Detroit Lions players meet with the media on July 22 | 2025 Training Camp Day 3

Detroit Lions players meet with the media on July 22 | 2025 Training Camp Day 3

look a little bigger out there. How much about how much weight did you actually put on? I ain’t put on no weight. I I would say I put on no weight. I stepped on the scale. I was the same weight. I probably just got more, you know, musler. That was it probably. What’s your impressions of the secondary? I mean, it seems like they’re really, you know, challenging you guys. Yeah, man. I’m loving how they moving. I’m loving the um, you know, shout out to Coach Ship. He got some great defenses out there. you know, he just showing us a lot of looks, you know, a lot of looks we might not see from other teams and our DBs, you know, they’re aggressive and they want to go against the best guys. You know, we got the best guys, so they they’re so aggressive to towards going towards us, you know, we can help them as as much as they help us. So, I know it’s like a back and forth thing. You know, we helping each other get better every day. You have some good battles with DJ in particular. I mean, can you talk about that and what he’s brought to Um, I love the way he played, you know. Um he he showed me some things, you know, today he uh had a pass deflection on me. I went to him. I’m asking him like, “I know you have to be playing the hands cuz I’ve showed lay hands.” So, you know, just talking back and forth after, you know, me winning or losing against him. So, it’s nothing. It’s just helping each other get better. Like I said, I was just going to ask, is there anybody from that back end that’s kind of stood out to you a little bit early? Um, everybody. I ain’t going to lie. We got all pro safety Kirby. We got Terion Arnold going into his second year, DJ Reed, a vet. We got guys backing them up. You know, it all shout out to the D line, too. They getting the pressure to help the DBs, you know, not have to guard for so long. So, you know, I think it’s a whole defensive team, you know, they all helping each other. I know you’ve never really lacked like confidence, I guess, but is it fair to say that you’re, I guess, more comfortable out there now? Um, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I would say that, you know, going through the plays, going through the motions, it feels a lot better, you know, knowing what you have to do and knowing what you got, what routes you got, what’s the split, things like that. So, you know, it’s just it’s it’s always feels good just knowing what you can do. I know you’re always a team guy and that’s the the goal first, but car’s thousand yards, seven touchdowns last year. Is there anything that you kind of set up for yourself or any individual goals? Um, nah nah nah, I don’t really set goals. You know, I I my goal was to make it to the NFL. I’m here now. I got to win. That’s my goal. Win. I saw out there play too. I think it was Ke James that you were like it looked like giving him pointers or something like that. What’ you say? Uh it looked like Keeny James after one of those plays, you were like explaining something to him. Do you feel more comfortable doing those type of things as well? Um yeah, because you know, um hearing what like just sitting back and watching everybody meet, like I said, me knowing what what’s going on and what the plays is and everything, you know, um seeing just one little mistake, I can just go out there and help him fix everything and just next play he won’t have no more mess ups or nothing like that. So, you know, just I’m just trying to help everybody be the best they could be, including myself. What are your impressions of of John’s offense? You know, I love it. You know, he he he attacking every every aspect of the game and you know, he real aggressive. You know, I just like that about him. I love it about him. The way he coach us, the way he called his plays, you know, how he attack the game and everything. Looks like you and uh Jared pretty good on the same page here. You taking a lot of shots down the field. He’s looking to you quite often. Just that relationship. You guys feel like you’re you’re at a next level now. You real comfortable? Uh-huh. Yeah, I feel comfortable. You know, um it’s something we can continue to work on and get great at. You know, we not we can’t we we’re not at our best right now, but you know, eventually we going to keep working and it’s going to be clicking by the season. How much more do you feel comfortable as an overall player coming into this year compared to recent years? Uh I feel a lot comfortable. You know, year four, you know, training camp, um no distractions. You just out here playing football. That’s my main focus is playing football, getting out there making plays, doing what I can do for my team. Do you enjoy the chippy nature of the practice today? Oh yeah. Oh yeah. That that’s what make us so great. I think you know um we we not slowing down or you know going slow. You know we intense all the way until the touch of the a touch of the