SB Nation Detroit - NFL Roster Cuts: Lions Get Down To 53 Players

Ricardo Silva Signed To Practice Squad, Ross Weaver Released

2012-09-05T15:49:20Z

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

2012-09-03T23:54:45Z

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

2012-09-03T12:38:20Z

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

2012-09-03T12:01:20Z

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.

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

2012-09-02T16:23:57Z

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

2012-09-01T19:34:05Z

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

2012-09-01T18:13:36Z

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

2012-08-31T23:57:21Z

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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