former second-round draft pick in 2003 by the Chargers, has spent the last three seasons with the Buffalo Bills. He signed with the Denver Broncos during the offseason but was released by the Broncos when they trimmed their active roster to 53 players on Friday. Florence has made 17 interceptions in his career and has made three interceptions in each of the past two seasons. Florence also has an interception return for a touchdown in each of the last two seasons as well.

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Lions Begin Establishing 2012 Practice Squad

The Detroit Lions made several roster moves on Saturday after Friday's NFL deadline to cut active rosters down to 53 players.

The Lions announced on Saturday that they have signed added offensive lineman Rodney Austin, linebacker Carmen Messina, cornerback Ross Weaver, running back Stephfon Green and receiver Patrick Edwards to their practice squad Saturday.

Austin, an undrafted rookie out of Elon, stood out in Lions training camp. He did not make the 53-man roster, but cleared waivers and was added to the practice squad due to his preseason play. Messina was beaten out for one of the linebacker spots on the 53-man roster by Doug Hogue.

After the five signings on Saturday, the Lions have just three spots remaining on their eight-man practice squad roster.

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Lions Roster Update: Kellen Moore Makes Final Roster

The final player released by the Lions on Friday was wide receiver Patrick Edwards, per Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com, thus solidifying rookie quarterback Kellen Moore a roster spot with the team.

Edwards, an undrafted rookie from the University of Houston, performed well in practices and reportedly had a serious shot at the final roster, but recorded just four receptions in the preseason for a total of 31 yards. The lack of in-game production likely cost the receiver and may have led to his release.

Fellow undrafted rookie, Kellen Moore, did earn a spot on the final roster, though. The all-time winningest collegiate quarterback and two-time All American went undrafted due to concerns about his size and arm strength, but won coaches over and convinced them to keep a third quarterback despite completing 52.6% of his preseason passes including two interceptions to just one touchdown.

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Lions Roster Update: Dan Gerberry Released

Dan Gerberry's time with the Lions has reportedly come to an end Friday, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports that the team has released the center.

Originally signed as an undrafted free agent in 2009 out of Ball State, he made the practice squad and then was pulled up to the active roster that December to fill in for an injured player. After that, Gerberry spent both the 2010 and 2011 seasons on the Detroit practice squad, but never again made the active roster.

With three seasons on the practice squad, Gerberry is now ineligible for a fourth season with the designation and the release likely means the end of the road for the offensive lineman with the team.

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Lions Roster Update: Team Expected To Release Andre Fluellen, Six Others

Rounding out the remaining cuts for the Detroit Lions, Tim Twentyman of the official website of the Lions reported Friday afternoon that the team is expected to release seven more players.

Among the players set to be released is defensive tackle Andre Fluellen, a third round pick of the team in the 2008 NFL Draft. The defensive tackle played in 51 games over four seasons with the team, including starts in five games, and was set to begin his fifth season with the team.

Also expected to be released, per Twentyman, is WR Maurice Stovall. Stovall, a third round pick by the Buccaneers in 2006, signed with the Lions prior to the 2011 season on a one-year contract. At the conclusion of the season in which he only finished with one reception, the Lions decided to re-sign the receiver on another one-year deal.

Rounding out the final group set to be released are G Rodney Austin, S Reshard Langford, WR Lance Long, CB Justin Miller and former second round draft pick DE Everette Brown. Brown, a former Panthers and Chargers defensive end didn't record a sack in the preseason and hasn't had one since the 2010 season.

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Lions Roster Update: 11 Players Informed Of Their Impending Release

On the last Friday before the 2012 NFL season begins on Thursday, each team must cut their rosters down to a maximum of 53 players. These final cuts see the release of about 700 players and the Lions informed their players on Friday which one's would not be making the final team.

Tim Twentyman of the Lions official website reports that G Pat Boyle, P Ryan Donahue, DE Ugo Chinasa, TE Alex Gottlieb, WR Nate Hughes, DE Edmon McClam, LB Carmen Messina, WR Wallace Miles, DT Tracy Robertson, CB Ross Weaver and TE Austin Wells have all been told they will be released.

The moves will become official at 9 p.m. and the waiver wire process will begin shortly thereafter. Players that clear waivers are then allowed to be designated to practice squads.

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Lions Roster Update: Jonathan Scott Released From IR

The Detroit Lions have released injured offensive tackle Jonathan Scott, according to Adam Caplan on Twitter. Scott was on injured reserve after injuring his knee in training camp. He was signed by the team in July, and Johnny Culbreath was released to make room for him at that point, but Scott only practiced a few days. He was placed on injured reserve on Monday.

Scott was ineligible to be pulled from injured reserve, since the new rules agreed upon by the NFL and NFL Players Association say that only players placed on the list after 4 p.m. Eastern on Sept. 4 can be taken off during the season. Even then, only one player may be taken off of IR and Scott, while providing good depth at the tackle position, is not someone the team likely would have used the privilege on if they could.

