Tag: Lions training camp

Lions training camp position preview: Quarterback

Kicking off the series of Lions training camp positional previews with the quarterbacks

We’re kicking off the Detroit Lions 2022 training camp roster evaluations with the most important positional group in pro football: the quarterbacks.

There is no drama at the top. But there could be some drama and intrigue, and perhaps even an outside addition, behind the starter.

Jared Goff

Jared Goff enters his second season in Detroit hoping to build off a strong finish to his first year. He needed it to recover from being one of the least-effective QBs in the league in the first 10 weeks of the year.

There was a clear line of demarcation in Goff’s production splits that came after he missed the Week 11 game against Cleveland.

Completions Attempts Comp % Yards per attempt TDs INTs
Weeks 1-10 220 333 66.1 6.3 8 6
Weeks 12-18 112 161 69.6 7.1 11 2

Detroit won three of Goff’s final five starts after starting the year 0-10-1. That coincided with a few things: Taylor Decker’s return at left tackle, Anthony Lynn’s departure as the offensive coordinator and the emergence of Amon-Ra St. Brown as a top-shelf receiving threat. All of those blended together to offer legit hope that Goff can build off the underwhelming 2021 campaign.

Goff has zero competition for the starting gig entering training camp.

Tim Boyle

Boyle opens camp as the projected No. 2 behind Goff, though his grasp on that backup role is up for debate.

Like Goff, Boyle joined the Lions in 2021. Unlike Goff, there weren’t bright spots for the 27-yer-old former Packers backup. Poor defensive processing and careless decisions marred Boyle’s first extended NFL action. He threw twice as many INTs (6) as TDs (3) and did so while being even less aggressive down the field than Goff–the primary (valid) complaint against No. 16.

During the OTAs and minicamp, Boyle was sporadically awesome but generally unimpressive (to be kind) while splitting second-team reps behind Goff with David Blough. He has the strongest arm on the team and offers some functional running threat with his legs, though neither translates to his on-field play nearly often enough.

David Blough

Blough is back for his fourth season in Detroit, though he hasn’t played a meaningful snap or attempted a pass since 2019.

It says a lot about Blough that the Lions gave Boyle so much rope in Goff’s absence a year ago. But that could be changing; Blough and Boyle split second-team reps throughout the OTAs and minicamp, and the 26-year-old Purdue product took advantage with a couple of superlative practice sessions.

Blough is the most vocal and fiery presence in the QB room. He lacks downfield arm strength, though I’d argue he has the best zip and quickest release of the QB trio on passes under 15 yards. If the early offseason was any indication–and it should be–the Lions are making it much more of a legit competition in 2022.

Others

Right now, there are no others. Detroit isn’t carrying a fourth QB. The Lions do have an open roster spot and could add a developmental-type QB if they see one with enough appeal to contend for the No. 3 spot over the loser of the Boyle/Blough competition. Based on the current free agent market and what’s coming out of the USFL, it seems quite unlikely to happen.

Listen: Detroit Lions Podcast summer kickoff episode

On the training camp fan experience, Jared Goff’s future, Romeo Okwara, the 6th annual training camp party and more

The latest episode of the Detroit Lions Podcast is now available for your viewing and listening pleasure.

This episode focuses on the upcoming training camp. We give you different ways to watch and interpret the action on the Lions’ practice fields, as well as what to pay attention to. It’s a nice preview of the fan experience of attending training camp.

Speaking of training camp, we are hosting our 6th annual training camp party on July 30th and revealed a couple of special guests who have confirmed to be in attendance, including an active Lions player. Details on how to register and get tickets are available at Detroit Lions Podcast.

The other main topics include the concept of drafting a quarterback in 2023 depending on Jared Goff’s success, and what happens with Romeo Okwara in 2022.

We also discussed the Lions Wire poll about what worries fans the most about the upcoming season and offered our own answers.

Lions announce training camp practice schedule, dates open for fans

The Lions will have 7 free and open practices for the fans among the training camp dates in Allen Park

The Detroit Lions have revealed the complete schedule for fans to attend the team’s training camp practices for 2022. Detroit will open the gates for all fans, free of charge, for seven practice sessions. Two others are reserved for Lions Loyal Members.

