The Detroit Lions get their first day off from on-field activities in training camp on Thursday. It’s a good time to reset for the players and coaching staff to reevaluate where they are in the ramp-up to the padded practice sessions that begin over the weekend.
Here are a few developments from the first few days of training camp that represent some change from the initial pre-camp thought process.
Competition at right guard?
All offseason, the Lions have excitedly trumpeted the value of having the entire projected starting offensive line intact. It is something that didn’t happen in either of the last two seasons thanks to unfortunate injuries.
Last season the injury bug bit starting right guard Halapoulivaati Vaitai. Big V missed the 2022 season with back surgery. Vaitai talked up his health in minicamp, and every lineman spoke about the value of continuity and cohesion.
The team brought free agent Graham Glasgow back to Detroit, ostensibly in the role Evan Brown played the last two seasons. Brown was a very capable reserve at both guard and center; Brown handled extended fill-in duties well in 2021 (for center Frank Ragnow) and 2022 (for Vaitai at RG). But in the first few day of Lions camp, Glasgow has consistently received first-team reps at right guard. Vaitai has been limited with a minor (undisclosed) injury, but even when Big V was good to go, Glasgow took some of the starter reps.
Few expected any real competition on the starting offensive line. I certainly did not. Will that be something that persists, or is it simply the team evaluating if Glasgow — who fell off precipitously after a gruesome leg injury in 2021 in Denver — is ready for the task of potentially playing a lot?
Where does Denzel Mims fit?
The recent trade that brought veteran WR Denzel Mims to Detroit has started off well enough. The former Jets’ second-round pick is acclimating to his new team and finding his place in coordinator Ben Johnson’s offense.
Mims joining the competition alters the back half of the wide receiver depth chart. As an athletic deep threat, Mims provides extra, unexpected competition for seventh-round rookie Antoine Green. They’re both getting longer looks with veteran Marvin Jones sitting out with a back injury.
It’s still way too early to know if Mims will make it, but the effort and dedication to learning the offense are looking good so far. That’s already more than Mims offered the Jets the last couple of summers.
Sam LaPorta the clear top TE
It’s not a surprise that Sam LaPorta is earning rave reviews and seizing the starting TE job. But the fact that LaPorta, a second-round rookie from Iowa, has already run away with any tight end competition is eye-opening.
LaPorta is getting almost all the first-team reps in every drill. He’s consistently mentioned as one of the top players in the noncontact practices and has shown easy chemistry with QB Jared Goff.
If LaPorta continues to demonstrate he can defy projections and be a major weapon early on, it makes the Detroit offense that much more explosive and dynamic.
Charles Harris reestablishing himself as a starter
Charles Harris was one of the pleasant developments of the first year of the Dan Campbell regime. A former first-round washout, Harris resuscitated his career by having a strong season at EDGE in 2021 in Detroit.
His 2022 did not go well for Harris. He was largely ineffective as a pass rusher before being lost for the season with a groin injury. The emergence of rookie dynamo James Houston appeared to bury Harris’ chances to work back into the starting lineup this season.
Someone forgot to tell Harris that he’s done. He’s been a consistent starter throughout camp, earning the EDGE reps opposite Aidan Hutchinson. Detroit’s defense is using more 5-man fronts, and Harris has solidified himself as one of the five in those looks. Based on Dan Campbell’s comments about Harris, it doesn’t look like that status will change.
LB competition really amping up
Off-ball linebacker has been a sore spot in Detroit for years. In 2023, some internal development and increased devotion to upgrading the position looks like it might be paying off.
There is quite the camp competition brewing. First-round rookie Jack Campbell worked in some first-team reps on Wednesday, elevating up from primarily being on the second team. Campbell is anticipated to start at some point in 2023.
The presence of youngsters Derrick Barnes and Malcolm Rodriguez, and the skill development of both, crowds the picture. With veteran Alex Anzalone providing the leadership and steadiness in all facets, the Lions suddenly have four seemingly capable LBs in a defense that typically only plays two of them. It would be remiss not to mention Jalen Reeves-Maybin, back after a Texans sojourn. Reeves-Maybin has also shown promising ability in coverage and early drills.
Once the pads get strapped on and tackling is allowed, we’ll have a much better feel for where the LB unit is at. But the perennial bellyaching over the off-ball LBs sure seems like a thing of the past.