play. Um you know it’s it’s talking back and forth. You know we get each other going but you know we make plays and defense make plays. So you know it’s just back and forth. We’re just trying to get each other better and be ready for September 7th. Can you assess whether or not the offense is ahead of the defense at this point? I don’t really know. I we we just in day three right now. So hopefully, you know, we can uh be at the same point, just keep getting each other better and by time the game come, you know, nobody could stop us on on either side of the ball. Obviously Scotty’s been in the building for a couple of positions. What has it been like for him? Uh he’s a great uh NFL coach, man. I love him. um he he didn’t taught me so much just from me being in his room only for since he got the job and to to this day and it’s just going to get better and better and better. You know, he knows the game. He had some great receivers back in the day. You know, he went to the running back room. He now he’s back with receiver. So, you know, I just love the way he coach and I love the way he lets us go out there and play for oursel, but he’s still coaching us at the same time, you know. So, I think that’s the best thing. He let players be players and still coach on top of that. So, that’s the best thing. on a personal level, how do you want to be better this year? Um, you know, I guess the only thing I can say for that is, you know, make more plays and for my team, no matter if it’s running, passing, blocking, you know, no, no matter what it is, just being out there and making plays for my team, making more plays. When we were talking to John Morton a few weeks ago, he said that you guys had like sort of like you got together and you talked about like his expectations for you this year. And he said like so far you’ve like hit everything like the flying colors. Do you remember like that conversation, the things he wanted out of you? Um, yeah, but you know, like you said, I already checked those off. So, now we on to new things. So, um, once you get those things, you got to get those things down pack and keep getting better and getting new things checked off and the more the more you can do, the better you can get. Where do you feel like a more polished receiver? You said where do I Yeah. Where do you feel like more polished? Um, my route running, you know. Um, coach Coach Johnny Mo let me run more routes, you know. Um, I knew I could run more routes, but he’s putting me in position to run more routes. So, you know, I’m getting better with cuts and angles and how to run this route and that route. So, I would say more polish in my route game. You did talk about that aggression. Terion today. I mean, oh yeah, Terry, man. Well, he had a crazy play on one hand picking uh in one-on- ones, man, that was a lovely interception. I just feel like, man, one thing about uh TA, man, he stepped his game up, not only physically, but mentally, you know, taking a different approach every day coming out here on the ground. Do you feed off each other when the Oh, every time. Every time one of my brothers make a play, we all turn up. We all get some energy boost and and whenever somebody else make a play, man, everybody else turn up and make a play. I mean, uh, yeah, basically. Yeah. We also have not of what he’s doing mentally. Yesterday, Taran was talking to Scotty Montgomery about something he was researching for him. Is that something all you all you guys are doing with Scotty? I mean, he’s on the other side of the ball. You don’t Taran said he was researching something for Scotty Montgomery, something he wanted to look at or see? I ain’t hear nothing about you. First, this is my first time hearing something about that. What you researching? He didn’t tell you. I didn’t know. I don’t know what he was researching yet. I just wonder if you’re all doing that because you always see DBs researching stuff for the receivers, coach. No, I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know nothing about that. Does Scotty give you guys tips though as DBs sometimes or where y all y’all come from, man? Come on. What happened? Does Scotty give you guys tips as DBs? Uh just from another from the other perspective. Uh Scotty always gives us um you know tab tips in there. Um it’s more so we’re looking for more tips into the season. Not so right now because we just wanted that raw competition, you know. So, we don’t want no heads up. Like, you know, you guys persevered through so much on your side of the ball last year. To see some of these guys get back from their injuries. How much of a lift does that give you? And that’s amazing, man. Like, we don’t want to, nobody ever wants to see nobody gets injured, but injuries are part of the game, man. But I remember, man, the last last playoff game we had, man, that we had a lot of injuries out there. And then just to see everybody back playing this game, playing football, I feel like everybody loves that. You know what I’m saying? Like it it sucks to be on the sideline cuz you’re injured, you know? So