DESHON ELLIOTT

ALLEN PARK -- The Detroit Lions have brought back 11 of their free agents this week. Safety DeShon Elliott is signing a one-year, $1.77 million deal with the Miami Dolphins, according to multiple reports. He joins a new-look Dolphins secondary that features Jalen Ramsey at Xavien Howard at cornerback. He finished with a career-high 96 tackles, five tackles for loss and one interception in 14 games. He views himself as a starter, and was looking for that opportunity in free agency.

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- There was no way DeShon Elliott was missing this game. So the Detroit Lions safety played in the 20-16 win, despite missing the previous two games with a shoulder injury that now might require surgery. “I finished the season, but I didn’t finish the season healthy, the way I wanted to,” Elliott said in the locker room after the game. “Heading into the offseason, I’ll probably get my shoulder checked out and get an MRI. I’m going to fight through everything.

The Detroit Lions (8-8) and Green Bay Packers (8-8) will close the regular season under the lights, with playoff implications in Week 18 from Lambeau Field. We’ll try and answer three burning questions ahead of kickoff below:Can the Lions get past the final boss, and beat Rodgers and the Packers in prime time from Lambeau Field? Aaron Rodgers has played the Lions 25 times since 2008, with the Packers going 18-7 in that span. In those four meetings, Rodgers and the Packers have outscored the Lions 108-89. It was the best single-grade game he’s received.

ALLEN PARK -- Jeff Okudah has been added to the Detroit Lions’ injury report after elbow pain limited him at practice on Friday. He’s officially questionable to play in the must-win game on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers. The nature/extent of the injury is unknown, but it’s another challenge for a player who has struggled down the stretch. Now Okudah is battling an elbow injury too, heading into a game against Aaron Rodgers and the red-hot Packers. He’s officially listed as questionable, along with center Frank Ragnow (foot), fullback Jason Cabinda (knee) and defensive lineman Michael Brockers (ankle).

“This means a lot, because I feel like they don’t respect us,” safety DeShon Elliott said after practice on Friday. “(Aaron Rodgers) doesn’t respect us, that team doesn’t respect us. Yeah, he’s a Hall-of-Famer, but I just don’t respect the way he’s been talking about my guys all year, and the way that team views us. “We can’t lose a game like that against that team, no,” Rodgers said after that game at Ford Field. But the Lions already beat Rodgers once this year to kickstart their second-half surge, and Elliott has been a big reason for it.

“Y’all thought I would miss this?” the starting safety said in an Instagram story. His return would provide a huge lift to a safety corps that has been without fellow starting safety Tracy Walker since Week 3. The Walker injury forced Detroit to turn to rookie Kerby Joseph, who has played beyond his years this season. The Elliott injury forced Detroit to turn to Ifeatu Melifonwu, the final safety on the roster besides C.J. Ragnow has received time off every week of the season to nurse a toe injury that could require surgery whenever the season ends.

ALLEN PARK -- Sounds like DeShon Elliott is going to give it a go this week. The Detroit Lions’ starting safety has missed two games with a shoulder injury, a tough blow for a team also playing without fellow safety Tracy Walker. With a must-win game against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers looming on the final weekend of the season, Elliott is expected to test out the shoulder at practice. But I know he wants to go, and I know he’s improving.”Elliott, 25, signed a one-year deal with the Lions in free agency. He has 91 tackles, which is second on the team despite the injury, plus five tackles for loss and three quarterback hits.

ALLEN PARK -- Kerby Joseph has returned to a Detroit Lions defense that badly needs him on Sunday against the Chicago Bears. With fellow safeties Tracy Walker (Achilles) and DeShon Elliott (shoulder) also out with injuries, Detroit is razor-thin at the position heading into a game against Justin Fields and that top-ranked rushing attack. Joseph returned to work on Thursday, offering some hope the rookie will be able to play against Chicago. Receiver Josh Reynolds (illness), special teams star Josh Woods (illness) and guard Logan Stenberg (illness) also returned to work, while Elliott, center Frank Ragnow (foot) and Kayode Awosika (ankle) were unavailable. Elliott is considered day-to-day with his shoulder injury.

