Allen Park — Here are some notes and observations from the Detroit Lions’ training camp practice Monday.
► The harmonious relationships between the local professional sports franchises continued on Monday with Detroit Pistons coach Dwane Casey and general manager Troy Weaver in attendance for practice. The two took in the action along the sideline running between the two fields while chatting with Lions president Rod Wood and GM Brad Holmes.
The Pistons, who are going through their own rebuild, recently landed a cornerstone piece with the selection of Oklahoma State standout Cade Cunningham with the No. 1 pick in the draft. The Lions tweeted out a welcome message to Cunningham after he was picked and the young star recently threw out a ceremonial first pitch for the Detroit Tigers.
► The Lions were a little short on linebackers with Reggie Gilbert missing practice and rookie Derrick Barnes continuing to be limited by an unknown injury. Jahlani Tavai, who exited a practice last weekend, was back working with the second-team defense on Monday.
► Quarterback Jared Goff had an up-and-down day, which is arguably an improvement from the way he’s performed since the beginning of camp. His first throw in 11-on-11 came out of his hands with an uncharacteristic wobble and ended up wide of tight end T.J. Hockenson. But Goff came back and dropped a beautiful deep pass into the waiting hands of Breshad Perriman, over the coverage of Amani Oruwariye.
► After that segment of practice, safety Tracy Walker ran over to the video board and intently reviewed each of those plays. He had lost Hockenson in his zone and the defender was interested in making an instant correction instead of waiting to review the play later in the day. As for the second rep, it was Will Harris, not Walker, who failed to get over the top and provide coverage support for Oruwariye.
It’s unclear what Walker was trying to identify here, but as the emerging leader in the secondary, it’s possible he was looking to help make corrections that extended beyond his own performance.
► Backup quarterback Tim Boyle continues to have the most success at the position to start camp. After an uneven showing through the early stages of the offseason program and a sluggish start to camp, Boyle has settled into a groove the past few practices.
On Monday, Boyle showed off his arm strength, zipping a tight-window ball to Quintez Cephus along the right sideline that the receiver hauled in by dragging his feet just inside the white line. Boyle had another bullet completion to slot receiver Kalif Raymond across the middle a snap later.
► David Blough, working with the third-team offense, didn’t have his best day. He tried to fit a ball to Tom Kennedy in the middle of the field, only to see it intercepted by linebacker Anthony Pittman. The third-year pro was in great position on the play, allowing him to undercut the route and make the easy grab.
► The pads won’t come on for the first time until Tuesday, but the defensive line looks ready to go. During one 11-on-11 segment, they repeatedly found their way into the backfield, disrupting Detroit’s quarterbacks and clogging the running lanes for the backs. Defensive end Trey Flowers had a nice rush against Taylor Decker, coming free on an inside move that likely results in a sack in a game situation.
► Victor Bolden snapped out of a quiet stretch to start camp with back-to-back grabs from Boyle. The first, another great pass by the quarterback, was a deep ball placed perfectly between the corner and safety.
Bolden was a standout in early offseason work, but he’ll need to rediscover that momentum and carry it through the preseason for a shot to make this team.
► Tight end Darren Fells, the former power forward, failed to properly box out a defender in the middle of the field, allowing safety Dean Marlowe to knock the short comeback pass away. Disappointed with the result, Fells went to work on the route with Goff on the side during a special teams segment.
► Maybe it’s a coincidence, but something I’ve noticed a handful of times early in camp is the way the defensive backs are using their lower bodies, not their hands, to knock receivers off their downfield routes. AJ Parker executed this technique to perfection working against Sage Surratt, leading to an incompletion.
Not leaning on hand fighting away from the line of scrimmage should result in far fewer holding and interference penalties.
► Kennedy, in his second season with the Lions, continues to flash at the start of camp. He had two longer catches across the middle with Boyle under center. Additionally, the former lacrosse player remains in the mix on punt returns.
jdrogers@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @Justin_Rogers