From the Lions own press release, the dates and times:

DATE GATES OPEN PRACTICE BEGINS
Saturday, July 30         **Exclusive to Lions Loyal Members** 7:30 AM 8:30 AM
Monday, August 1 7:30 AM 8:30 AM
Tuesday, August 2 7:30 AM 8:30 AM
Wednesday, August 3 7:30 AM 8:30 AM
Thursday, August 4 7:30 AM 8:30 AM
Friday, August 5        **Exclusive to Lions Loyal Members** 7:30 AM 8:30 AM
Monday, August 8 1:30 PM 2:30 PM
Tuesday, August 9 7:30 AM 8:30 AM
Wednesday, August 10 7:30 AM 8:30 AM

The Lions will be in Indianapolis to conduct joint training sessions with the Colts at their team facility north of the city the following week. Those joint practices are not yet fully scheduled but at least one of the three dates will be open to the public as well.

The sessions are a great chance to catch the team in action. COVID-19 protocols have been relaxed, so there is the opportunity for more interaction with players and staffers this summer. Food trucks, cheerleaders and family-fun events will be available to fans of all ages.

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The NFL announces rookie reporting and training camp kickoff dates

League announces rookie reporting and training camp kickoff dates for all teams including the Detroit Lions

It’s exactly one month until the Detroit Lions rookies report to the team’s training facility in Allen Park for the start of the 2022 training camp. The league announced the dates for rookies reporting and veterans arrivals as well for all 32 NFL teams.

Detroit’s rookies will report on Saturday, July 23rd. The veterans return for the start of the full training camp three days later on July 26th. Most NFL teams with returning head coaches kick off on the same dates, though a select few begin on July 19th.

The Lions will release the official schedule with dates and times soon. Nearly every session will be open to the public. Detroit is also slated to join the Indianapolis Colts for joint practices at the Colts’ training facility north of Indianapolis prior to their preseason game on Aug. 20th.

The Lions pending training camp battle at EDGE tops PFF’s list

The Lions have a big training camp battle brewing at EDGE

There will be a lot of heated training camp battles in Detroit later this summer. One of the primary ones earned notice from Pro Football Focus as the biggest one at the position around the entire NFL.

The Lions have a crowd of talent at the EDGE/defensive end position. Adding No. 2 overall pick Aidan Hutchinson and second-rounder Josh Paschal to the mix that also includes the team’s sack champs from 2021 (Charles Harris) and 2020 (Romeo Okwara) means coordinator Aaron Glenn has some serious conflict for places on the pecking order on his hands.

PFF agrees. In naming the Lions’ EDGE battle as the biggest one in the league, the commentary notes that it’s a good and healthy problem for Glenn and the Lions,

the Lions have a very interesting group in the midst of their rebuilding project on defense. Their top pick, Hutchinson, will have the inside track to a starting role, but Harris was brought back in the offseason after a breakout 2021 campaign. A former first-round pick in his own right (albeit 22nd overall, not second overall), Harris recorded 52 pressures for Detroit last season — 18 more than his previous career high. His 78.7 PFF pass-rushing grade was a career-best by more than 10 grading points. Harris will be firmly in the mix for a lot of snaps to see if he can back that performance up.

Before Harris and Hutchinson, Okwara had been the biggest hope for pressure, as he posted 66 pressures in 2020 before playing just four games last year.

Okwara’s brother, Julian, also gets some mention in the competition. As does Paschal, who was a pass-rushing monster at Kentucky in 2021. While he’s not mentioned here, veteran LB Jarrad Davis could factor in as well; Davis took reps in minicamp as a stand-up EDGE and looked quick.

It’s been more than a little while since the Lions had useful depth at pass rush. If the rookies are ready to roll — Hutchinson sure looked that way in minicamp — head coach Dan Campbell will have some very interesting decisions to make at EDGE.

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Kalif Raymond an under the radar addition to the Lions receiving corps

Even though he wasn’t the biggest addition to the Detroit Lions receiving corps, Kalif Raymond is turning heads so far through training camp

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The offseason was not kind to the Lions receiving corps. After seeing their top three wide receivers, Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones, and Danny Amendola depart, it left General Manager Brad Holmes with his work cut out for him to fill that barren cupboard at wide receiver.