ALLEN PARK -- The Detroit Lions were without a handful of players at their first practice of the week, including starters Josh Reynolds, Frank Ragnow, DeShon Elliott and Kerby Joseph. The Pro Bowl center has managed a foot injury all season and missed the first two practices last week before playing through the injury and questionable designation. Joseph and Reynolds weren’t on last week’s injury report. The Lions were also without offensive guard Logan Stenberg, and linebacker and special teams ace Josh Woods at Wednesday’s practice. Related: Detroit Lions shutting down Quintez Cephus for season, DeShon Elliott day-to-dayRelated: Lions Pro Bowler Frank Ragnow having most fun of career amid challenging season

ALLEN PARK -- Once again, Frank Ragnow was limited by toe pain throughout the practice week. Once again, he’s expected to play anyway. The Detroit Lions have listed their Pro Bowl center as questionable for Saturday’s game against the Carolina Panthers. Linebacker Derrick Barners (knee) is also questionable, while safety DeShon Elliott (shoulder), guard Kayode Awosika (ankle) and fullback Jason Cabinda (illness) have all been ruled out. He’s already changed positions from cornerback to safety, and has played just six defensive snaps all season despite the injuries at the position.

The special teams ace added two tackles across 29 defensive snaps. Since returning to the team back in Week 8, Moore has logged 98 defensive reps and 156 on special teams. Melifonwu, a 2021 third-round pick, has played only six defensive snaps while dealing with another injury-riddle campaign. He’s logged special teams snaps in five straight games, with an increasing role over the previous two weeks. To put that into perspective, Joseph already has 702 defensive snaps through his first 14 games in the league.

DeShon Elliott injured his shoulder in the 20-17 win against the New York Jets over the weekend, and medical testing suggests he likely won’t be ready to suit up on Saturday against the Carolina Panthers. “I would say right now, (Elliott’s) looking like he probably won’t be able to make it,” head coach Dan Campbell said. Moore, a special teams ace best known for converting a pair of fake punts this season, replaced Elliott against the Jets. That leaves the Lions thin in the back end of their defense heading into the stretch run of a surprising playoff push. Campbell declined to say whether he thinks the Elliott injury could linger into future weeks.

ALLEN PARK -- The Detroit Lions aren’t sure if they’ll have starting safety DeShon Elliott (shoulder) ahead of their short-week matchup against the Carolina Panthers in Week 16. Lions head coach Dan Campbell said Elliott was undergoing testing Monday afternoon and that they’ll know more coming out of today. And we need our football players, man. We need football players. We need dependable football players right now, with three (games) to go.

Defense and offensive weaponry proved to be too much for the Jacksonville Jaguars as the Detroit Lions had a convincing 40-14 victory, improving to 5-7 on the season, and are now just two games back in the loss column for the seventh and playoff spot.

DETROIT -- Lions safety DeShon Elliott set the tone with his forced fumble two plays from scrimmage into Detroit’s 40-14 beatdown of the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 13. And his teammates, from both sides of the ball, were singing his praises for his role after their victory. We played a Detroit Lions brand of football, and we got to come out here and do it again next week.”Elliott’s forced fumble came on Jacksonville’s second play from scrimmage, only seconds into its first offensive series. There again, this is one of those games where you can give out a game ball to a number of guys. We’ll email you your Detroit Lions news five days a week.

Jamaal Williams scored on a 1-yard run in the closing minutes, Jared Goff threw for 236 yards and a touchdown, and the Detroit Lions overcame another spectacular effort by Chicago’s Justin Fields to beat the Bears 31-30.

The Detroit Lions’ rookie safety has been a smash hit since entering the lineup in Week 4, including forcing fumbles in each of his last two games. But the Lions opened up the competition for that job the following week, and Joseph won the gig over JuJu Hughes. I’ve just got to keep making plays.”Joseph was making plays all right, although he also let a couple of would-be interceptions slip through his hands. On Sunday, with longtime Lions killer Aaron Rodgers in town, Joseph broke through on the very first defensive drive of the game. “Him believing him himself, and him playing free,” said Elliott, the veteran safety who is playing alongside Joseph.

