Top takeaways from the first week of Detroit Lions training camp

The first week of Detroit Lions training camp flew by. Since kicking off camp last Sunday, the Lions have held six practice sessions at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park. With this Sunday being an off day, let’s look back at some of the top takeaways from the first week of training camp.

D.J. Reader is a massive difference-maker

One of the biggest free agent additions in 2024, Reader didn’t have the expected impact on the defensive line in his first season in Detroit. Reader was coming off a second torn quadriceps, and the injury that ended his Bengals tenure bled into his Lions start.

Now he’s healthy and playing the sort of impactful interior defense that the Lions expected from the veteran. Reader looks outstanding as the anchor of the defensive line, earning accolades in every session for his outstanding work in run defense. He’s also flashed some ability to generate pressure up the gut in the passing game, too.

One of my personal biggest appeals of Reader when he came to Detroit was his proven ability to make everyone around him better. I saw it firsthand in his young days with the Houston Texans, and Bengals players and media raved about it. We didn’t really see that in Reader’s first year in Detroit because of the injuries, both his lingering leg and those of (seemingly) everyone around him. Through the first week, Reader has not only been great in his own right, but he’s made life so much easier for guys like Jack Campbell, Zach Cunningham and rookie Tyleik Williams to thrive.

Center remains very unsettled

Losing longtime stalwart Frank Ragnow to retirement has definitely left a mark on the Lions. The Ragnow succession plan has, thus far, featured separate trials for second-round rookie Tate Ratledge and grizzled vet Graham Glasgow.

Through one week, which featured just one fully-padded practice, there is no clear front-runner. Ratledge is learning the position on the fly, having played right guard at Georgia. The snapping is there for the eager rookie, but the more cerebral aspects of the job — recognizing the defensive front, calling out protections, working combo blocks — are going to take some time. Ratledge himself admitted that after Saturday’s practice, in a chat with Lions legend Lomas Brown that the rookie clearly appreciated.

Glasgow took over the first-team center reps midweek, and while the calls and the headiness are there, the run blocking specifically just isn’t the same. Going against Reader and friends hasn’t helped, but both centers have had issues creating movement and also sustaining blocks in the pass game. It’s hard to say who is going to start the season at center.

It’s also almost impossible to know who will be the No. 2 center. The battle there has featured Kingsley Eguakun, Michael Niese and Colby Sorsdal. None have stepped up and seized the lead through the first week. I’d give the early nod to Niese, but only because Eguakun has been the best of that trio at playing guard–not center.

Best QB room the Lions have had in years

To say this is the best Detroit Lions quarterback room in my time covering the team (this is year 11 of being credentialed media, with several years before that in the books too) requires some context. The statement encompasses the starter through the No. 3, with an emphasis on the starter but also consistency of performance and existential hope that the reserves could step into a regular-season game and not ruin the team’s chances.

In Jared Goff, Hendon Hooker and Kyle Allen, the Lions have a pretty impressive QB room. Goff has been quite sharp overall, making smart choices and delivering passes with the right amount of zip and touch that we’ve come to expect of the heady Goff in Detroit. He’s not Matthew Stafford in his Detroit prime, but this offense doesn’t need that, and Goff remains a great fit and outstanding leader for the Lions.

Hooker’s growth into Year 3 has been quite impressive. Now fully healthy, Hooker sure looks like he’s taking the proverbial next step into being a viable NFL No. 2 QB. Most importantly, Hooker is getting the ball out on time to where and when it needs to be. Hooker has flashed the running ability too, better choosing his spots to tuck and run.

Kyle Allen has been a wonderful breath of air as the No. 3. In conversations I had with various other media members throughout the week, the opinion that Allen is better than any Lions No. 2 in a long time is a unanimous one. Allen has a good arm, quick release and impressive pocket mobility and awareness. No need for Dan Campbell to call Teddy Bridgewater and talk about coming back.

Grant Stuard is a force of nature

Grant Stuard didn’t arrive in Detroit with much fanfare. Known primarily as a special teams specialist with the Colts, Stuard was a guy who wasn’t projected to make the Lions 53-man roster in some predictions. That seems laughable after the first week.

Stuard remains a force of nature on special teams. He’s simply unblockable on punt and kick coverage units, using his very impressive speed but also preternatural sense of where the play is going and how to avoid the block. He even showed legit potential as a return man in one practice.

But it’s been on defense where Stuard has shone brighter than expected. The same ability to strike downhill and avoid blocks is there for Stuard at linebacker too. Playing on the second-team LB unit in the spot where injured Malcolm Rodriguez would be, Stuard looks closer to pushing for a starting role than being someone the Lions can bump to exclusive special teams duty once Rodriguez gets healthy midseason.

Sam LaPorta is back

Not that the Lions tight end really went anywhere, but there is a perception somewhat rooted in fantasy football that LaPorta didn’t have a great year in 2024. On the heels of a record-breaking rookie campaign in 2023, LaPorta’s production numbers did fall back a bit last season.

LaPorta was slowed a bit by injury in 2024, but the fall-off was more about the Lions having so many great offensive weapons. Through the first week of camp, it’s clear new offensive coordinator John Morton and passing game coordinator David Shaw recognize that LaPorta can present a massive mismatch for the Lions against opposing defenses.

That has played out during the first week of camp. Goff has looked LaPorta’s way almost by default when he’s under pressure, and No. 87 has caught everything thrown his way. We’re seeing LaPorta make defenders miss in space after the catch. We’re also seeing a tenacious blocker who has improved the consistency of his engagement angle.

Tough decisions are coming at safety

One of the few roster spots up for grabs is at reserve safety, where the Lions are replacing Ifeatu Melifonwu as the No. 3 safety and looking for a No. 4. Outside of seventh-round rookie Dan Jackson and free agent vet (and Detroit native) Avonte Maddox, the presumptive depth front-runners, there is precious little proven with any of the combatants.

The first week of camp has assuaged some anxiety about the safety depth. Maddox looks to be acclimating well as both a slot and a single-high safety. Jackson can blitz, he can (mostly) tackle and he has a high football IQ as the de facto Melifonwu replacement. But they’re both being pushed to keep on earning those spots.

Erick Hallett earned a player of the day nod in the notebook with a pick-six off Goff and spirited coverage. Like Maddox (and starter Brian Branch), Hallett can play multiple spots. The pick-six came while playing outside CB and covering Jameson Williams.

Morice Norris and Loren Strickland are both right there to pounce in the box/strong safety role if Jackson falters or gets hurt. Norris got ejected from Tuesday’s practice for being too physical, but it’s hard to think that hurts his chances in Detroit. Strickland, also in his second season in Detroit, plays on train tracks too often, but he hits like a locomotive and has quickly proven an outstanding blitzer from the slot. Norris gets the edge in coverage between the two, but both pale in comparison in pass defense to undrafted rookie Ian Kennelly. The Grand Valley State product shows plenty of potential as a direct reserve behind All-Pro Kerby Joseph.

It could very well be that none of the trio of Strickland, Norris and Kennelly make the team. And it’s difficult to see Detroit using three practice squad spots on young safeties. Tough choices are coming here, and the preseason games are going to be a showcase for the safety depth.

Players who need to step it up

With the first preseason game looming on Thursday, there are a few Lions competing for depth spots that need to prove they can do more than they’ve shown in the first week. Among those:

More: Giovanni Manu: Evaluating his progress after the Lions first padded practice

This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Top takeaways from the first week of Detroit Lions training camp

Top takeaways from the first week of Detroit Lions training camp

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