The Cardinals signed Woods to a one-year deal Thursday, Darren Urban of the team's official site reports.
Woods played for the Lions last season, registering 14 tackles (10 solo) while appearing in every game. The 26-year-old played almost exclusively on special teams last year, and Woods should be expected to have a similar role for the 2023 season.
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Giants' Amani Oruwariye: Finds new home
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Oruwariye signed a contract with the Giants on Thursday, Art Stapleton of The Bergen Record reports.
Oruwariye will get a new opportunity in New York after struggling to maintain a steady role in Detroit. The 27-year-old recorded 44 tackles (36 solo) and three passes defended in 2022, which were both the lowest totals he's posted in those categories since his rookie campaign in 2019. His addition will bolster the Giants' depth at cornerback.
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49ers' Austin Bryant: Heading to Bay Area
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Bryant agreed to a one-year contract with the 49ers on Wednesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Bryant will be moving to the West Coast after a four-year stint in Detroit to begin his NFL career. The 26-year-old defensive end made nine appearances in 2019, logging nine tackles, one pass breakup and zero sacks. He's projected to fill a depth role for San Francisco.
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Falcons' Mike Hughes: Joins Atlanta
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Hughes signed a two-year contract with the Falcons on Monday, Tori McElhaney of the team's official site reports.
Hughes appeared in 16 games for the Lions in 2022, including a career-high six starts. He has experience playing both outside and in the slot, which should help Hughes fill a depth cornerback role in Atlanta.
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Lions' C.J. Moore: Headed back to Detroit
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Moore agreed to terms with Detroit on a two-year deal Saturday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Moore will now return to the Lions, where he's spent the past four seasons after signing there as an undrafted free agent. A special teams standout, the 27-year-old should expect to see most of his playing time on those units while also factoring in as a reserve defender.
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Patriots' Chris Board: Signs with New England
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Board signed a a two-year deal with the Patriots on Friday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Board spent last season with the Lions, where he appeared in all 17 games and registered 21 tackles (17 solo) while playing primarily on special teams. The 27-year-old should be expected to have a similar role on his new team, and while Board may not contribute much on defense, he can still provide a lot of value to New England's special-teams unit.
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Bobby Price: Set for unrestricted free agency
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The Lions did not extend Price (knee) a qualifying offer or tender, making him an unrestricted free agent this offseason, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Price entered the 2023 offseason as a restricted free agent following three seasons in a rotational and special-teams role over the past three seasons with Detroit. The 24-year-old cornerback logged four tackles before suffering a knee injury Week 5, which kept him sidelined him for the remainder of the 2022 campaign. Price will now be free to negotiate and sign anywhere this offseason.
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Dolphins' DeShon Elliott: Heads to Miami on one-year pact
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The Dolphins agreed to terms with Elliott on a one-year contract Wednesday, Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN.com reports.
Elliott spent last season with the Lions, starting 13 games and playing 91 percent of the snaps while recording 96 tackles and one interception. In Miami, Elliott could step into a starting role at safety alongside Jevon Holland if Brandon Jones (knee) isn't able to make a full recovery from the ACL tear he suffered in late October.
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Lions' John Cominsky: Back with Lions on two-year deal
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The Lions re-signed Cominsky to a two-year, $8.5 million contract Tuesday, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reports.
Cominsky enjoyed a career year in Detroit last season, his first with the Lions after spending his first three years in Atlanta. With the ability to play off the edge and line up inside, Cominsky is a valuable piece in defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn's defense. Cominsky recorded four sacks and batted three passes in 14 appearances last season.
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Lions' Will Harris: Staying in Detroit
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Harris is expected to re-sign with the Lions on a one-year deal, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Harris has played his first four NFL seasons with the Lions, and it looks like he'll remain there for at least one more season. The veteran corner will likely compete for nickel duties or a depth role in the secondary, as the team is expected to add Cam Sutton from the Steelers in free agency. Harris played in 15 games last season, recording 57 tackles (44 solo), four passes defended and an interception.
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Lions' Malcolm Rodriguez: Stuck next to Anzalone
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Rodriguez will continue to play alongside Alex Anzalone in 2023 and beyond, Kyle Meinke of MLive.com reports.
This limits the upside of the rising IDP prospect for the foreseeable future. However, linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard believes that the on-field support that Anzalone -- a defensive captain -- provided Rodriguez in 2022 made it easier for the latter to post impressive stat lines in the first place. While Anzalone's presence in the middle of the defense will nonetheless make it hard for Rodriguez to register elite IDP production going forward, it's still possible that Rodriguez could push for triple-digit tackles in 2023 after logging 87 as a rookie.
