Detroit Free Press

Jameson Williams had more drops (three) than catches (one) in his rookie season, and his inconsistency catching the ball showed up at times again this spring. But Detroit Lions wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El downplayed concerns about Williams’ hands this week, saying the second-year pass catcher is working on things to fine-tune that part

The Detroit Lions will head into summer break with another of their draft picks under contract. Tight end Sam LaPorta signed his four-year contract Thursday, the team announced after its final organized team activity practice of the spring. LaPorta received a slotted four-year deal worth $9.465 million as the No. 34 pick of April’s draft.

James Houston hit the NFL like a ball of fire last season, terrorizing opposing quarterbacks with eight sacks in seven games. He led the NFL in snap-adjusted sack production as a rookie, recording one sack every 17.5 snaps — NFL sack leader Nick Bosa averaged one sack every 40 snaps, by comparison — and teamed

Dominic Raiola has never been as nervous around a football field as he is now. “Being quarterback parents now, it’s nerve-wracking,” the former Detroit Lions center told the Free Press on Monday. “The ball’s in your hands, but I feel like we’re more nervous than he is. He’s the coolest one on the field.” Raiola,

Former Detroit Lions Pro Bowler Darius Slay was back in town Monday morning. The Philadelphia Eagles cornerback returned to the area where he began his NFL career to support his friend and former teammate Calvin Johnson and his charity golf event at Plum Hollow Country Club in Southfield. Slay isn’t the only former Lion trying

One of the buzziest players of the Detroit Lions’ minicamp rarely takes the field without smiling. It could be because he’s playing a game for a living with his “friends.” And if you spend even a minute with Lions rookie tight end Sam LaPorta, you learn quickly that he considers anyone wearing his team’s colors

If Jared Goff takes as good of care of the football early this season as he did late last year, he could break Aaron Rodgers’ record for consecutive pass attempts without an interception in the Detroit Lions‘ home opener Sept. 17 against the Seattle Seahawks. But Lions quarterbacks coach Mark Brunell said Monday setting a

When the Detroit Lions took Jack Campbell with the 18th pick of April’s NFL draft, the assumption was Campbell would start at linebacker alongside Alex Anzalone in the middle of the Lions defense. Campbell has shown his range and playmaking ability in open practices this spring, but Lions linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard said Monday it’s

Early Sunday morning in Allen Park, they filed in, one by one. Rob Sims. Dominic Raiola. Stephen Tulloch. Tahir Whitehead. Gosder Cherilus. Willie Young. Ryan Broyles. The former Detroit Lions entered the team’s indoor practice facility to greet their old teammate, Calvin Johnson, who had already been there for hours personally setting up cones, step-over

Yeah, he could be a little bigger, and he’d be the first to tell you that, and tell you that he’s looking to add a few pounds to help him handle the blows he’ll take as a running back in the NFL. But right now, that’s quibbling, and speculation, and assuming we know what’s best

Starling Thomas V made Bruce Feldman’s annual “Freaks List” last fall because of his world class speed. The undrafted free agent Detroit Lions cornerback was a high school sprint champion in Alabama who was clocked at running 24 mph on GPS tracking data in-game at Alabama-Birmingham. “I used to (joke) I’d get a speeding ticket

2023 USFL Week 9: Michigan Panthers (3-5) vs. Pittsburgh Maulers (2-6) When: Noon Sunday. Where: Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, Canton, Ohio TV: Fox. Line: Panthers by 1. BOX SCORE WEEK 8: Despite valiant comeback effort, Michigan Panthers fall short in 24-20 loss to New Orleans WEEK 7: Panthers snap four-game skid with 25-22 win

Charles Harris has been here before, the forgotten man on the Detroit Lions defense, clawing his way out from the wreckage of a lost season, and it brought out the best in him. Harris was a reclamation project when he signed with the Lions in 2021, a former first-round pick whose career seemed to be

We’ve seen this too many times. Nick Fairley. Eric Ebron. Charles Rogers. These Detroit Lions were high first-round draft picks who carried the hopes of the team and either fell far short of fulfilling their potential or were outright busts. These were Lions whose stories might have turned out differently — should have turned out

Taylor Decker was angry. Maybe you remember. His Detroit Lions had just lost to the Buffalo Bills on Thanksgiving. A last-second field goal did them in, another gut-punch in a string of them the first half of last season.  Thirty minutes after the game, Decker, all 6 feet, 7 inches of him, stood near his

It’s not a coincidence that the Kansas City Chiefs are connected to a lot of big-name players who become potentially available. Same with the New England Patriots back in the day, or the Los Angeles Rams in the not-so-distant past. The Detroit Lions are now regularly entering those conversations. After nabbing former New Orleans Saints

We’ve seen this too many times. Nick Fairley. Eric Ebron. Charles Rogers. These Detroit Lions were high first-round draft picks who carried the hopes of the team and either fell far short of fulfilling their potential or were outright busts. These were Lions whose stories might have turned out differently — should have turned out

For most of the Detroit Lions key players, the offseason program is over and it’s time to get some rest. The Lions still have one week of organized team activities on their schedule, but coach Dan Campbell has once again excused veterans from the last batch of voluntary workouts and will spend next week focused

Apple Podcasts | Spotify • Hosts: Shawn Windsor (@shawnwindsor) and Carlos Monarrez (@cmonarrez) • Editor: Robin Chan • Executive producers: Anjanette Delgado, Kirkland Crawford • Email: swindsor@freepress.com On this episode: This week, Carlos and Shawn tackle the power and leadership dynamics of Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes within the Detroit Lions organization. Later, we talk the surprising merger of the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. Catch

The next time Jared Goff wins a football game — especially if it’s a fourth-quarter comeback or if he, heaven forbid, tosses a walk-off touchdown — you can bet the internet will blow up with callbacks to the image the Lions released earlier this week. Goff was at a media shoot, and a couple of