Lions' Stafford: We'll miss Kellen Moore, now in Dallas
Quarterback Kellen Moore, who was cut by the Detroit Lions on Saturday, has been signed by the Dallas Cowboys to their practice.
Dave Birkett, and Carlos Monarrez
For the past three seasons, Kellen Moore was part of the Lions' quarterback room and one of the sounding boards off whom Matthew Stafford could bounce ideas.
The dynamic in the QB room changed when Moore was cut Saturday. Today, Moore signed with the Dallas Cowboys' practice squad, reuniting with offensive coordinator Scott Linehan. Stafford hinted that the Lions could bring in a third quarterback to fill one of the two open practice squad spots.
"Obviously, I wish him the best," Stafford said. "It'll be different without the lefty there. But whoever we bring in will be good, and we'll be ready to go from there. It's a decision, and we'll see. Hopefully, it's good for him."
Moore never played in a regular-season game for the Lions. But Cowboys coach Jason Garrett lauded Moore's extensive efficiency and production at Boise State, while acknowledging his less-than-ideal physical traits.
"He's obviously not the biggest, the strongest, the fastest, the greatest arm — all of those things that some people get enamored with. But he's a good football player at a really important position," Garrett told the Dallas Morning News.
The old saying in the NFL is that cuts come down to a numbers game, in which decision-makers sometimes have to bolster weaker parts of the roster.
"It's sort of, you got to look at your roster and kind of see where you need depth," general manager Martin Mayhew said. "And in this situation we had some guys that were injured in some different spots, which caused us to carry a few extra guys. So, we took an extra linebacker in that mix, probably an extra defensive lineman there due to injury. You really got to look at it each year on a year-to-year basis, I think, and this year it made sense to go with two (QBs)."
But, for now, the QB room will remain a little emptier.
"Yeah, we'll miss it," Stafford said. "There's no question. But most of the guys — whoever we bring in will be a good piece, too.
"That's the tough part about this business. Not only Kellen, but just everybody. You have to move on from guys and guys you're used to seeing every day for three or four years, or whatever... it is no longer there. So, it's part of this business."
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Other NFL transactions
Carolina: The Panthers have named Corey (Philly) Brown and Ted Ginn Jr. the team's starting wide receivers for Sunday's season opener against Jacksonville. Devin Funchess, the team's second-round pick from Michigan, has been hampered by a hamstring injury throughout the preseason.
Green Bay: Receiver Myles White (Michigan State, Livonia) was waived to make room for James Jones, a former Packers receiver who was cut by the New York Giants on Saturday.
Houston: Linebacker Max Bullough (MSU) and safety Kurtis Drummond (MSU) were signed to the practice squad.
Kansas City: Offensive tackle Eric Fisher (Central Michigan, Rochester Hills Stoney Creek) was back at practice Monday after missing most of training camp with a sprained ankle, though coach Andy Reid disclosed that the former No. 1 overall pick would move from left tackle to right tackle for Sunday's opener against the Texans.
N.Y. Giants: Veteran safety Stevie Brown (Michigan) was cut Monday to make room for safety Craig Dahl. Brown, who played for the Giants in 2012-14, was signed last week by New York after being cut by the Texans.
Tennessee: Former Patriots running back Jonas Gray (Detroit Country Day) is expected to work out for the Titans on Tuesday, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Gray was cut by New England on Saturday.
Free Press news services and staff reports contributed.
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