Allen Park — Here are some notes and observations from Wednesday’s Detroit Lions’ training camp practice.
▶ Let’s start with Jameson Williams. I’m fully aware that might garner some eye rolls, but he continues to be one of the most interesting players on the roster and it was an eventful day for the speedy receiver.
Things started shakily, with Williams dropping a couple passes during warm-ups. It borders on inexplicable for a guy with his talent and his college production, but he has held this unending tendency to put balls on the ground, even when he’s not defended and the throws are coming half speed.
Coincidentally, I asked coach Dan Campbell about Williams’ inconsistent hands before practice.
“They (the drops) show up and that’s something we’ve talked about with him and he knows that too,” Campbell said. “I think man, working his hand mechanics, he has to work those pre-practice, he has to work those post-practice. He just has to grind on it, and even then it’s not — he’ll never probably be one of these elite pass-catchers that you’ve seen, but it’ll be just fine with his speed and what he’s able to do.
“There’s a number of things that he can clean up with it and I think it’s just, man, time on task, work through. Honestly, there are some things that — just the simple change of the way your hands are by ball location, pinkie-to-pinkie, thumb-to-thumb, that’ll go a long way for him. And so, we just have to keep working through it.”
It’s the fairest of assessments: It’s an issue. We’re aware, he’s aware. There are ways for him to improve and it still might never be great, but his other skills are elite and can make up for it.
And for the remainder of practice, that’s exactly how it played out. Williams, working mostly with the second-team offense, was a productive playmaker, hauling in a deep crosser, a crisply run comeback route and a deep ball for a touchdown after blowing by the coverage of No. 1 cornerback Cam Sutton down the right sideline.
It was certainly a better day than Monday, eliminating some of inconsistency that plagued Williams earlier this week. And he should only get better, in that regard. The maddening drops, they might always be part of his makeup, but those deep balls, or even the sporadic 40-yard romp on an end-around, those should make it all worth the hiccups.
One more thing on Williams before moving on. Campbell said the second-year receiver is going to play extensively in the preseason, given Williams will be suspended the first six games of the regular season after violating the league’s gambling policy.
“We’re going to douse him with a ton of game reps,” Campbell said. “He needs that.”
▶ The Lions ran a lot of first-team defensive packages on Wednesday with C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Kerby Joseph as the deep safety tandem and Brian Branch manning the slot. That took Tracy Walker off the field, and for as good as he has been in training camp and throughout his career, this is probably Detroit’s best look when tasked with defending a clear passing situation, particularly on third down.
Gardner-Johnson and Joseph are proven turnover generators, while Branch has been showing some impressive man coverage skills throughout his first camp. And this shouldn’t be viewed as a knock on Walker. He does a good job being in position, but finishing plays has never been a forte, including a handful of dropped interceptions this camp.
With the margin for error so fine in the NFL, it behooves the Lions to lean more on guys who can capitalize on errors in those critical down-and-distance situations.
▶ Another thing with the defense, it’s been impressive to see how well they are communicating pre-snap. That extends to some of the younger, lesser experienced players on the roster in Joseph and rookie linebacker Jack Campbell. Rarely through the first two weeks of camp have there been brutal coverage busts.
▶ David Montgomery rarely made my notes the first week of practice, but the veteran running back has looked more dynamic as the team has started to work in pads. They weren’t in pads on Wednesday, but Montgomery continued to look light and fast on his feet, including a run up the gut where he juked past both linebackers.
▶ Frank Ragnow and Ifeatu Melifonwu were absent from practice. There is a report that Melifonwu is dealing with a knee injury, which is unfortunate given he was coming off a stellar practice on Monday. As for Ragnow, he and his wife are expecting their first child, so it’s potentially related to that.
▶ During practice, wide receiver Trinity Benson suffered a right leg injury. He was visibly in a lot of pain after going to the ground during a seven-on-seven rep and eventually had to be carted to the locker room.
▶ Undrafted rookie receiver Dylan Drummond continues to make the most of his opportunities. Seeing extensive reps with the second-team offense for the first time this offseason, he was a favorite target for backup quarterback Nate Sudfeld. It’s amazing to see the progression from rookie tryout in May to where Drummond is now, but his route running often looks advanced relative to his limited experience. He pairs that skill with reliable hands.
▶ Another player who has picked it up since the pads have come on is third-string quarterback Adrian Martinez. He had a couple crisp practice segments on Wednesday, completing all three of his throws during 11-on-11 work to begin the day, before finding the open man twice when facing blitzes closer to the end of practice.
▶ Entering his second season, Aidan Hutchinson looks as explosive as ever, and probably a bit more consistent, regularly coming up with stops at or behind the line of scrimmage. His ability to time the snap is one of his greatest assets, but he had it turned against him this practice when quarterback Jared Goff drew the young defender offside with a hard count to convert a fourth-and-short.
▶ The kicking competition continues to be a dead heat. Riley Patterson and Parker Romo both went 2-for-3 in the middle of practice, with Patterson missing from 48 yards and Romo sending a 44-yarder wide right.
At the end of practice, they were each offered a chance to flex their leg strength and both blasted home efforts from 57 yards out. Patterson and Romo were then given an opportunity from 61 yards, with Patterson coming up a little short and Romo having plenty of distance but sending his boot wide right once again.
For what it’s worth, Scott Daly has been working as Patterson’s long snapper, suggesting the incumbent has pole position for that job against veteran Jake McQuaide.
jdrogers@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @Justin_Rogers