NFL charge the Lions star Maurice Alexander $180 for breaking the NFL rules during the… Read more…
INDIANAPOLIS — Maurice Alexander signed with the Detroit Lions midway through training camp, fresh off making the All-USFL team as kick returner for the Philadelphia Stars.
Alexander hasn’t had many chances to pop to this point, with his standing on the wide receiver depth chart and late start to the party. That didn’t matter against the Indianapolis Colts in the second game of the preseason, though, with Alexander enjoying a big day returning kicks. He nearly broke two, while putting the Lions in solid field position while handling those duties.
Well, listen, it’s big. It’s hard to ignore. I would say that it’s certainly hard to ignore, but that’s why we wanted to get a look at him,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said. “(Special teams coordinator Dave) Fipp and I have been intrigued with him. We got a look at kickoff return, punt return, and you saw what he did in that game in that phase, and it’s hard to ignore, so it’s somebody that certainly we’re going to see more of.”
See below for a rundown of players who are trending up and those who are trending down after Detroit’s preseason win in Indy:
“It gave me a second opportunity coming out of 2019, then COVID hit and I was battling the injury,” Alexander said of the USFL experience. “It gave me another opportunity to show that I could play in the National Football League. I thank those guys, and like I said, without those players at the USFL and without those good coaches, Coach (Martin) Bayless over there with the Philly Stars, it definitely gave me a boost of confidence to really learn new things and trust it that I could bring it over from that league.
“Just taking advantage of every opportunity that I get man. To build with these guys, man. And look forward to making the 53-man roster.”
