Tag: Lions training camp

Lions training camp participation report: C.J. Moore back, Quintez Cephus still out

A few players got rest days, while C.J. Moore was activated from the NFI list

After over a week of training camp in Allen Park, the Detroit Lions have had a few players suffer some minor dings. Friday’s practice session saw the Lions scale back the intensity after a very physical Thursday, and several players took the day off to tend to the accumulating aches and pains.

Among those taking the day off for rest purposes:

  • LT Taylor Decker
  • RB D’Andre Swift
  • EDGE Julian Okwara
  • DT Levi Onwuzurike
  • OL Ryan McCollum

Cornerback Jeff Okudah was spied doing positional drill work but sat out full team activities.

Wide receiver Quintez Cephus remains idle since suffering a knee injury earlier in the week. Coach Dan Campbell indicated it was not a serious injury, but the third-year wideout has not been back on the field.

Safety C.J. Moore passed his physical on Thursday, and the Lions activated No. 38 off the non-football injury list (NFI) prior to Friday’s practice. Moore is competing for a bigger role on the defense and remains one of the team’s staples on special teams units.

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Dan Campbell comes through for a young Lions fan at training camp

Lions head coach Dan Campbell comes through for a young Lions fan at training camp with a message for T.J. Hockenson

Lions coach Dan Campbell is known for being a man of his word. It’s one of the reasons his players love playing for him. But Campbell’s integrity and sense of doing right by people doesn’t stop with his players.

A young fan named Logan, decked out in full facepaint–one of the activities for the kids at Lions training camp–asks coach Campbell if he can tell T.J. Hockenson he said hi. Campbell writes the info down on his hand.

It was no token gesture from Campbell. He followed through and delivered the message to his Pro Bowl tight end. Hockenson sent out a personal thank you message to Logan via the Lions video team.

That’s a special thing that young Logan will never forget.

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Lions stock report after the 1st week of training camp

Which players have helped themselves in the first week of Lions training camp and which have not?

We’ve now had seven practice sessions and the mandatory day off at Detroit Lions training camp. Three days in pads and four with less contact have revealed some players moving up, with others fading a little in the depth chart quest.

Here are some of the players who have helped themselves the most, as well as some who haven’t started training camp as well as possible.

Lions sign WR Maurice Alexander from the USFL

Alexander was a starting WR and primary return man for the Philadelphia Stars in the USFL

There is a new name on the Detroit Lions wide receiver depth chart. The team has signed WR Maurice Alexander to the roster.

Alexander, 25, recently played in the USFL for the Philadelphia Stars. The 5-11 Florida International product caught 20 passes for 234 yards and two TDs in the rebooted USFL’s inaugural season. He also was the Stars’ primary kick and punt returner.

The Lions needed reinforcements after undrafted rookie Corey Sutton retired and Quintez Cephus suffered a knee injury in the second week of training camp. Alexander was chosen from three wideouts who tried out for the Lions on Tuesday, a group that also included Johnnie Dixon and Taywan Taylor.

To make room on the roster, the Lions waived rookie RB Greg Bell with injury designation. Bell suffered an injury in the first week of camp and has been unavailable for several days.

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Lions WR Quintez Cephus will be out for ‘short period of time’ with knee injury

Lions WR Quintez Cephus will be out for a ‘short period of time’ with a knee injury per Dan Campbell

The Detroit Lions got their first big injury scare of training camp on Tuesday. Wide receiver Quintez Cephus went down in a 1-on-1 drill battling cornerback Jeff Okudah and needed help off the field with a leg injury.

Head coach Dan Campbell acknowledged and addressed the injury prior to Wednesday’s practice session in Allen Park.

Cephus “will be down for we feel like a short period of time, but I think he’s going to be okay,” Campbell said.

The third-year vet is battling for the No. 5/No. 6 WR role in the offense and has been off to a great start in that quest. He caught 15 passes in five games last season. Injuries have been an issue for Cephus, who has been healthy for just 18 of the 33 regular season games in his first two seasons. He missed 12 games in 2021 with a broken shoulder.

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Quintez Cephus, Alim McNeill leave Lions practice early with injuries

McNeill returned to practice after working with trainers while Cephus was out with an apparent knee injury

The first few days of Detroit Lions training camp progressed without any significant injuries. But there were a couple of scares in the second padded practice on Tuesday morning.

Two players who were off to very strong starts to camp left the sunny morning session with assistance from the Lions training staff.

First up was wide receiver Quintez Cephus. He left after an apparent knee injury while battling against CB Jeff Okudah in a 1-on-1 drill early in practice. He did not return to participation as of press time.

Not long after Cephus left, the trainers were once again busy tending to starting defensive Alim McNeill,

There was good news shortly thereafter, as McNeill returned to action.

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Malcolm Rodriguez earns praise from Dan Campbell and more reps higher up the depth chart

Rookie LB Malcolm Rodriguez earns praise from Dan Campbell and more reps higher up the Detroit Lions depth chart

Monday was the first day in full pads at Detroit Lions training camp. Adding pads to the mix helped one key Lions rookie stand out in a crowded positional battle.

Sixth-round linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez earned some praise from his head coach, Dan Campbell, for his play on Monday.

“He showed up yesterday,” the coach stated, a big compliment in the world of Dan Campbell.