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Lions' Alex Anzalone: Agrees to extension
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The Lions re-signed Anzalone to a three-year, $18.75 million contract Monday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
After racking up a career-high 125 tackles this past season, Anzalone has seemingly earned himself a few more years as Detroit's starting middle linebacker following Monday's signing. The 28-year-old was also made available for all 17 games in 2023.
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Lions' Isaiah Buggs: Re-signs with Lions
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Buggs and the Lions agreed to a two-year, $6 million contract Monday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Buggs will be back in Detroit in 2023 after he produced a career-best 46 tackles, including a sack, with the team last season. The interior defensive lineman was also able to deflect two passes and force a fumble while playing in all 17 games in 2022. After three seasons as a reserve option in Pittsburgh, Buggs appears to have carved out a long-term starting spot on Detroit's defensive line.
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Michael Brockers: Done in Detroit
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The Lions released Brockers on Friday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
As a result of the move, the Lions are slated to save $10 million against their salary cap for the coming season. The 32-year-old saw a massive decline in his productivity in 2022 considering that he registered just four tackles across the six games he suited up for. Brockers is thus set to become a free agent and is poised to play his twelfth NFL season elsewhere.
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Lions' Tracy Walker: Eyeing return for OTAs
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Walker (Achilles) recently suggested via his personal Twitter account that he will be ready for the Lions' offseason training program this spring.
After tearing his Achilles in late September, it would be an impressive feat for Walker to make it back for the start of offseason workouts. Even if the Lions' coaching staff has different plans for its standout safety, it at least seems that Walker could be available well before the start of the 2023 season opener.
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Lions' Romeo Okwara: Records two sacks in 2022
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Okwara recorded eight tackles and two sacks over five games in 2022.
After tearing his Achilles just four weeks into the three-year, $37 million contract Okwara signed in 2021, the Notre Dame product didn't return until Week 14 of the 2022 campaign, only making a difference during a two-sack performance against the Jets in Week 15. With the Lions able to save over $7 million against the salary cap by potentially letting him go this offseason, Okwara is not certain to return to Detroit in 2023.
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Lions' Michael Brockers: Slowing down
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Brockers (ankle) recorded four tackles and one pass breakup over six games in 2022.
Once a dependable piece up front, the 32-year-old Brockers showed clear signs of decline early on this year, and he was largely a healthy scratch for the majority of the games after Detroit's Week 6 bye, though he was listed as out with an ankle injury for the season's final contest. Considering the Lions can save nearly $14 million against the cap by parting ways with him this offseason, Brockers would need to take a hefty pay cut to return to the Motor City in 2023.
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Lions' Josh Paschal: Two sacks during rookie season
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Paschal recorded 16 tackles and two sacks over 10 games in 2022.
While a sports hernia injury delayed the debut of the second-round rookie out of Kentucky, Paschal handled over 81 percent of the defensive snaps in each of his first three career games only to suffer a knee injury in Week 10. After returning in Week 13 -- one week after James Houston burst onto the scene -- Paschal topped 28 percent of the defensive snaps only once, though he did flash his upside during with a two-sack performance in Week 16 against the Panthers. It's not clear how the edge rotation will look in 2023, but Paschal figures to be a key piece of an improving Detroit defensive front one way or the other.
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Lions' Alim McNeill: Posts 41 tackles in 2022
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McNeill recorded 41 tackles and one sack over 17 games in 2022.
Becoming a building block for the Lions upfront, McNeill also flashed significant upside as an IDP asset (among defensive tackles) during his second season, like in Week 11 against the Giants when he racked up four tackles, one sack and 10 QB pressures -- the most for a 320-plus pound defensive lineman since at least 2006, per Pro Football Focus. The 2021 third-round pick figures to remain a key piece of the Detroit defense in 2023, when McNeill should continue to log upward of 80 percent of the defensive snaps per game.
Oruwariye totaled 44 tackles, three pass breakups and one fumble recovery over 14 games in 2022.
Oruwariye opened the season as a clear starter on the outside, but he became a much smaller part of the cornerback rotation after Detroit's midseason firing of its defensive backs coach. He ultimately topped 50 percent of the defensive snaps twice over the final nine games of the year while finishing it with three-year lows in practically every statistical category. Now entering the free-agent market at the end of the league year, Oruwariye may need to fight for a depth role somewhere other than Detroit in 2023.