Ezekiel Elliott ran for two 1-yard touchdowns and Dak Prescott threw for a score in his return from injury while the Dallas Cowboys leaned on their defense again in a 24-6 victory over the Detroit Lions.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Another week, yet another benching for the Detroit Lions defense. Michael Brockers is a healthy inactive for Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys, becoming the third veteran to lose his starting job in the last two games. Cornerback Amani Oruwariye was also inactive for the loss in New England, while safety DeShon Elliott came off the bench in that game. But some things you just got to kind of let heal if you don’t want to make it worse.”In the end, Swift and the Lions are playing it safe. That’s a big loss for a Lions offense whose projected top outside receivers -- DJ Chark and Jameson Williams -- are both on injured lists.

The Detroit Lions are 1-4 with one of the worst defenses in the league and Jared Goff is too mistake-prone to save them.

Oruwariye was not only benched for the 29-0 loss on Sunday in New England, but didn’t dress for the game at all. Personnel changes were promised, and the Lions delivered by benching Oruwariye, safety DeShon Elliott and slot cornerback Mike Hughes -- the three most experienced defensive backs they had left. In return, they went with a decidedly young and unproven secondary, with former safety Will Harris starting for Oruwariye at cornerback, former cornerback Saivion Smith starting for Elliott at safety and A.J. But yeah, look, you just try and build a little bit of trust in that back end.”Trust has been the word de jour throughout the unraveling of the Lions’ defense. That meant players like Oruwariye, Elliott and Hughes -- all involved in costly blown assignments over the last few weeks -- opened the game on the bench.

Pro Football Focus didn’t come down too hard on the Lions, with cornerback Jeff Okudah standing as one of those exceptions. Jonah Jackson was back in the starting lineup, logging all 66 reps at the other guard spot. The returning guard and Brown were docked for the team’s worst pass-blocking marks. -- Prized rookie defensive end Aidan Hutchinson received strong marks despite creating only one pressure and whiffing on another should-be sack. Defensive lineman Demetrius Taylor, cornerback Bobby Price and veteran defensive lineman Michael Brockers received the worst grades on the defense from PFF.

-- Detroit Lions defensive back Saivion Smith has been discharged from a local hospital and cleared to fly back home to Detroit on the Lions’ team plane, excellent signs that a scary situation might prove to be more scare than anything else. “He’s got full motor skills,” head coach Dan Campbell said. That’s good news.”Smith is a practice squad cornerback who was involved in the personnel changes to the Lions’ struggling defense this week. Smith jammed Patriots tight end Hunter Henry on the second defensive play of the game, then collapsed to the field. Elliott replaced Smith, but was carted to the locker room with cramps.

DETROIT -- Detroit Lions linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez earned the starting nod, played 46 snaps and emerged as the team’s highest-graded defender in his debut, per Pro Football Focus. Still, the sixth-round rookie is ranked fifth among linebackers with enough snaps to qualify in Week 1. Rodriguez finished with six tackles, including one for loss in the 38-35 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. The rest of the offensive line was out there for all 69 snaps too. Rookie Malcolm Rodriguez was next (46 snaps), with Derrick Barnes (22) and Chris Board (31) working into the rotation.

We’ll run through 10 players who could make sense for the Lions in no particular order. It’s worth noting the Lions started their Wednesday morning by waiving quarterback David Blough and signing former 49ers quarterback Nate Sudfeld. But he’s struggled to stay healthy through his four seasons in the league (37 missed games in four seasons with the Ravens). Lions offensive line coach Hank Fraley deserves praise as one of the best in the league at what he does. EDGE Quincy RocheThe Lions cut James Houston, so maybe they’re in the market for another raw defender.

DETROIT -- Tracy Walker and DeShon Elliott have been at the top of the safety room for the Detroit Lions from the start of training camp. And that’s no surprise, with third-round rookie Kerby Joseph still relatively new to safety and other defensive backs swapping positions. Joseph put some good tape into existence through a couple of rookie blips on the radar with the opportunity. Walker added two tackles on his 13 reps. Hughes had two tackles while playing next to Joseph for most of the game. He ran three times for 13 yards while adding two catches for 5 yards.

ALLEN PARK -- Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn likes what he’s seeing from the early returns of the team’s new safety duo of DeShon Elliott and Tracy Walker. Elliott signed with Detroit during free agency, and Glenn already has to check himself with some of his praise for his new “hammer” of a safety. The one thing that DeShon does a really good job with is being able to challenge the guys in that room,” Glenn said. Glenn said that with that young of a safety room, not to mention the entire secondary, it’s vital to have leaders like Walker and Elliott overseeing the group. Even before I came here on my visit, he was telling me it was basically a safety-run defense,” Elliott said.