The Lions only have one receiver, Quintez Cephus, who saw snaps on the active roster last year. Victor Bolden and Tom Kennedy were on the practice squad, where Geronimo Allison opted out last year. So that was it for returning wide receivers. To say this was a daunting task for the Lions is putting it lightly.

Holmes’ most notable additions to round out the receiving corps were Tyrell Williams and Breshad Perriman. Each has had some moderate success in the NFL, with Williams being a former 1,000-yard receiver and Perriman a viable deep-threat option. They will be looked upon more than likely as the top two receivers for the Lions.

During the draft, the major talk was not if the Lions would draft a receiver is when they would take one. The first four picks came and went, but no receiver. It wasn’t until the fourth round where the Lions tagged Amon-Ra St. Brown to be their future slot receiver and get everybody off Holmes’ back.

From the outside looking in, you could probably see who the Lions will be leaning on when it comes to wide receivers. But there is one under-the-radar signing Holmes made that could not only provide a viable answer to the Lions receiver depth but be a versatile chess piece across the field.

Kalif Raymond came to the Lions this offseason after spending a year with the Tennessee Titans has one of their main return specialists with 483 combined return yards and 187 receiving yards. He has never been a staple point within the receiver corps with only 369 yards over four seasons, but with his legit 4.3 speed, he becomes a dangerous weapon in the return game with 1,549 return yards.

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Raymond has been making noise so far in training camp with not just showing off his top-end speed but his crisp route running and versatility to line up all along the offensive front. Even though St. Brown is entrenched as the Lions starting slot receiver, Raymond shows that he is not just a one-trick pony in the slot but also line up outside and take the top cover. Of note, when Tyrell Williams left practice yesterday, it was Raymond who was brought in to fill that outside role.

Raymond has already shown to be an effective special teamer as a return man, and so far, he has been the first man up and looks to be taking advantage of it the opportunity. Special teams coach Dave Fipp is excited to have Raymond part of his unit.

“Really excited about Kalif. Obviously, brought him in here from Tennessee. We liked his film,” Fipp said. “Brad (Holmes) and those guys did a great job acquiring him. He’s been great since he’s got here. He’s obviously back there handling punts. I think him and Bolden and Kennedy and St. Brown and Amos a little bit — all those guys have been back there, all five of them. We really like them. I think Bolden and Raymond (are) really explosive players.”

Even during his time at Tennessee, he made strong appearances during camp, where he made coaches notice the potential as a viable option for the offense. He noticed that he will not always win deep considering his small stature and worked on his short and intermediate routes during last year’s offseason. He stayed in Adam Humphries’ hip pocket and learned anything he could from Humphries, who has made a career with those types of routes. So far from the camp reports, he has made major strides in his route-running ability giving him another strong attribute to work with.

The Lions had plenty of work to do to fill the receiving room, and even though it doesn’t strike others with excitement, it does have the potential of being a complementary part of the offense. Raymond will look to establish himself as a strong WR4 competing against Cephus and take over the main return spot for the special teams. Keep your eye on Raymond as training camp progresses because if he keeps this trend up, there should be no reason not to see him on the active roster and watch that speed in action.

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Watch: Training camp party with Dan Miller and Justin Rogers

Dan Miller and Justin Rogers offered up some tremendous insider insight on the Lions here

The Uptown Grille in Commerce Township was the place to be on Saturday night for Lions fans. That was the scene for the Detroit Lions Podcast training camp party, co-hosted by Lions Wire’s Jeff Risdon.

Our special guests were Dan Miller from Fox 2 in Detroit and the radio voice of the Lions, and Detroit News beat writer Justin Rogers. They offered their own unique insights and opinions on a variety of Lions topics, from their impressions of new head coach Dan Campbell to the outlook for several players and coaches on the staff.

All the festivities were streamed live on YouTube. The show will also be available in podcast form later on Sunday.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CijYrlZeSGM

Lions training camp notebook: Defense wins over the fans on Day 4

Here are the top five takeaways from Saturday’s practice session, which the defense dominated once again

Fans were back in the stands on a sun-soaked Saturday morning in Allen Park for Day 4 of Detroit Lions training camp. After a warm welcome to the season ticketholders from head coach Dan Campbell, the Detroit defense went out and made a lot of fans happy with their performance in practice.