“His key and diagnose right now for a young guy is pretty good,” Campbell enthused before Tuesday’s practice. “As you see the competition in that room and you just watch — here he is, let’s just give him a rep. (Lions LB coach Kelvin Sheppard) has done a good job with that. Now there’s already a conversation about ‘let’s push him up to the next group a little bit and give him some more reps.”

Campbell also noted,

“We’re going to give those guys in that (LB) room a fair chance to compete and let the two or three best come out of there.”

Rodriguez has primarily been part of the third pairing at off-ball LB. Alex Anzalone and Chris Board have consistently been the top duo, with a mix of Derrick Barnes, Shaun Dion Hamilton, Jarrad Davis and Anthony Pittman joining Rodriguez in the mix behind them. Based on Campbell’s words Tuesday, it seems that Rodriguez is elevating himself in that grouping.

Malcolm Rodriguez: What draft experts said about the Lions LB before the draft

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Aidan Hutchinson earns praise for his Michael Jackson performance

Hutchinson “killed it” in his performance of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean”

Aidan Hutchinson is making a strong impression on the field with his outstanding play along the defensive line. It turns out the rookie is also quite a performer off the field, too.

Hutchinson earned acclaim and respect from his coaches for his rookie performance night. The No. 2 overall pick rocked the Lions house with a rendition of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean”.

Yeah, that happened.

“OK, two nights ago he had the song,” head coach Dan Campbell said before Monday’s practice. “He let us – it was the first one, we got him up there and his name and school, signing bonus and – I will say this, it was outstanding. He took a big step in respect of his teammates because it was a hell of a performance, just saying. ‘Billie Jean,’ right? Well, what’s the matter with that? Yeah, you’ll see it. He’s good, he’s really good.”

Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn backed it up, too.

“Outstanding, outstanding. Alright, man it was – it just reminded me of just old school, being rookies up there and the way he accepted it, and the way he went up there and performed, and man, you just saw the team just – around that player, so. Man, he has this personality about himself now that’s – that you don’t see from most rookies, which is a good thing.”

Right tackle Penei Sewell, who is getting the lion’s share of Hutchinson in practice reps, gave his seal of approval as well.

“Butter,” Sewell told reporters. “He scratched up a little bit at the beginning, but I get it. Jitters. But he killed it. That man killed it.”

Aidan Hutchinson earns praise for his Michael Jackson performance

Hutchinson “killed it” in his performance of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean”

Aidan Hutchinson is making a strong impression on the field with his outstanding play along the defensive line. It turns out the rookie is also quite a performer off the field, too.

Hutchinson earned acclaim and respect from his coaches for his rookie performance night. The No. 2 overall pick rocked the Lions house with a rendition of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean”.

Yeah, that happened.

“OK, two nights ago he had the song,” head coach Dan Campbell said before Monday’s practice. “He let us – it was the first one, we got him up there and his name and school, signing bonus and – I will say this, it was outstanding. He took a big step in respect of his teammates because it was a hell of a performance, just saying. ‘Billie Jean,’ right? Well, what’s the matter with that? Yeah, you’ll see it. He’s good, he’s really good.”

Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn backed it up, too.

“Outstanding, outstanding. Alright, man it was – it just reminded me of just old school, being rookies up there and the way he accepted it, and the way he went up there and performed, and man, you just saw the team just – around that player, so. Man, he has this personality about himself now that’s – that you don’t see from most rookies, which is a good thing.”

Right tackle Penei Sewell, who is getting the lion’s share of Hutchinson in practice reps, gave his seal of approval as well.

“Butter,” Sewell told reporters. “He scratched up a little bit at the beginning, but I get it. Jitters. But he killed it. That man killed it.”

Aaron Glenn declares open competition for starting CB job between Jeff Okudah and Will Harris

Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn declares open competition for starting outside CB job between Jeff Okudah and Will Harris

During the first few days of Detroit Lions training camp, we’ve seen a pretty steady rotation between Jeff Okudah and Will Harris as one of the Lions’ first-team outside cornerback spots. On Monday, defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn officially stated it’s a battle between the two for the gig.

It’s an interesting battle. Okudah is trying to assert himself after two disappointing, injury-riddled seasons since being the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft. Harris is moving from safety, where he’s been one of the league’s worst regular starters over the last couple of seasons.

So far, it’s been a great summer for both. Okudah looks faster than ever now that he’s fully recovered from an Achilles injury suffered in Week 1 last year. Harris has nicely built off a late-season emergency move to cornerback, looking far more natural than he ever did at safety.

Glenn let them know they’re working for the same goal: the starting outside spot across from Amani Oruwariye.

“I called both of those guys at the same time and just told them, ‘Here’s the deal. Are you guys going to compete?’ They look forward to it and they were open to seeing what the competition is going to be about,” Glenn said before Monday’s practice session.

Okudah battling for the job might seem like a disappointment for such a lofty recent draft pick, but it’s important that he must earn the role. Harris’ play has been a pleasant surprise thus far, ensuring that it’s a legitimate battle.

Head coach Dan Campbell agreed. Here’s what Campbell said Monday when asked if it’s a competition between Okudah and Harris,

“Yes, we do. Yes, we do. We think Will Harris is very much in play out there, and he’s getting a chance. He’s going to get a chance to compete for that, he and Okudah both. And so, it’s – may the best man win and let them go after it, and then see what we’ve got. I mean we – we’ll figure that out once we get to the season. You’d rather not be in a timeshare-type thing, but yet man, if they’re both guys we need to have out there, we’ll find a way to get them out there and use them.”

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