We won’t see the Detroit Lions on the field again until late July. The OTA workouts and mandatory minicamp of the last two weeks were our last glimpse at the team heading into the heart of the offseason.
Several Lions players impressed during the practice sessions that were open to the media. I sifted through my notes to identify the six who did the most to help their status with the team.
Nate Sudfeld
Sudfeld returns as the backup quarterback with considerable mystery. The veteran journeyman wasn’t part of the team last offseason and didn’t play any significant reps in 2022.
The first day of OTAs was not inspiring from No. 10, which made his rock-solid performance in the rest of the open practices all the more rewarding. Sudfeld executed Ben Johnson’s offense nicely, showing good touch on timing routes and a savvy understanding of where to go with the ball. He showed more alacrity in those final five practices than we ever saw from the man he replaced as the No. 2 in Detroit, Tim Boyle.
Derrick Barnes
Barnes is a player who needs to take a step forward in his third season. So far, so good for the off-ball linebacker.
Barnes played exclusively with the first-team defense throughout minicamp. While tackling — one of the most important facets of playing LB — wasn’t permitted, it was encouraging to see Barnes consistently be in position to deliver a lick. His pre-snap recognition and confidence in his reads have come a very long way, quite noticeably. The coverage drops and ability to communicate with fellow defenders are things we have not seen nearly often enough from Barnes in his first two seasons. We saw them in droves in June.
The Lions drafted Jack Campbell at No. 18 overall with the implicit notion of replacing Barnes. It’s great to see Barnes put up a serious fight. At worst, he’s going to provide experienced, quality depth at a position where the Lions haven’t had that in decades.
Starling Thomas
Thomas quickly emerged as the easy answer to the common question, “Which undrafted rookie has the best chance to make the team?”
The cornerback from UAB sure looks like the fastest player on the defense. He ran hip-to-hip with Jameson Williams on a post route and had enough gas in the tank to make a play on the ball. That was the first day.
The speed and length are consistently on display. If Thomas can more effectively jam at the line and recover when he doesn’t win that battle, he’s got a place on the 53-man roster despite his injury history (he’s torn hi left ACL twice) and advanced age (he turns 24 as a rookie). I came away from every single practice with the phrase “49 can play” in my notes.
Michael Badgley
Badgley wasn’t active during the offseason workouts. Yet he wound up being a big winner by doing nothing.
That’s because his two competitors for the Lions’ kicking job failed to do anything to viably threaten Badgley’s status. John Parker Romo had a couple of really nice long kicks and showed off the Matt Prater-esque leg strength many fans clamor for, but the XFL refugee lacks reliable accuracy and consistency. Riley Patterson quickly reminded everyone in Allen Park why he lost the kicking competition last offseason; his weaker leg and propensity to nearly hit one upright or the crossbar on just about every kick were on full display in every practice.
Badgley will have to prove himself in training camp, no doubt about it. But he’s got the early leg up after his competition faltered in June.
Sam LaPorta
Highly drafted tight ends face a different level of scrutiny in Detroit. History dictates as much, no matter how unfair that might be for LaPorta.
We haven’t had an opportunity to see him block just yet, but as a receiver, LaPorta showed quite a bit more polish and diversity of skills in the passing game than predecessors Eric Ebron or T.J. Hockenson did at the same point. He’s really fast off the line and catches everything near him. Those boxes are unquestionably checked.
Everything the Lions asked, or more correctly were allowed to ask, of LaPorta, the second-rounder did very, very well.
Cam Sutton
The Lions signed Sutton with the expectation he’ll step up as the team’s top cornerback right away. After watching Sutton in action, I’m ridiculously confident the veteran will live up to expectations.
Sutton is long and quick-footed in coverage. He’s got great instincts and an advanced football IQ that he’s not afraid to show to his DB mates. In one drill on the first day of minicamp, Sutton correctly ID’d and called out every single offensive route from the pre-snap formation.
Sutton is different, and I mean that in a positive way. He’s demanding of his fellow cornerbacks. He will not relent, not even in unpadded practices. This was a tough choice for the final player here with fellow newcomer C.J. Gardner-Johnson (also very impressive early on), but Sutton gets the nod for his role at perhaps the most critical position in Aaron Glenn’s defense.
