Tag: Detroit Lions OTAs

Carlton Davis ‘really excited’ for the Lions chances at a Super Bowl

New Detroit CB Carlton Davis ‘really excited’ for the Lions chances at a Super Bowl

Lions cornerback Carlton Davis already has climbed the Super Bowl mountain in the NFL. Davis won a championship as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers back in 2020 as a starting outside cornerback.

Acquired this offseason from the Bucs for a third-round pick, Davis is hoping to help Detroit accomplish the same lofty goal. After his first OTA session with the Lions that was open to the media, Davis shared his optimism that this Detroit team can get the job done.

“Really excited about the personnel, the coaches, the environment,” Davis stated. “I haven’t been this excited since 2020 when we (his Buccaneers team) won the Super Bowl. Really competitive environment.”

After playing the Lions twice last year, including in the NFC divisional round game, Davis definitely had respect for Detroit and what head coach Dan Campbell is building.

“Knowing the grit that they had, even when we played them in the playoffs — both times actually —it was like, you can tell it was a different Detroit team. It’s something to really be excited about, knowing that this team has longed for a Super Bowl for so long and we have a chance to go this year.”

Davis will be counted on for leadership in a young secondary, and his considerable playoff success is a great addition to the Lions lineup.

A ‘matured’ Jameson Williams ready to take on bigger role in Lions offense

A ‘matured’ Jameson Williams ready to take on bigger role in Lions offense in his third year

When Lions head coach Dan Campbell praised wide receiver Jameson Williams as the most improved player at this week’s OTA sessions, it raised some eyebrows. One of those eyebrows belongs to Williams himself.

The third-year wideout was appreciative of Campbell’s words. Williams has been working hard to earn it after two star-crossed seasons.

“I think I’ve matured a lot,” Williams told reporters after Thursday’s practice. “Coming in the league, I still had some childish ways. Wanted to do what I wanted to do, and how I wanted to do it. Sometimes you got to listen, and just be on the right track. Follow the right path, and you’ll be down the right way.”

Williams wasn’t always the most focused or attentive player in practices. That has changed for the better, at least on the one day of OTAs open to the media.

“I’ve been working. I’ve been putting in work ever since the season ended,” Williams added.

The work is needed. Williams has caught just 25 passes for 395 yards and three TDs in 18 games across his first two seasons. Depending on the source, “Jamo” has dropped either four or five of the 51 total targets thrown his way. That’s nowhere near the return expected on the No. 12 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft.

Williams appears to be dedicated to making a big jump in 2024. The opportunity for him to take over the No. 2 wideout role from Josh Reynolds (now in Denver) is wide open. If Williams can get wide open for Jared Goff and take advantage of his increased opportunities, the Lions offense just got quite a bit better.

Dan Campbell provides encouraging update on Brian Branch’s injury

Coach Dan Campbell provides an encouraging update on Brian Branch’s injury ahead of OTAs

The Detroit Lions’ 2023 draft yielded several impactful players, including Brian Branch, whose promising performance in his rookie year hinted at a bright future on the defensive side. However, when Branch was spotted in a walking boot, fans grew concerned about his health and potential impact for the upcoming season. Coach Dan Campbell addressed the situation ahead of OTAs, offering reassurance and alleviating the worries among fans.

“He had a little cleanup there. Something that, coming out of last year, thought he might heal, and then it just ended up being, ‘We better get this thing done.’ So that’s where he’s at. That and I think he likes riding scooters. But we feel like he’s progressing well. We feel like he’ll be ready to go in camp. If not, early enough it’ll be certainly he’ll get enough reps to be ready for the season. That’s how we feel right now.”

Last season, Branch emerged as one of the Lions’ standout defensive players, excelling primarily in the nickel corner role. Whether disrupting passing plays or making crucial stops against the run, he showcased versatility and toughness that became a cornerstone of the Lions’ defense. His adaptability as a defensive “swiss army knife” offers the team various options for defensive schemes, keeping opponents guessing about coverage assignments and blitz packages.

With limited changes in the safety position, it appears the Lions will rely more on Branch to fulfill additional roles, further enhancing the defensive playbook.

