Detroit Free Press

PITTSBURGH — The A.J. Parker experiment may be more than an experiment. Parker, an undrafted rookie out of Kansas State, has spent most of the past two weeks working with the first-team defense at slot cornerback. Most assumed he was a placeholder for Mike Ford (who opened training camp as the starting slot corner) or one

Heinz Field is notoriously one of the toughest places to kick in the NFL, yet one of Randy Bullock’s favorite NFL memories comes from his brief stint as a Pittsburgh Steeler. Bullock, who is in a training camp battle for the Detroit Lions kicking job with Zane Gonzalez, signed with the Steelers in 2016, the

Even Barry Sanders couldn’t outrun COVID-19. The Hall of Fame running back announced Friday morning on Twitter that he has tested positive for the coronavirus despite being “double vaccinated” and routinely wearing a mask. “I tested positive for COVID,” Sanders wrote on the social media site. “I don’t have any symptoms, but am staying in

Scott Daly was in the right place at the right time, and for long snappers, that is often the biggest obstacle to sticking in the NFL. Daly is the lone long snapper left on the Detroit Lions roster after the team released Don Muhlbach on Wednesday. Daly is not guaranteed a job when the Lions open

I used to think the NFL made its teams play too many preseason games. Out of four preseason games, I thought each team played roughly … four too many. Just a bunch of meaningless fodder for football-starved fans and television audiences, I thought. But I found myself strangely intrigued by the Detroit Lions’ preseason opener last

Jared Goff probably won’t take another live snap this preseason, though judging by practice Thursday, he and the Detroit Lions’ first-team offense could use the work. Goff threw two interceptions and just missed two more as the Lions held their final tune-up for preseason game No. 2 on Saturday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Goff’s first

Dan Campbell was toying with playing his starters in every game this preseason. Now that he has seen them in action, the first-year Detroit Lions coach is starting to reconsider those plans. Campbell said Thursday he will hold several key veterans, including possibly quarterback Jared Goff, out of Saturday’s second preseason game against the Pittsburgh

Don Muhlbach got a hell of a 40th birthday present from the Detroit Lions this week — his walking papers. And in hindsight, Lions coach Dan Campbell said he wishes that could have been avoided. “There’s no way to sugarcoat that,” Campbell said. “I’m an a–hole, so that’s about the best way to put it.” Muhlbach

The Detroit Lions activated Nick Williams off the reserve/COVID list Thursday, adding some much-needed depth to their defensive line. Williams had been away from the team since Aug. 7, when he tested positive for COVID-19. He said on social media that he was experiencing mild symptoms. The Lions have been shorthanded on the defensive line much

I thought it was a joke. You know, just another lighthearted moment from Dan Campbell, like putting on a racing helmet or talking about biting kneecaps. “I’m going to start with this,” the Detroit Lions coach said Tuesday afternoon, “we are going to let Don Muhlbach go.” I wasn’t at practice, so I learned about

Leonard Thompson, who played 12 seasons with the Detroit Lions from 1975-86, has died at 69, according to the team. Thompson played in 175 games for the Lions and had 277 receptions for 4,682 yards and 35 touchdowns, ranking 14th, eighth and tied for fourth, respectively, among the franchise’s leaders. “We are saddened to learn this

Leonard Thompson, who played 12 seasons with the Detroit Lions from 1975-86, has died at 69, according to the team. Thompson played in 175 games for the Lions and had 277 receptions for 4,682 yards and 35 touchdowns, ranking 14th, eighth and tied for fourth, respectively, among the franchise’s leaders. “We are saddened to learn this

It’s happening a little bit later than expected, but Levi Onwuzurike is finally ready to make his preseason debut. Onwuzurike, the Detroit Lions’ second-round pick, saw his most extensive action of training camp Tuesday after missing two weeks with a back injury. He said he expects to play in Saturday’s second preseason game against the

Bobby Price had never played a day of cornerback in his life before the Detroit Lions approached him last week about switching positions. In high school, Price said he played exclusively quarterback. In college, he was recruited as a receiver and switched to safety once he began at Norfolk State. And now that he’s trying

The Detroit Lions do not have a curfew in place during this summer’s training camp due to the NFL’s COVID-19 protocols, and even if they did, coach Dan Campbell said it likely would not have kept cornerback Alex Brown from injuring two people in a wrong-way car accident early Sunday morning. Brown, who was waived

With both of their backup quarterbacks nursing injuries, the Detroit Lions added a fourth signal caller to their roster Tuesday, signing Jordan Ta’amu. Ta’amu appeared briefly on the Lions practice squad last winter, and last played in a game with the St. Louis BattleHawks of the XFL in the spring of 2020. MUHL-KICK! ‘It was time:’

After 17 memorable seasons, the Don Muhlbach era is over in Detroit. The Detroit Lions announced they have released Muhlbach, their longtime long snapper, on Wednesday. “Don Muhlbach will go down as one of the all-time Detroit Lions greats,” team owner Shelia Ford Hamp said in a released statement announcing the move. “… Only 36 players in

Former Detroit Lions cornerback Alex Brown was allegedly so drunk that he thought he was in Atlanta returning from a strip club after he injured two people in a Sunday morning car crash while driving the wrong way on a local freeway, Wayne County prosecutors said in court Tuesday morning. “He had a possible blood alcohol level from a

The Detroit Lions made a trio of moves Tuesday to get below the 85-player roster limit. The Lion placed linebacker Shaun Dion Hamilton on injured reserve and waived defensive tackle Michael Barnett and receiver Chad Hansen. Hamilton appeared to be in line for a roster spot before last week’s preseason loss to the Buffalo Bills,

Penei Sewell played mostly well in his preseason debut last week, but the Detroit Lions’ first-round pick said he has a lot to improve on before Saturday’s exhibition game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. “I’ve got to get my hands right,” Sewell said after practice Monday. “Right now they’re way too wide, especially going against the