being back out there on the grass, I feel like that boostes everybody confidence, you know. What early changes have you noticed between Shep and and Aaron Glenn so far? um early changes I would say it’s a lot more um expectation because um with AG was here we were still in that development or not I would want to say development but in that stage of getting guys right but now I feel like it’s a lot of things that we know what to expect and not even with the coaches but chef is putting a lot on the players to make calls and understand what’s going on certain situations you know cuz there’s a lot a lot of young guys grew up like for myself like you know what I’m saying this is my going in my fourth year. So, it’s a lot on my plate to understand what’s going on and get guys right. How do you guys manage the fine line between a physical practice where you get that intensity up yet you don’t push it too far? Huh? How do you manage the fine line in practice of being physical and aggressive and getting what you need to out of these workouts without without pushing it too far? I mean, obviously things got a little chippy today. A guy got tossed. Um, you just got to tow the line, man, and figure all the other stuff later. You know what I’m saying? We got violence right now. Just figure out how to be violent, and after that, we’ll I rather I’ll say it like this. I rather tell you slow down than giddy up, you know? Mhm. Hey, do you view this secondary as a strength of the defense? I mean, with with all all the guys that you have and the addition of DJ, I feel like uh the whole defense is a strength. I wouldn’t say it’s just the back end, you know what I’m saying? But you know, we got guys like Ader, we got guys like Jack, we got guys like me, Brian. Like, it’s it’s guys all over the place. Even DJ, like it’s guys all over the place. So, I wouldn’t say there’s not one single strength. You know what I’m saying? You’re only strong as you’re only as strong as your weakest link. So, like I feel like everybody plays a part into, you know, winning games and making plays on the field. And Jared said yesterday that you’ve been pissing him off because you keep on denying the deep ball in practice so far. Can Can you sense the the offense? What you think? I’m going to let him go. Well, I got to do my job. I get paid to do my job, bro. Like, I ain’t going to lie. I want him to try it. You know what I’m saying? So, I’m trying to figure out a ways to make it a little open so I get him cuz he see me. Come on now, bro. You know what I’m saying? But I mean, you going to be mad. You’re going to be mad, JG, bro. I’m sorry, bro. I’m sorry. But can you can you sense the offense trying to Can you sense the offense trying to struct things vertically more maybe season past? I feel like this offense, especially in this league nowadays, you know, everybody likes the pass game and the and the deep ball. So, it’s like um one one thing that’s my strength that I take that away. You know what I’m saying? So them trying to go deep on me is also al also making making sure I stay on my toes cuz you know it’s team run but they going boot and they going deep. You know what I’m saying? Oneoff plays and stuff like that. So just make sure I’m on my toes and stuff. I mean how would you describe the challenge defending against Saint and how does that compare to the way you need to defend against certain other receivers? Um I feel like Saint is a great receiver. So you know what I’m saying? Like a lot of the moves or a lot of the a lot of routes he gives is like one of the best of the league. You know what I’m saying? So go against a top receiver like that. I feel like that just makes guys better because what we do here is we compete, you know. So the more you compete, the more you sharpen the iron. So iron sharp iron in that sense. How important is Alex Analone to this defense and what you guys want to accomplish and how tough is it to see him standing on the sideline not practicing? Um, Alex is my guy, man. He has things he has to handle on his part. I’m not going to say too much on that part, but man, I support him whatever he feels like he needs to do his best. You know what I’m saying? And that’s just him. How you feeling physically back on the field? Obviously, I did last season injured, but you feel bad to yourself. Um h that’s going to be a hard question. You know, that’s a day-to-day thing, you know. Um I don’t know. I feel better. I guess are you where you hope to be or wanted to be at this point in in your return? I really wanted to be perfect, but uh you know, I I can say with the work we’ve been doing, I feel good. Marus, the number one question I think for fans in this town is when is the team going to add a big pass rusher outside of Aiden Hutchinson? Are you that answer that that people have forgotten about in this town in lacrosse football? Um, forgotten about. Yeah. Uh, what’s the word? I mean, honestly, if y’all looking for someone, don’t look at me. Just let me be me. I’m going go out there and try to stay healthy and do what I can. What