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Updated Detroit Lions 53-man roster projection after two weeks of training camp
Detroit Lions training camp will wrap the second week of action on Saturday. It’s a good point to recalibrate the depth chart and reevaluate the 53-man roster projection.
There are a few changes to the prediction after 10 days of practice. Injuries have caused some unfortunate shifts, as have on-field performances — positive and negative. There are some leanings here that reflect what I’ve seen and heard in training camp, too.
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Lions head coach Dan Campbell on the hit by CB Khalil Dorsey that injured Shane Zylstra: “That’s not what we do”
The Lions suffered a major injury in Monday’s practice session. Tight end Shane Zylsta was lost for the season with a serious, and eminently preventable, knee injury in the training camp practice.
Zylstra went down when cornerback Khalil Dorsey dived low at his legs immediately after Zylstra had leaped to catch a swing pass. The tight end screamed in pain immediately.
On Wednesday, Lions head coach Dan Campbell wanted to focus on Dorsey’s hit that sent Zylstra to the waiver wire with an injury designation. Campbell, never one to hide his emotions, was not happy.
“This one happens and so – harsh with him, and honestly it shouldn’t have happened. No, we’re not OK with that, and it’s been addressed,” Campbell said pointedly. “These things happen. The physicality of the game, the pads, but that was preventable. That’s not what we do.”
Campbell noted that Dorsey is upset about causing the season-ending injury to a teammate. The lesson was a tough one to learn for the entire team.
“Believe me, Khalil feels awful too. We get that, but we have to take care of each other,” Campbell said. “We still have to be physical, we have to work each, we have to compete, but we still have to take care of each other. So that was – we talked about it, and we move on.”
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Undrafted rookie CB Starling Thomas gets a lot of hype, but how has he really performed in Lions training camp?
Every year, there is one undrafted rookie who captivates the Detroit Lions fanbase. This year that player is Starling Thomas, a speedy cornerback from UAB.
Thomas is a popular projection to not only make the Lions’ 53-man roster, but many believe he can get significant playing time. But has his performance in training camp really been that special?
The answer to that question is complex. Not a definitive “yes,” and certainly not a hard “no” either.
Thomas’ speed absolutely stands out. He was GPS timed in college at over 24 MPH and was a state champion high school sprinter in Alabama. Those wheels show in drills; in a one-on-one coverage drill in Saturday’s practice, Thomas edged past WR Kalif Raymond in pursuit of a deep throw. Raymond runs the 40-yard dash in the low 4.3 range, i.e. really fast. And Thomas shows he’s faster.
There is more to playing cornerback than just running fast. And Thomas does some of those things impressively. He’s quick on his feet and reacts well to the routes. Thomas is good at identifying the route stem and can quickly get his feet and hips pointed in the right direction in reaction. He’s shown in team drills he can pass off responsibility in a zone and communicate well with those around him.
One good example came in a red zone drill on Monday. The Lions defense went into a zone shell, and the offense attacked it by flooding one side of the formation and running receivers across the field at various depths. It requires the defensive backs to quickly identify their coverage marks and communicate well about the transition plans pre-snap. Thomas didn’t linger too long on the deep receiver and smartly pinched up to take away a potential throwing lane to the crossing tight end. It was a good play and veteran safety Tracy Walker let him know it, appreciatively.
He’s got some attitude, too. Attitude in a good way. After a rep where Jameson Williams didn’t catch the pass with Thomas in coverage, the rookie got into Williams’ face. A brief jawing session ended with Williams punching Thomas in the facemask. That kind of feistiness from Thomas is well-received by the Lions coaching staff and fellow defensive backs, and it’s a positive sign that Thomas isn’t afraid of the level of play.
Alas, it’s not all hunky-dory for Thomas. As he did at UAB, Thomas has a very real problem with defensive holding. Veteran wideout Denzel Mims chastised Thomas for it after a rep in Monday’s practice. I can’t print the words used, but the message from Mims was clear: “quit grabbing me all the time”.
In one series on Saturday morning, Thomas was guilty of what the NFL deems illegal contact on five straight reps. Even though he’s fast enough to run with anyone, Thomas doesn’t yet trust the speed to recover and as a result he clutches and grabs instinctively. This showed on his Blazers game film in college and it has not abated one bit in Detroit.
A live tackling drill on Monday also did not go well — at all — for the rookie. He’s not small at 5-foot-10 and 194 pounds (as listed by the Lions) but he doesn’t use the strength well in tackling. Thomas is a side-swiping arm tackler who leaves his feet too readily. That was clearly evident in the tackling drill and also in team drills earlier in camp. He’s more of a nibbler/clean-up tackle guy than an aggressive instigator in the run game.
Throw all of that into a Lions blender and what does the team have in Thomas?
He’s a promising outside cover corner and potential special teams asset with his speed and confidence. Thomas can make plays in the passing game. But he’s got to stop the chronic holding and illegal contact issues, and also show more gumption in run defense if he wants to make the team.
The Lions waive TE Shane Zylstra with injury designation a day after he suffered a serious leg injury in practice
The Detroit Lions have waived tight end Shane Zylstra with a injury designation. The move comes a day after Zylstra suffered a nasty knee injury in training camp.
Zylstra was injured on a low hit from defensive back Khalil Dorsey in a red zone drill. He immediately screamed and grabbed at the knee/shin area.
Zylstra is subject to waiver claims. If he goes unclaimed by another team, the third-year TE will revert to the Lions’ injured reserve.
