Detroit Lions training camp notebook: Day 1 observations and takeaways

USA Today

3 days ago

Detroit Lions training camp kicked off its media access on Sunday morning. Under a cloudy sky with occasional spits of raindrops, the Lions took to the practice fields at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park.
The players were not in pads, and the initial session was a shorter one (90 minutes) than typical, as players and coaches get back into the swing of being in camp. Detroit is starting a few days earlier than normal with the team participating in the Pro Football Hall of Fame game in 11 days.
Here's what I saw on the field in the first training camp practice of the 2025 season.
Play of the day
Undrafted rookie safety Ian Kennelly gets the nod here for a great coverage and pass breakup on a Hendon Hooker throw up the right sideline. The entire secondary had locked up the initial reads in the passing set, and Hooker rolled to his right to get a better angle on a comeback route. Kennelly burst in front of the receiver and swatted down the ball with his right arm, to the great jubilation of the starting defensive backs, who mobbed the Grand Valley State product in celebration after the rep.
That play edges out Jared Goff expertly feathering a deep post route just over the leaping Amik Robertson and into Tim Patrick's arms early in practice. Really nice route by Patrick, who got a little space with a savvy pushoff, and the throw was as good as it gets.
Skipper and the LTs
With Taylor Decker on the PUP list as he recovers from what head coach Dan Campbell termed a "clean-up" on his shoulder, veteran Dan Skipper took the first-team reps at left tackle. Jamarco Jones was the second-team LT, followed by Giovanni Manu.
With the practice not padded, it's hard to get too deep on the OL/DL performance other than movement skills. Skipper continues to get out into space well on screens and effectively seals the backside for cutback runs with his length.
Manu appears to have redistributed some of his weight into more muscle in the shoulders and more overall muscle tone. He's a naturally big man, but he might have been carrying a little extra bulk as a rookie. Ben Raven from MLive and I noted that Manu's calves and thighs were definitely more toned and sculpted than a year ago as Manu walked off the field.
Bubbling up?
It's Day 1, so keep that in mind as needed context, but a couple of younger players wound up getting some reps higher up on the Lions' food chain than expected.
EDGE Nate Lynn took some first-team reps in the period before stretching. With Josh Paschal out until at least early September per Campbell, the Lions need someone to step up as a reserve pass rusher. Lynn, who spent his rookie season on the practice squad after being signed as an undrafted free agent from William & Mary, had made some splashy rushes a year ago. It appears the Lions are open to seeing what Lynn can do.
Also in that period, Erick Hallett repped as the first-team safety in place of Kerby Joseph, who returned and looked very spry following the stretching. Hallett was up there ahead of Avonte Maddox, Dan Jackson, Morice Norris, Ian Kennelly and Loren Strickland. Again--it's the first day, so it's important not to read too much into anything other than the Lions looking to see what they've got. Hallett spent 2024 on Detroit's practice squad.
Rakestraw goes down
Second-year cornerback Ennis Rakestraw left practice with trainers after suffering an injury in a passing rep when he got tied up with a receiver on a route. He is being evaluated for a chest injury, per the Lions. More info on Rakestraw will come as it's made available; we're not permitted to speculate on the severity or exact injury.
The QBs
Jared Goff looked to be in midseason form with his throws, starting out with a picture-perfect connection to TE Sam LaPorta on the sidelines. Goff notably threw a deep dart to Amon-Ra St. Brown that was in perfect stride some 50 yards down the field. No. 16 even showed off some wheels in team drills, bursting through a wide hole up the middle and gaining a good 10 yards before any of the defenders got to him.
Hendon Hooker was, well, Hendon Hooker. Just as was the case last season, he mixes in some outstanding throws with some ponderous misses. That was very evident in a 7-on-7 drill where he bounced a short pass to Dominic Lovett but then rifled a perfect throw to UDFA TE Zach Horton in between closing defenders that resulted in a very big gain on Hooker's very next rep. He wasn't my main focus, but I didn't see or hear any of last year's issues with Hooker being too hesitant to throw the ball. Hooker and Horton connected a couple of times on nice in-stride throws in the seam.
Kyle Allen is the new No. 3 and from one practice, it's easy to see why the Lions had interest. He's got a quick release and can move around in the pocket with his eyes up. Allen showed the weakest arm of the trio, but that's relative.
Replacing Levi
Defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike is out for the year with a torn ACL. That's a big dent in the depth chart, as Onwuzurike played both tackle and end in Detroit's 4- and 5-man fronts. Most of the reps that would be anticipated to go to Onwuzurike went to veteran Pat O'Connor, especially in the 5-man fronts (which are fairly common). Chris Smith and Myles Adams each got reps as well.
Quick hits
--Tate Ratledge and Graham Glasgow each got first-team center reps. Glasgow moved to right guard as Ratledge slid into the pivot, but when Glasgow was at center, Ratledge did not play any guard reps that I noted (he might have and I just didn't see them).
--Kalif Raymond casually fielding a punt with a ball already tucked in his arm is a good indication that the wideout is comfortably ensconced as the top punt return option. He was followed in PR reps by (in order): Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, D.J. Reed, Tom Kennedy. I didn't see a ball touch the ground that wasn't supposed to.
--Newcomer Avonte Maddox primarily played high safety with the second-team defense in his first practice in Detroit.
--The Lions experimented with some looks where Amik Robertson was the outside corner with Terrion Arnold in the slot on the same side. When the slot went to D.J. Reed's side, Robertson travelled that way and Arnold played outside. Again--first day observation and perhaps nothing more than that.