do you mean by that? Don’t don’t look at me. What’s the word? I don’t know. I don’t really like it when people talk about me anymore, good or bad. You know, shoot, I got to hold a chip on my shoulder and then with every good thing, shoot, the next day, people be coming at me anyway. So, if people can leave me alone and let me just work, uh, I’ll be happy. How confident are you about this line’s ability to produce this year with yourself included in that mix? Very confident. I would say last year, you know, we did very well for a lot of injuries and um this year we’re just building off of that. How does he look to you so far just, you know, playing opposite of him? Man, he’s that guy. Um he looks phenomenal. you know, he we be trying to talk through like certain movements and plays and, you know, it’s hard when he’s so like I would say uh fluid where I think I’m more rigid and you know, sure, you know, we bounce ideas off each other, but then again, uh we just got to keep developing our own games. You said yesterday that you’re one of the best edges rushers that he’s ever worked with. How do you feel like you guys complent each other? Hm. Interesting. Uh, I don’t know yet. You know, honestly, that’s a everyday coming to work and finding out kind of thing. But, you know, I I try to watch him and get what I can and then do do me. You were you were a first round pick. You had a nine sack season in the NFL, but in in some ways, do you feel forgotten about? And is that part of the chip on your shoulder that you just referenced? Forgotten about. Um, man, you know, all these injuries. Shoot, I see a picture posted about me. I repost it and I get all these comments. I don’t even want to say forgotten about, you know, I know there’s you can’t really have relevance without, you know, being available. And so that is what that is is right now I just got to do my day-to-day thing and uh let my work speak. How deep is your desire to be available for 17 games and this season? Uh, I’m trying to be available every day. You know, the games will come. If I take care of my days, then I’ll be fine. All good. Bet. Thank you guys. It’s just uh Dan gave you a chance to break down the huddle today, and I assume that was a nod to some plays you made at practice today. Just was that did that feel like a reward for for a good day’s work for you? I really can’t take rewards if I do. Uh, I don’t want to say bad things happen, but you know, hey, you keep my chip under their wing, you know, especially like guys like Taylor Decker. I really look up to him. So, yeah. How’s that working with him this season? What did you get out of that? How was that? Oh, I got to learn so much from him, you know, just in terms of like, you know, his life off like outside of here. You know, we even talked about, you know, just non- football stuff and just football stuff too, you know. Um, I trained at the same facility as him and that was uh all thanks to him, you know, cuz he wanted me there to work out with him and he’s a he’s a great guy. He’s a he’s a role model to me and um yeah, there’s so much I’ve learned from him, you know, just the way I carry myself, too. Um, as far as like a player off the field and stuff. Uh, yeah, great dude, man. Um, uh, hopefully one day I get to fill his shoes. So, yeah. How did that come about? How I guess when did he come to you without somebody else? Well, like it’s it’s easy, man. like he’s the longest tenure uh lion for a reason, right? And um you know, my my hopes and I, you know, every hope as a player, you know, when they enter the league is is is to have that type of career, you know, stay with one team. You know, he’s a pro bowler. Uh he’s had multiple contract extensions. You know, that’s that’s something I want to do. So, I just asked him, “What’s your what’s your recipe to success?” And he just told me, you know, like just come down to Arizona and train with me and and just learn from me. And you know, that was a no-brainer to me. So, that was during the season, that conversation. Yeah. towards the end of the season cuz I was in this l of like staying here and train with Penn or or you know like go go somewhere warmer and he was like you know he was like yeah come somewhere come come down to Arizona you know nicer weather uh great group of people there you know it’s not only just him there’s Moody Jarco uh another two guys that I’ve learned a lot from him too so um yeah I’m just happy to I’m basically just like a sponge so getting everything from them but yeah Taylor Decker has been a huge he’s been a huge uh help to me honestly Um yeah, there’s not much more I could say about the guy other than he’s he’s just great dude. Did you stay in his place or did you get your own place? I got my own place, but um I saw him pretty much every day in the facility. So no, Penny is not mad. I mean, Penny is chill. I mean, he’s a he’s like a brother to me, too. Um great guy. Um but yeah, you talked about the confidence. How important is it for that job that left, you know, having greater confidence. How much has you seen