Lions Wire’s own Erik Schlitt was in Allen Park for the fourth day of the Detroit Lions 2020 training camp and while there weren’t many surprises, there was a lot to take away from the day.
There were a handful of players unable to participate in today’s practice, including D’Andre Swift, Bo Scarbrough, Nick Bawden, Isaac Nauta, Victor Bolden, and Beau Benzschawel. While others, like Marvin Hall, had to leave the field near the end of practice. Others still, like Desmond Trufant, had what appeared to be a rest day.
Offense
Overall the offense had a nice day, but there was a stretch of four consecutive plays that were so bad, coach Matt Patricia stopped practice and forced them to run a lap while everyone watched and waited for them to finish.
One-on-one drills typically favor the offensive skill players and today was no different.
Running back
Ty Johnson and Jason Huntley dominated the RB vs LB coverage drills, which should be surprising, but it was the beginning of what would be a big day for Johnson.
With no Swift or Scarbrough available, Ty Johnson got a lot of looks with the starting lineup and looked terrific. In my 53-man roster projection, I had the Lions keeping five running backs for exactly this situation. If one or two of them get banged up — which most have a history of doing — keeping Ty Johnson will give the Lions the luxury of still being able to rotate backs.
Huntley looks quick as can be, but he is so late in the running back rotations it’s hard to get a real grasp on what he can do as a runner. He did execute a wheel route to perfection that was basically uncoverable — which, if I were Darrell Bevell, should be a designed play for him in the future.
With Scarbrough out, Jonathan Williams is making the most of his opportunity to see reps and this may be turning into an unexpected running back battle for the power role.
One more note here, with Bawden and Nauta not participating, Jason Cabinda was once again the Lions primary fullback — and he’s good enough at it, it left us in the media stands wondering if this might be a permanent switch.
Tight ends
T.J. Hockenson also looked very strong today, regardless of the situation. In one-on-ones, he matched up and won battles against Tracy Walker and Jayron Kearse. He is so smooth and difficult to deal with, he makes it look easy.
When Jesse James faced off against Walker, the safety easily won the battle sitting in his hip pocket through the route. On the next rep, James squared off with Will Harris and used his veteran savvy to bait Harris’ overaggressiveness, stopping mid-route and letting the sophomore safety run right past him.
Hunter Bryant made an impressive diving catch to end the drills. With Nauta on the sidelines, Bryant is showing he has the chops as a pass-catcher. In 11-on-11’s Bryant saw time at outside receiver with the third team, which surely is helping his stock.
There is a definite hierarchy among the tight ends. Hockenson can be dominant against most everybody, with Walker giving him the most push back. James will struggle with the Walkers of the NFL but should be able to handle the players on Harris’ level. After that there are questions. When will Nauta return healthy? Can Bryant’s passing-game skills be enough to earn a spot?
Wide receivers
Jamal Agnew’s transition to the offensive side of the ball looks surprisingly smooth. He is taking second-team slot reps and is apt at creating separation. He still has work to do, but I feel more confident about his inclusion in my 53-man roster projection.
Nothing is set in stone, and there were a lot of moving parts, but for the most part today, this is how the receiver depth chart shook out:
| WR-X | Slot-Y | WR-Z |
| Marvin Jones | Danny Amendola | Kenny Golladay |
| Quintez Cephus | Jamal Agnew | Marvin Hall |
| Chris Lacy | Tom Kennedy | Hunter Bryant |
Offensive line
The big question coming into today was would Jonah Jackson continue to start at right guard and the answer was a strong yes.
From left to right, here’s how the first two offensive lines took reps on Friday:
| Taylor Decker | Joe Dahl | Frank Ragnow | Jonah Jackson | Hal Vaitai |
| Tyrell Crosby | Kenny Wiggins | Logan Stenberg | Oday Aboushi | Dan Skipper |
What’s most interesting here is, Wiggins and Aboushi have been alternating guard positions at practices but not taking getting reps with the starters while Jackson and Dahl have remained fixed. This points to there being two clear starters and two competing for reserve roles, rather than Wiggins or Aboushi actually challenging to start.
Additionally, if Benzschawel was healthy, I’m not sure Stenberg would be taking reps at center on the second team. He is a talented enough player that the Lions are looking for ways to get him on the field but he is also likely behind Wiggins and Aboushi on the depth chart at guard. He looks like a developmental player rather than a challenger at this time.
One final note. Taylor Decker has looked sensational in both one-on-ones and 11-on-11’s. Technique, anchor, strength, he has been a stone wall at left tackle and I didn’t see him get beat today.