ALLEN PARK -- The Detroit Lions have been praised for their offseason work, mainly in the NFL draft for landing two potential game-breakers in Aidan Hutchinson and Jameson Williams. And for those who care about the annual Madden ratings, it appears the folks over at EA Sports feel the same. Running back D’Andre Swift, right tackle Penei Sewell and left tackle Taylor Decker are the next three at 80 overall each. Breakout receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown lands at 78 overall this year, with free-agent signing DJ Chark at 78 too. Moore: 63 overallSpecial teamsP Jack Fox: 79 overallK Austin Seibert: 71 overallK Riley Patterson: 69 overall

ALLEN PARK -- The Detroit Lions were starting two undrafted rookies at cornerback at one point last season. Add in the ultimate wildcard in cornerback Jeff Okudah, and it’s easy to see why the Lions are feeling good about the direction of their defensive backfield. I’ve never been afraid of a challenge,” Lions defensive backs coach Aubrey Pleasant said. “I think he’s been more aggressive, and I like that side of him. “I think that’s what he does best.

The Detroit Lions continued to make big investments on defense in the NFL draft and are hoping that they result in immediate rewards to a franchise that has struggled in recent seasons.

The Detroit Lions added another piece to their defense in the 2022 NFL draft. Detroit selected Illinois safety Kerby Joseph at Pick 97 in Round 3 near the end of Day 2. He fills an obvious need around these parts, adding a potential ball-hawking safety next to Tracy Walker. The Lions re-signed Walker to a three-year deal earlier this offseason. He projects as quite the consolation prize for those wishing the Lions would have taken a safety on Day 1.

ALLEN PARK -- DeShon Elliott said last year’s “slobberknocker” of a Lions-Ravens game influenced the safety to sign in Detroit. Elliott said “slobberknocker” 10 words into his first press conference with his new team. “Like they played so hard, and I could just tell from that game how much they loved their coaches by the way they played,” Elliott said. Elliott, who turned 25 Thursday, has struggled to stay on the field since going in the sixth round to Baltimore in 2018. Over The Cap has Elliott with a base salary of $965,000 and a guaranteed signing bonus of $135,000.

The Detroit Lions are connected to two more defensive players for their 30 pre-draft visits. Detroit reportedly has visits with Illinois safety Kerby Joseph and Oklahoma safety Delarrin Turner-Yell this week. It’s worth noting the Lions announced their signing of safety DeShon Elliott earlier Thursday. The former Ravens safety missed his entire rookie season, then was limited to only six games in Year 2. Safety has remained a popular mock pick for the Lions heading into the draft, which shouldn’t be expected to change.

The Detroit Lions hosted free-agent safety DeShon Elliott for a visit, according to the league’s transaction wire. Elliott was a unanimous All-American and first-team All-Big 12 safety during his final season at Texas. Elliott had 23 tackles, one sack, three tackles for loss and an interception in six games last season. Safety has been a popular mock pick for the Lions at Pick 32 or 24. Related headlines:Mel Kiper thinks Detroit Lions will become first team in almost 50 years to draft 2 DBs in first roundDetroit Lions haven’t decided where to play Will Harris next seasonDetroit Lions will reportedly host Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton for pre-draft visitReport: Detroit Lions hosted Florida State EDGE Jermaine Johnson II for pre-draft visitGeorgia LB Nakobe Dean, a first-round prospect, says only top-30 visit is with Detroit Lions

(AP Photo/Gail Burton)The Baltimore Ravens are considerably short-handed at practice this week after moving two starting offensive linemen to injured reserve and placing eight players on the COVID-19 reserve list. Following Humphrey's diagnosis, the Ravens put starting linebackers Patrick Queen, Matthew Judon and L.J. Fort on COVID-19 reserve, along with starting safety DeShon Elliott and reserve linebackers Malik Harrison and Tyus Bowser. “It creates opportunities for a few younger guys and for some guys to play some different spots. “We know that any given week you could be down a key player or key players,” starting strong safety Chuck Clark said.