that on the field? Yeah, you know, my confidence, you know, compared to last year, it’s it’s gotten way better. And that had I saw that like even the coaching staff told me throughout the year, you know, that year of development, you know, they started to see it towards the end. And, you know, that’s something that, you know, as a left tackle, you need because yeah, at the end of the day, you’re projecting, you’re protecting JG’s blind side, you know, that’s that’s that’s the franchise right there, you know, and you got to take it with great pride, right? you know, the basically in my opinion, you know, left tackle is like most athletic dude on the line, you know, because they put that responsibility on you to make, you know, the quarterback can look away and and feel safe. So, yeah. What are you looking specifically, if anything, to show coaches this game? What do you under your belt? I just want to show them, you know, that I’m the player that they wanted me to be. You know, I’m the player that they they drafted and and um I’m the player that they that they, you know, saw towards the end of the year, which is, you know, that aggression, you know, that high confidence, you know, I just want to take it up a notch, you know, from last year. And I want to prove to them, you know, that that I got what it takes, you know, to step foot on that field, you know, when I when I need to be called on, right? So, that that’s what I’m I’m going to do, you know, just chip away at it every day. So, yeah. How do you attain the consistency, I guess, that you you talked about, right? still thinking every once in a while or still having some of those those snaps. What’s the key to to being a little more consistent? Um just extra work, right? Um you know, extra film study, extra time with my coaches, you know, I need to do more time on myself too. Um studying, you know, these long days. But, um yeah, I would say, you know, just like like going to work every day, uh being consistent about that is that that’s how you clean up those mental errors. And a big part of it is just learning and growing from from those mistakes. much last year. Oh, it’s changed a lot. Um, Coach Clark and all those guys in there have done a great job with me. Um, yeah, I came in to uh OTAAS at 365. Right now I’m 340. Uh, feeling real good. I’m about 21% body fat. So, yeah, I feel good. Um, it’s a huge thanks to the strength coach strength uh staff here and and coach Hank, too, for getting me right on the field. So, yeah, Dan had thoughts early in the offseason about maybe you being in the mix at guard. I mean, obviously playing tackle out here now. Can you share some of those conversations if if there were any and just how comfortable do you feel, you know, at inside if you need to move in? Well, uh, as of right now, you know, my most com comfort level right now at playing would be left tackle, you know, but obviously, you know, we have we have Decker there, you know. Um uh in terms of guard guard play, um I was told by Hank, you know, that just to um assume that I’m going to play mostly tackle and guard would be like maybe something long down on the road. So, uh for now, my focus is purely tackle. Looking forward to putting on the sort of testing sort of new body out there. Yeah, for sure. I mean, you know, like pads or no pads, I mean, when we’re on the field here, we’re we’re practicing like we got no we got pads on. So like today’s practice felt like you know we were we were already in pads so it’s no different to me. So and you could probably ask these guys too like we we go hard with pads or no pads so it’s just another day. It looked like difference less um out there. Yeah for sure. Like my endurance um I feel a lot a lot quicker too. You know it’s like unhooking the trailer and just just go right. So yeah. I just want to ask one more thing about today’s practice. It was pretty pretty physical, you know, for a non- padded practice. A little bit chippy there. You guys anxious to get those pads on. And just the word about today’s practice, too. And Oh, yeah. You know, like we we’ve trained like basically three months or whatever it is to this moment here. So, guys are just ready to put on what they what they’ve been working hard for. You know, guys are wanting to make the roster on all that, you know, and everybody’s wanting to prove themselves, especially myself, right? So obviously, you know, when every time I’m on that field and every time I get a chance to, you know, get a wrap in, I tell myself I’m going to go 100%. And that’s either like I play uh the game, you know, either I have pads on or not, I’m going balls to the wall. So yeah.

Hear from Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams, safety Kerby Joseph, EDGE Marcus Davenport and offensive lineman Gio Manu. As they speak to the media on July 22, 2025 at Detroit Lions Training Camp presented by Rocket.

0:00 – 6:03 – Jameson Williams
6:04 – 11:10 – Kerby Joseph
11:11 – 14:39 – Marcus Davenport
14:40 – 21:03 – Gio Manu

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