Since he's been released, it's likely he reached an injury settlement with the Lions. His release does not free up any space on the roster, since players on injured reserve do not count toward the total, so the Lions are at the same place in that regard. Scott was initially drafted by the Lions in the fifth round of the 2006 draft.

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Lions Roster Update: Jim Schwartz Says Talent Will Dictate Who Makes Team

The Detroit Lions aren't going to play a numbers game with their roster if talent has to be sacrificed.

Head coach Jim Schwartz has stated he's not afraid to deviate from the normal amount of players kept at one position in order to boost the overall talent on the team, according to Lions Rapid Reports via CBS.

With the final cuts deadline for Friday night at 9 p.m. ET, Schwartz - and every other NFL head coach - is going to be faced with some difficult choices. Detroit is loaded at wide receiver and defensive line, but not so much in the backfield on either side of the ball. It will be very intriguing to see how Schwartz handles that balancing act.

The Lions only have one more preseason game before the real action begins. They'll host the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night and then prepare for their season opener against the St. Louis Rams on Sept. 9.

For more on the Lions, please be sure to check out our blog Pride of Detroit and SB Nation Detroit for all the latest news and updates.

Lions Roster Update: Detroit Gets Under Player Limit With Several Moves

The Detroit Lions made a handful of roster moves Monday afternoon to shrink their roster to meet the 75 player limit, according to Tim Twentyman of the Lions official website.

As expected, the team officially placed running back Jahvid Best and cornerback Chris Greenwood on the physically unable to perform list. Both players are now ineligible for the Lions' first six regular season games. The team also placed guard Bill Nagy and tackle Jonathan Scott on injured reserve, effectively ending their 2012 seasons.

Additionally, the Lions released wide receiver Dominique Curry and safety Isaac Madison, lowering their player total to 74, one less than the required number. The open spot will be used for cornerback Kevin Barnes, who the team acquired via trade from the Washington Redskins Monday. That trade has yet to be announced.

Stay updated on Detroit Lions roster moves with this StoryStream. For the best news, analysis, and opinion on the Lions, head over to Pride of Detroit. For all things pro football, make a trip to SB Nation's NFL hub.

Jahvid Best Injury Update: Decision On Reserve PUP List Likely Coming Monday

The Detroit Lions are expected to make a decision on whether or not to place running back Jahvid Best on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list on Monday, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.

Best is still recovering from a concussion he sustained against the San Francisco 49ers on October 16 of last season. He has yet to practice this offseason and has still not been cleared for contact. If indeed Best is placed on the PUP list, then he would not be eligible to play for the first six weeks of the regular season.

Dave Birkett also reported today that rookie cornerback Chris Greenwood would be placed on the PUP list. Sean Yuille of Pride of Detroit writes that should Best join Greenwood, then the team need only make three more moves to get down to their 75-man roster.

Stay updated on all the Detroit Lions roster moves with this StoryStream. For the best news, analysis, and opinion on the Lions, head over to Pride of Detroit. For all things pro football, make a trip to SB Nation's NFL hub.

Lions To Place Chris Greenwood On PUP List, According To Report

Detroit Lions rookie cornerback Chris Greenwood will be placed on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list by the team on Monday, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.

Greenwood is still recovering from an abdomen injury he suffered during an OTA practice in May. The injury required surgery and has kept him out for all of training camp. Greenwood's placement on the PUP list means that he will not be eligible to play for the Lions for the first six weeks of the regular season.

Greenwood was selected in the fifth round of the 2012 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions out of the Division III Albion College. Detroit traded up with the Oakland Raiders to pick Greenwood with the 148th overall selection.

Stay updated on all the Detroit Lions roster moves with this StoryStream. For the best news, analysis, and opinion on the Lions, head over to Pride of Detroit. For all things pro football, make a trip to SB Nation's NFL hub.

Lions Roster 2012 Update: Lions Set To Release 10 Players

The Detroit Lions will be releasing 10 players in order to meet the NFL's deadline to reduce rosters to 75. All NFL teams must have their rosters pared down by 4 pm ET today.

From the Lions:

The Lions notified nine other players this morning that they are expected to be released today. No transactions are official until 4 p.m. Among those players are fullback James Bryant, receiver Jarett Dillard, running back Stephfon Green, safety Sean Jones, guard Jacques McClendon, linebacker Slade Norris, guard J.C. Oram, defensive tackle Bobby Skinner and receiver Terrence Toliver.

The 10th player cut will be backup kicker Derek Dimke, a rookie out of Illinois. The team still has five more players to cut in order to meet the limit.

Stay updated on all the Detroit Lions roster moves with this StoryStream. For the best news, analysis, and opinion on the Lions, head over to Pride of Detroit. For all things pro football, make a trip to SB Nation's NFL hub.

Lions Roster 2012 Update: Detroit Begins Getting Down To 75 Players

The Detroit Lions have begun cutting players to reach the 75-man roster limit.