The defense consistently shined. That’s the positive spin. The negative spin is that the offense has been considerably less successful in each of the last two days, and it’s hard to ignore the anemic success of the passing attack.

There was considerable thought placed upon if the defense is really that good or if the offense is just not playing well thus far. Both of them are rooted in truth, but it’s hard not to see just how easily the defense stymies the passing offense, from the first team through the third string.

Here are the top five takeaways from Saturday’s practice session.

Dan Campbell ‘fines’ Tracy Walker, impressed with Lions safeties

With Day 4 of training camp underway, Dan Campbell provided a fun Tracy Walker story and sings the praises of the safety group

Heading into day four of Detroit Lions training camp, you can already tell a different vibe this year versus previous years. There is electric energy surrounding the organization bringing the best out of everyone around it, from the players to the fans.

The previous regime players have beat around the bush a little when discussing their experiences from the previous regime. Still, it is not hard to read between the lines that the last regime had left a sour taste in everyone’s mouth, especially from the defensive backs.

Tracy Walker spoke about his displeasure last year yesterday at his post-practice press conference and how he has felt more comfortable from top to bottom with coaches and schemes than last year.

In Dan Campbell’s press conference on Saturday morning, Tracy Walker was brought up as being a potential leader for the Lions, and Campbell instantly agreed. He described the safety group as players who need to be master communicators for the defense as they run the show and set the table in coverage and felt Walker fits that bill perfectly as someone who is very vocal and smart as a whip.

Campbell provided the media with a Tracy Walker story from yesterday’s training camp. Walker told Campbell he would get a pick and bring the ball back to him and promised up and down he would deliver the bill. Unfortunately, he didn’t get the chance to, and Campbell jokingly fined him $50, but Campbell ended up paying the fine for him but told Walker he still owes him.

Now, this is where you can tell the players are way looser and having fun this year because I can guarantee Walker wouldn’t have pulled this one off with last year’s regime.

Campbell continuing singing the praises of the secondary with Will Harris, who so far has struggled in his stint in the NFL, but it sounds like he has impressed the coaches so far. Campbell said he knows it is early in the process, but Harris is coming along and picking up the defense nicely.

Considering Harris hasn’t progressed as much as some were hoping for, it is good to hear he has improved, considering the safety group was not heavily featured this offseason as most thought it would be. So now was it an oversight on the front office, or did they see Harris as more an asset than a liability than most of us thought? We will have to wait and see when training camp ramps up in the coming weeks.

To finish off his press conference, Campbell went on to talk about how secondary grow right in front of his eyes and can see they are starting to mesh and figure everything out. The coaching staff has made it a mission to simplify assignments and make everything more instinctual than overthinking it. As a result, you can probably bet that we see a more improved secondary group this early in training camp.

We will have to wait and see if all of this is smoke and mirrors or there is actual heat behind it all, but so far out of training camp, the secondary might not be as hosed as thought they would be and see a rise in play from players most of us have probably written off.

NFL announces training camp will start across the league on July 27th

There will be fan events on Saturday, July 31st

It’s beginning to look like a more normal NFL offseason in 2021. OTAs are underway and players in most cities are back and in person, including the Detroit Lions at the team’s training facility in Allen Park.

The return to normalcy will really kick in when training camps begin. And now we know when that will happen.

Per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, 29 of the 32 team training camps will kick off in unison on Tuesday, July 27th. It’s the first day camps can begin as dictated by the collective bargaining agreement. The teams playing in the Week 1 opener on Thursday night (the Buccaneers and Cowboys) will open on a different date.

In addition, Pelissero notes the league plans on having fan activities and events for the first Saturday of camp, which is July 31st. Fans will be allowed to attend Lions training camp, barring any changes to the state of Michigan’s planned ending of all COVID-19 restrictions on July 1st. The Lions are still finalizing the exact details of fan access and some changes from past years could still be implemented.

The NFL expects no restrictions on attendance to games in 2021, as well.

In past years, teams opened training camps on their own schedule. Most teams typically kicked off within a three-day period in late July, but this year represents the first time the league has standardized the beginning of training camp.