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    Bucs sign Ifeatu Melifonwu to one-year deal

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    Bucs signed Ifeatu Melifonwu, formerly of the Dolphins, to a one-year contract.

    Melifonwu signed a one-year deal with Miami last offseason and went on to appear in 16 games for the Phins, eight of which were starts. He intercepted one pass and recorded one sack. Melifonwu is a depth option at this point in his career, but he should still see some snaps on defense plus work on special teams with the Bucs.
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NFL Redzone host Scott Hanson joins Fanta in 60 to talk the top NFL storylines entering the season, his dream Super Bowl, and teams that may surprise people coming into the season.

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  • MIA Safety #6
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    The former third-round pick largely played a reserve role in Detroit, never starting more than six games in a season. Injuries were a major issue for him over his four years in Detroit and that was especially true in 2024. He played just three regular season games and had two separate stints on injured reserve. Melifonwu recorded one sack and 10 tackles in his three late-season starts. The Dolphins will give him a shot at winning a starting job this summer, but the value of his contract says a starting role is far from a guarantee.
  • Melifonwu was designated to return on November sixth, and the Lions activated him from injured reserve today. It sounds like he might not be ready and this may be a procedural move to place him on injured reserve a second time with a different designation. Melifonwu has not played yet this year, and it’s possible that the Lions don’t end up returning him from injured reserve after this setback.
  • DET Cornerback #4
    Moseley and S Ifeatu Melifonwu (ankle/Achilles) had their 21-day practice windows activated today and both should return in the coming weeks, boosting a Lions defense that took a big hit when it lost star edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson (leg) in Week 6. The front office also notably traded for Za’Darius Smith earlier this week. Smith’s addition, plus the two returning defensive backs suddenly have this defense on the upswing.
  • A third-round pick in 2021, Melifonwu played as a corner as a rookie, but he made the switch to safety over the offseason. An explosive athlete that lacks ideal long speed for a corner, safety might be Melifonwu’s best shot in the NFL.

  • Melifonwu made his first career start against the Packers, injuring his quad in the game. Dan Campbell described Melifonwu’s injury as “a bad one” and the cornerback is expected to miss significant time. The Lions signed CB Daryl Worley from their practice squad in a corresponding move. Worley played in 10 games for three different teams in 2020, and will serve as emergency depth for the Lions secondary.

  • The Lions used the Rams’ third-round pick from the Jared Goff trade to draft Melifonwu, the last of their rookies to sign. Melifonwu will compete for a role behind Jeff Okudah and Amani Oruwariye in training camp.

  • Melifonwu (6'2/205) is the kind of tall, long, physical cornerback the Seattle Seahawks dominated with in the early/mid-2010s, posting good-not-great production with 23 passes defended and three picks as a two-year starter. He leaped 41.5 and 134 inches in the vertical and broad jumps, respectively, while also torching a 1.48-second 10-yard split. Though he finished with a middling 4.50-second 40-yard dash, the jumps and 10-yard split showcase Melifonwu’s explosive nature when going to play the ball, both in the air and when driving back towards routes. Melifonwu is not the smoothest athlete, however, which is why some have billed him as a potential candidate to move to safety, where that should hurt him less than at cornerback. If things go right, Melifonwu could turn out something like Xavier Rhodes.

  • Melifonwu measured in at 6-foot-2, 205 pounds while running consecutive 40-yard dashes timing 4.48 and 4.49 seconds. He also recorded excellent jumping marks by hitting 41.5 inches on his vertical while posting an 11-2" broad jump. The native of South Grafton, Massachusetts sports impressive length, with his arms measuring 32 1/4 inches. Melifonwu has impressive size and ball skills for the position, which should make him a fit for some more zone-oriented defenses. The rangy defensive back knocked down 21 passes over the past three seasons and projects as a late Day 2-to-Day 3 NFL Draft selection.

  • Melifonwu (6'3/207), brother of former Oakland Raiders draft pick Obi Melifonwu, is right in the range of player where it’s tough to decide if they should have declared or not. Well, perhaps that would be true in a normal year, but it makes sense for any player who believes they will be drafted in some capacity to leave for the NFL now rather than risk whatever next year’s CFB season may bring. Melifonwu has impressive size and ball skills for the position, which should make him a fit for some more zone-oriented defenses. The rangy defensive back knocked down 21 passes over the past three seasons.

  • Melifonwu, brother of former Oakland Raiders draft pick Obi Melifonwu, is right in the range of player where it’s tough to decide if they should have declared or not. Well, perhaps that would be true in a normal year, but it makes sense for any player who believes they will be drafted in some capacity to leave for the NFL now rather than risk whatever next year’s CFB season may bring. At 6-foot-3 and 207 pounds, Melifonwu has impressive size and ball skills for the position, which should make him a fit for some more zone-oriented defenses. Melifonwu knocked down 21 passes over the past three seasons.

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    Rich Cimini of ESPN reports that the Jets will sign Bailey Zappe to their practice squad.

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    Bills signed WR Greg Dortch to their practice squad.

    Dortch was unable to make the Lions and was a relatively-surprising cut Sunday. The former Arizona wideout was a productive — albeit flawed — receiving option with the Cardinals, and it’s not hard to imagine him being someone who helps Josh Allen and the passing attack in Buffalo this fall. Fantasy managers should take a wait-and-see approach, but it’s at least someone to monitor.
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    Eagles signed RB Jaydon Blue to their practice squad.

    Blue was waived by the Cowboys and went unclaimed, and the 2025 fifth-round pick will remain in the NFC East. He’ll begin the campaign behind Tank Bigsby and Will Shipley as backups to Saquon Barkley, but some strong performances in practice could give the 22-year-old a chance to receive touches in 2026.
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    Buccaneers signed QB Easton Stick to their practice squad.

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    Raiders placed WR Dont’e Thornton Jr. on the reserved/injured list.

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    Chargers signed TE Patrick Herbert to their practice squad.

    Herbert had initially chose to join the Jaguars squad after being a late cut by Jacksonville, but instead he’ll join his big brother Justin Herbert in Los Angeles. Nepotism doesn’t always have to be a bad thing.
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    Bears signed RB Salvon Ahmed to their practice squad.

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    Myles Garrett (knee) did not participate in Monday’s practice.

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    Chargers RB Keaton Mitchell (undisclosed) did not practice Monday.

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    Cardinals HC Mike LaFleur said RB Jeremiyah Love is “progressing really well toward playing in Week 1.”

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