On Monday night, Morice Norris made his NFL debut as a Detroit Lions defensive back. An undrafted rookie from Fresno State, Norris played on special teams in the Lions’ Week 17 win over San Francisco after being signed to the active roster over the weekend.
Norris’ stay on the Lions active roster was a brief one. The Lions released Norris on Tuesday.
With no correlating roster move, waiving Norris could be a sign that the Lions are poised to activate LB Alex Anzalone from the injured reserve list. Head coach Dan Campbell indicated after Monday night’s win that Anzalone is close to being ready. Adding the team captain and starting linebacker into the lineup after missing several weeks with a broken arm would be a great boost for the Lions in the winner-take-all matchup against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.