He becomes the second Lions player to suffer a season-ending injury in training camp. Wideout Tom Kennedy suffered the same fate earlier in the week with a shoulder injury.
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Lions training camp winners and losers from the first three days of padded, full-contact practice
The first week (and change) of Detroit Lions training camp is in the books. Head coach Dan Campbell has presided over a lot of action to start his third training camp at the helm in Detroit.
Three of the last four practices featured full pads and contact. Those are the most important ones for evaluation purposes.
Here are the players who stood out to me as winners and losers in the padded practice sessions at the start of Lions training camp.
Lions DC Aaron Glenn offers a warning about reading too much into which players are on getting first-team reps in practice
Read any practice report from Detroit Lions training camp, including my own, and you’re bound to see some iteration of “Player X got first-team reps.” It’s generally for players who aren’t expected to be starters.
It’s factual information, but sometimes the facts don’t always tell the complete story. Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn made sure to emphasize that point before Monday’s practice session.
Glenn riffed off a basic point about second-round rookie DB Brian Branch getting some first-team reps.
“Listen guys, listen, we’re going to play guys with different – in different packages,” Glenn addressed to the media room. “We’re going to play guys with the ones, we’re going to play guys with the twos, because you don’t want guys going against the same guys every time. Alright, so don’t get so caught up in where guys are at.”
Glenn noted he learned that from legendary head coach Bill Parcells, and that head coach Dan Campbell also learned the same lesson while playing under Parcells.
Branch is one of several Lions who aren’t expected to start who have taken training camp reps with the starters. Third-round DT Brodric Martin, safety Ifeatu Melifonwu and udrafted rookie CB Starling Thomas have all gotten auditions to see how they stacked up with the starters over the last three days of practice.
Glenn concluded the press conference with the same admonition, albeit with a light tone and a knowing smile,
“…to see if he can play, you have to let him play with the first team, so please stop writing he’s with the first team. Please, alright.”
New Lions CB Emmanuel Moseley remains out with his knee injury suffered last season
Earlier in training camp, Lions head coach Dan Campbell was asked about the status of one of the team’s prominent free agent signings. Cornerback Emmanuel Moseley began training camp on the non-football injury list as he recovers from a torn ACL suffered while a member of the San Francisco 49ers last year.
Campbell indicated that Moseley was excused and expected to arrive Monday. However, Monday’s practice came and went without any sign of Moseley. At the time of his earlier status update, Campbell refused to answer a follow-up question about if Moseley had indeed undergone a second procedure, as has been reported.
During Monday’s practice, a team source did indicate that Moseley was still due to arrive in Allen Park before the end of the day. As for his knee status or practice potential when the Lions retake the field on Wednesday after a scheduled day off on Tuesday, there was an organizational “no comment” even off the record.
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It’s becoming a little concerning. Moseley was at June’s minicamp but his knee was heavily wrapped. At that time, Moseley appeared well behind Lions rookie QB Hendon Hooker in his mobility and range of motion despite having the ACL surgery some nine weeks before Hooker.
Signed to a one-year deal this offseason, Moseley has a lengthy list of injuries. He’s played more than 12 games just once (2019) in his five NFL seasons, all with the 49ers. The injury history includes missing the first two games of the 2021 campaign with an unrelated knee issue.
Prior to practice, defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn noted that Moseley has been actively participating in team meetings via Zoom.
The Detroit Lions training camp notebook from July 31st features some great defense, hot tempers and an unfortunate injury
Monday morning marked the third padded practice of Detroit Lions training camp. After a light day on Sunday, everything amped up for the Monday session.
Spirits were high and tempers short on a sun-soaked morning with the bleachers packed full of fans. Those in attendance got to see some impressive defensive performances, a handful of scuffles and even a bad-looking injury.
Here’s the notebook from the Lions practice on the final day of July.
Rookie LB Jack Campbell loves the ‘no excuses’ standards with the Lions
First-round pick Jack Campbell is already getting some first-team reps in Detroit at linebacker. In the first few days of training camp, Campbell’s no-nonsense game and high-end athleticism have helped the rookie fit in quickly.
The LB himself shed some light on why he’s fitting in with Dan Campbell’s Lions so quickly during the rookie’s post-practice press conference on Sunday.
Campbell drew some parallels with his college program, the Iowa Hawkeyes. While Iowa’s offense has been inconsistent, the Hawkeyes defense has remained among the very best in the nation year in and out. Campbell was a big part of that success recently at Iowa, and he’s aiming to do that in Detroit, too.
“I feel like it’s a program kind of ran like this organization,” said Campbell. “You show up, you do what you’re expected to do. There’s no excuses. If you wanna set new standards, that’s what you gotta do.”
Campbell cited the veteran LBs around him for showing him the standards they demand from him. Thus far, it’s working well. Campbell played very well in the first two padded practices of training camp, earning more reps higher up the depth chart.
Detroit Lions training camp notebook from the walkthrough on Sunday, July 30th with a focus on the depth players
After two padded and full-speed practices in a row, the Detroit Lions scaled back on Sunday morning. The Sunday session was an abbreviated (by design) walkthrough without full contact.
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With the pads off and the action very infrequently at anything above jogging speed, it was tough to glean anything of critical importance from the session. But there were still some worthy notes from Sunday’s sunny practice in Allen Park. I spent most of the day watching the field with the second and third team units, not the starters, so the notes are largely focused on the depth on the team and not the frontline players.
