Lions camp notebook, Day 6: Standouts and injuries

Before practice, Dan Campbell said he expected the technique and attention to fundamentals to be better on the second day. Campbell noted it was a point of emphasis after Monday’s practice.

Tuesday’s action was indeed sharper for the most part. There was less post-play pushing (just one by my count) and the approaches to tackling from the defensive players, notably the safeties, was more disciplined.

Proper form tackling from the defensive backs is a clear focus. Safety Ifeatu Melifonwu had a couple of very impressive reps of heads-up, wrap-up tackles in team drills. A day after missing a potential tackle near the line of scrimmage, rookie CB Terrion Arnold made sure to keep his feet churning and drive RB David Montgomery to the sidelines to end a run.

More on Melifonwu: his awareness in coverage situations was markedly better on Tuesday. The Lions offense has been able to manipulate him out of where he should be in coverage a little roo easily throughout the offseason, but “Iffy” has strung together two practices where he’s been more disciplined and responsible in coverage. His closing burst on throws in front of him is Melifownu’s best asset in coverage, and on Tuesday he did a fine job of terminating plays right after the catch.

Campbell was asked about a player who caught his attention in a positive way. His answer was tight end Parker Hesse, who is battling with James Mitchell, Shane Zylstra and Sean McKeon for the reserve TE spot(s) behind Sam LaPorta and Brock Wright.

Hesse went out and made his head coach look prescient. No. 43 made two outstanding catches away from his body, including a leaping two-handed snag along the sidelines that appeared to be out of his range when Nate Sudfeld threw it. In team drills, Hesse made a fantastic backside seal block on EDGE James Houston, pushing him deep into the middle of the field and allowing for a wide cutback lane in the wake.

This is just Hesse’s third season playing offense. His NFL career began as a defensive end for the Atlanta Falcons in 2021 after playing that role in college at Iowa. He had an impressive spring season and continues to build upon it.

The Lions suffered their first injury of training camp that required extra on-field attention. Defensive lineman John Cominsky went down with a leg injury in team drills. While in the thick of an interior run play, Cominsky got rolled up from behind and grabbed at his right leg immediately. After being tended to by trainers, Cominsky left the practice field on a cart.

Cominsky had been repping with the third-team defense throughout training camp and suffered the injury working with the threes. It was a step down for “The Commish”, who has been a sometime starter and key contributor along the defensive line for the last two seasons.

Offensive guard Netane Muti went down a little later. After screaming out in obvious pain when landing on the grass, Muti walked off the field with a trainer. It was a left shoulder injury for Muti, who did not return. There was very limited movement to his left arm as he walked off, but his arm was not immobilized like is typically done for a broken collarbone.

Muti has been one of the top performers amongst the reserve offensive linemen throughout both training camp and minicamp, so any long-term injury with Christian Mahogany also sidelined with an illness is a real hit to the IOL depth chart.

Finally, rookie CB Ennis Rakestraw suffered an apparent foot injury during team drills. He gingerly walked with trainers, then went through some diagnostic drills where he looked little worse for the wear. Rakestraw did not return to action but stayed on the field and prepared to enter the play, if needed.

Davenport probably stretches the parameters of being a “secret,” but No. 92 looked very much like a superstar on Tuesday. The veteran defensive end was arguably the best player on the field in team drills.

Playing as the first-team EDGE opposite Aidan Hutchinson (also very good all day), Davenport had a fantastic performance as both a pass rusher and in run defense. His length and quickness gave fits to the Lions top offensive tackles Taylor Decker and Penei Sewell. Davenport scored quick QB pressures at the expense of each of them.

Perhaps Davenport’s best play was the complete devastation of a screen play. Davenport immediately sniffed it out and was waiting for RB Craig Reynolds to get to the spot, forcing Jared Goff to throw the ball away. The quickness with which Davenport diagnosed and shot past left tackle Taylor Decker to get in the way was highly impressive.

–Two players were not spotted at camp: running back Zonovan Knight and wide receiver Jalon Calhoun. Team sources did not comment on the reason for their absences when I asked mid-practice.

–Asked about the illness status of sixth-round rookie offensive lineman Christian Mahogany, Campbell (rightly) refused to divulge the illness. Campbell added that “we have to assume we don’t have him,” which seems to indicate that Mahogany could remain on the non-football illness list for some time.

–Kicker Jake Bates missed his first two field goal attempts, pushing wide left kicks from 54 and 60. Leg strength was not the issue. After a nice make from 53 on an excellent hold by Jack Fox on a low snap from Scott Daly, Bates didn’t miss again.

–Derrick Barnes had a very strong day as the first-team SAM. That’s primarily a pass rushing role, but where Barnes is consistently outpacing the competition at the position (namely James Houston and Mathieu Betts) is in run defense and dropping into coverage. Barnes snagged an INT and forced a throwaway in a very compact time period in team drills. No. 55 did have a “sack” on another rep that the coaches let continue to play out, too.

–Undrafted rookie safety Loren Strickland has struggled to find positives, and he finally got one. Strickland smartly read an out-breaking route and knifed in front of the receiver to snag an INT off Hendon Hooker.

–Daurice Fountain had been one of the offseason standouts before a rough day on Monday. The wideout, hoping to make the jump from practice squad in 2023 to active roster in 2024, bounced back with aplomb. He made two nice, low catches in traffic–no easy feat for a taller wideout.

–Sometimes there are plays where one player thrives at the expense of another. That happened with Josh Paschal nearly taking a handoff in team drills because tight end James Mitchell ran right past him instead of blocking No. 93. Paschal deserves credit for capitalizing–something he does exceedingly well–but the gaffe by Mitchell stood out more to observers on the sideline. That includes the offensive coaching staff.