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.
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.
Jamo participates, sort of...
At the onset of practice, the Lions ran the first-team offense through a slow-paced walkthrough. What was notable here is who was starting as the outside WR on the right side.
Jameson Williams.
“Jamo” still isn’t fully back from his leg injury, but he was healthy enough to take the reps in the walkthrough. Head coach Dan Campbell indicated before practice that Williams would “be out there,” and it was good to see him getting much-needed reps. Even at half speed, these are critical chances for Williams to develop his skills and cohesion in the passing offense.
The second-team connection
The pitch-and-catch combination of QB Nate Sudfeld and WR Dylan Drummond looked outstanding on the reserve field. The duo clearly has some chemistry together; whenever Sudfeld needed an open target, he zeroed in on Drummond.
Drummond, an undrafted rookie from Eastern Michigan, did a great job with his breaks in a red zone drill. His execution on a rub route from the slot left CB Chase Lucas grasping at air, and Sudfeld delivered a strike along the back side of the end zone. Drummond cooked Lucas a rep later too, this time on a shallow out route where the wideout nicely sold an upfield path before snapping it off for an easy TD.
Sudfeld looked confident and pretty accurate throwing on Sunday, specifically when targeting Drummond.
Adrian Martinez
Martinez continues to work as the third-team quarterback. The undrafted rookie from Kansas State (and earlier, Nebraska) got some extra work with offensive assistant coach J.T. Barrett at throwing on the run, something Barrett used to do quite well during his Ohio State days.
It wasn’t a perfect session for Martinez as he worked on his footwork, posture and hip rotation while moving to his left. Barrett wanted the rookie to square his shoulders better and to throw the ball higher on routes to the back of the end zone. It was interesting to watch Barrett coach and Martinez learning; we don’t often get to witness the individual instruction up close.
Martinez has had his moments throughout camp, enough to keep him around as the No. 3 until third-rounder Hendon Hooker is ready. The upcoming preseason games will be very critical for Martinez.
Extra work
It’s well-known that wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown catches his 202 passes from the JUGS machine after every practice. He did that once again. But he’s not the only offensive player getting extra work.
Today, wideout Kalif Raymond — also per his typical daily routine — caught dozens of passes at various angles and states of movement. After Raymond finished his set, running back Craig Reynolds took his turn with the JUGS.
Reynolds isn’t known for his hands as much as his hard-charging running style. He’s working hard to change that. Reynolds caught many short-range passes at high velocity, making sure to quickly secure the ball into his body to prevent would-be defenders from getting at the ball.
While all that was going on, Hendon Hooker worked under the careful eye of a trainer and threw at least 200 passes. The third-round rookie continues to rehabilitate from December ACL surgery, and he looks better by the day.
Here’s a little video of Hooker working well after practice ended. Pay attention to his front (left) foot and leg as he throws; Hooker is no longer altering his normal delivery or footwork, something he did do a bit when I saw him throwing similarly in June. Progress…
Hendon Hooker throwing after Lions practice. Accuracy is on point. He's been throwing for a good 20 minutes. pic.twitter.com/igd4A7EByG
— Jeff Risdon (@JeffRisdon) July 30, 2023
Quick hits
–Martha Ford made her first appearance in training camp. The 97-year-old former owner, and mother of current owner Sheila Hamp, was warmly received by the fans. Dan Campbell and the players showed Ford, who was well-liked by the players and coaches during her ownership stint, some pretty cool respect at the end of practice,
A special play to finish today's #LionsCamp practice pic.twitter.com/QgAbVcQblE
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) July 30, 2023
–Many veteran players did not participate beyond stretching out at the start. That’s understandable during a walkthrough. It led to an interesting look at the offensive line depth chart pecking order.
With Taylor Decker, Frank Ragnow and Penei Sewell all out, tackles Matt Nelson and Germain Ifedi slid into the starting lineup. Regular RG Graham Glasgow moved to center and Halapoulivaati Vaitai jumped into the RG spot.
On the deeper units, it’s worth noting that veteran Logan Stenberg was repping at guard behind the likes of Ross Pierschbacher, Colby Sorsdal, Darrin Paulo and Kayode Awosika. All the others listed there got some second-team reps, but Stenberg never moved up from the bottom unit.
–Undrafted rookie Brad Cecil got second-team reps at center, which has typically been Pierschbacher’s domain. Without pads it’s difficult to make any sort of performance assessment, but Cecil has looked like he belongs throughout camp. The UDFA from Kentucky will not be an easy cut.
–None of the kicking was live today, so there is no update on the battles at long snapper and placekicker.