During Branch’s absence from OTAs due to recovery, the Lions will have the opportunity to evaluate other players for the nickel position, such as rookie Ennis Rakestraw. With a depth of options at cornerback, the team can experiment and identify potential fits for this key role, maximizing practice opportunities and roster flexibility.

Long list of Lions players out or limited with injuries at OTAs

There’s a long list of Lions players out or limited with injuries at this week’s voluntary OTAs including Detroit’s top 2 draft picks

Detroit Lions OTAs are underway this week, but not every player is working out with the team. There are quite a few who are dealing with injuries in one form or another.

Before Thursday’s practice session, Lions head coach Dan Campbell rattled off a lengthy list of players who would either be out or limited in the ensuing OTA session. Among them are the team’s top two draft picks, cornerbacks Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw. Nickel DB Brian Branch and safety Kerby Joseph were also out, making for a thin secondary at the team’s training facility in Allen Park.

Not all the players are injured. With OTAs being voluntary activities, some players might be doing their own thing away from the facility this week. However, it leads to a lengthy list of 17 players named by Campbell who weren’t going to be participants in the one OTA session this week open to the media:

LB Alex Anzalone

CB Terrion Arnold

OL Kayode Awosika

LB Derrick Barnes

DB Brian Branch

DL John Cominsky

EDGE Marcus Davenport

OT Taylor Decker

RB Jahmyr Gibbs

S Kerby Joseph

RB Zonovan Knight

TE Sam LaPorta

CB Emmanuel Moseley

C Frank Ragnow

CB Ennis Rakestraw

DT DJ Reader

QB Nate Sudfeld

Decker, Joseph and Rakestraw have all had recent surgeries. Davenport, Reader, Moseley, Knight and Sudfeld are all still recovering from season-ending injuries in 2023, too.

On the plus side, second-year QB Hendon Hooker was a full participant after missing most of his rookie campaign recovering from a torn ACL.

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Dan Campbell gives a great answer on where Jameson Williams has improved

Campbell fired up the hype train on Jamo with a great answer in his press conference during OTAs

Jameson Williams has had a quiet, uneventful offseason for the first time in his NFL career. Now entering his third season with the Detroit Lions, Williams is poised to take a big jump at wide receiver in the Lions offense.

With starter Josh Reynolds now in Denver and the door wide open for “Jamo” to seize all those reps, Williams has had an offseason without injury rehab or a gambling suspension to keep him from achieving his best. Lions head coach Dan Campbell loves what he sees from Williams in this week’s OTAs.

“He’s a man on a mission. I”m just going to leave it at that,” Campbell said or Williams. But he had to get the hype flowing just a little more.

When asked where specifically Williams has improved, Campbell gave a one-word answer,

“Everywhere.”

The Lions have taken some heat for not doing more to address the wide receiver position this offseason, but it’s abundantly clear the team believes that Williams, a first-round pick in 2022, will rise to the challenge of being the No. 2 receiver alongside All-Pro Amon-Ra St. Brown.

Dan Campbell is back for the Lions OTAs

Dan Campbell is back for the Lions OTAs after missing the recent rookie minicamp

There was a notable figure present in the pictures from the first day of Detroit Lions OTAs this week. Head coach Dan Campbell was back in the den.

Campbell was not present for the recent rookie minicamp and tryouts for undisclosed personal reasons. The team never officially commented on Campbell’s absence other than to say it was not an unplanned absence.

Along with Campbell being at the first day of OTAs, which were not open to the media, it appeared that nearly every Lions player was in attendance for the voluntary sessions at the team’s training facility in Allen Park.

6 Winners from the Detroit Lions OTAs and minicamp

Identifying six players from the Detroit Lions OTAs and minicamp who helped themselves the most

We won’t see the Detroit Lions on the field again until late July. The OTA workouts and mandatory minicamp of the last two weeks were our last glimpse at the team heading into the heart of the offseason.

Several Lions players impressed during the practice sessions that were open to the media. I sifted through my notes to identify the six who did the most to help their status with the team.

Jack Campbell will need to earn a starting role at linebacker

Rookie first-rounder Jack Campbell will need to earn a starting role at linebacker in Detroit

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Given the inglorious history of off-ball linebackers in Detroit over the last several years and the fact he’s a top-20 overall pick, it sure makes sense to project Jack Campbell as an instant Lions starter as a rookie.

That’s not the reality of the situation, at least not yet. During the recent OTAs and minicamp, Campbell mostly played with the second-team defense. Alex Anzalone and Derrick Barnes were the starters, and both Malcolm Rodriguez (prior to his leg injury) and Jalen Reeves-Maybin took reps ahead of the rookie from Iowa.

It’s not displeasure from the Lions coaches or any struggles from Campbell. Far from it, based on what we saw from No. 46 in the open practices; Campbell is a quick study and a very impressive athlete. He’s simply not earned the first-team status over veterans Anzalone or Barnes. Not yet.

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While many expected Campbell to jump right into the starting lineup, LB coach Kelvin Sheppard has a different idea. The rookie will need to earn it.

“We are going to play the best players,” Campbell said during the recent OTAs. “We do not care what that looks like, and when that starts top down, it’s easy for me to walk into my linebacker room after we take a guy Pick 18, because in probably 20 other rooms, that player’s starting and there’s nothing you can do about it as a position coach.”

“Well, that’s not the case here (for Campbell starting),” Sheppard continued. “If Jack isn’t the top two or three, Jack will continue to go through the process of rookie development until he’s hit that mark.”

Barnes, in particular, appears to be motivated by the possibility of losing his status to a rookie. Now entering his third season, Barnes looks great physically and has also stepped up his pre-snap recognition and reaction speed.

Sheppard talked a lot about Barnes’ improvement during the week as well. The process of earning the starting role is not just lip service to Sheppard or head coach Dan Campbell, and Barnes is doing his best to not cede any status.

It’s a welcome change in Detroit, even if might appear that Campbell isn’t an immediate hit as a first-round pick. For far too long, draft status meant immediate playing time even if the player wasn’t ready or to up to the challenge. That’s been especially true at linebacker, from Jordon Dizon to Ernie Sims and Jarrad Davis.

Now the Lions appear to have actual depth and talent at linebacker. Campbell is a big part of that already and will start sooner than later, but the fact he doesn’t have to start in Week 1 is a great step forward for the Detroit defense.

Detroit Lions Podcast: Wrapping up OTAs and bad media questions

The latest live episode of the Detroit Lions Podcast breaks down the team’s minicamp and OTAs as well as how it’s all been covered

The latest episode of the Detroit Lions Podcast streamed live on Tuesday night. This week’s off-schedule episode put a bow on the recent Lions minicamp and OTAs, which are now wrapping up with no more media access.

We covered who were the big winners of the offseason activities and practices, as well as some of the more interesting developments we saw and how they impact the depth chart. Several questions from the live chat get answered and addressed, too.

There is also a lengthy discourse on the media coverage of Jameson Williams and the self-serving, tone-deaf interests of some of those covering the team.

 

Lions TE coach Steve Heiden breaks down the plan for rookie Sam LaPorta

New Lions TE coach Steve Heiden went over the plan of attack to get 2nd-round rookie Sam LaPorta ready for action

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Steve Heiden is one of the new faces on the Detroit Lions coaching staff. Heiden is the team’s new tight ends coach, coming over to join Detroit after several seasons in that capacity with the Arizona Cardinals.

He’s charged with developing another new face in Detroit, second-round rookie Sam LaPorta. Heiden played tight end in the NFL for a decade, just as head coach Dna Campbell also did. So far, Heiden likes what he’s seen from LaPorta through OTAs and minicamp.

“I think the biggest thing is to just try and put him in as many positions as possible,” Heiden said Monday of the rookie from Iowa. “That includes in the classroom, showing on film what can go on. But … it’s really about getting out here, getting on the field. Feeling the speed of the game, you know, learning on the field, on the grass. That’s the best way to go about it.”

Or, as Heiden summarized,

“Throw him out there, feet to the fire and let’s go.”

The Lions have done just that. In the sessions open to the media, LaPorta has taken a lot of reps from both the inline and slot TE positions. He even took a few snaps as the X-receiver in some 2-TE sets and could have been easily mistaken for a big wideout. Without pads, blocking has not been ready to evaluate, but LaPorta’s receiving skills look impressive.

Heiden added that he’s been “pleasantly surprised” with the instinctive nature LaPorta has shown thus far.

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