Detroit Free Press

Rookie wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and second-year cornerback Jeff Okudah matched up for an anticipated one-on-one tackling drill in Friday’s practice, as the Detroit Lions returned to full pads at the Allen Park facility. Okudah prepared to make a tackle, but St. Brown hurdled him. To celebrate, St. Brown punted the ball and emulated the chalk

When sports fans think of “prospects,” the MLB or NHL likely comes to mind. Or maybe the NBA, where draft picks are “stashed” overseas or in a developmental league until they’re ready for the big lights. But in the NFL, the Detroit Lions have two under-the-radar youngsters experts say could soon break out. ESPN ranked the

The induction of two classes into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year was already set to create a frenzied atmosphere in Canton, Ohio. But as it turns out, the celebration of all things football in the Ohio town about 60 miles south of Cleveland will have a bit of a Michigan feel, with

Citing lack of staff, Eastern Market is banning tailgating before Detroit Lions games for the 2021-2022 season. “At this time, Eastern Market Partnership does not have the staff capacity to host large-scale tailgating crowds,” the market announced in a news release this week. The market also will be enforcing a parking ban for all games during the season.

There will be a new voice helping call Detroit Lions games on the radio, beginning this season. T.J. Lang, the recently retired Lions offensive lineman, has been hired as the radio sideline reporter for the team’s radio coverage. The team’s flagship station changed from WJR-AM (760) to WXYT-FM (97.1) this season. COACH SPEAK: Lions OC

I don’t see it yet, but Anthony Lynn does. Lynn, the Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinator, said Thursday he likes where his team’s passing game is at one week into training camp. On this side of the lines, the Lions’ passing game seems modest, and I worry about the dink-and-dunk nature of what we’ve seen so

Tyrell Crosby is dealing with a Grade 1 hamstring injury that will keep him out of at least the next few days of practice and could give the Detroit Lions time to sort through their backup options on the offensive line. Crosby missed his second straight day of practice Thursday, when the Lions held a

There is something about preseason football that brings out the best in Tim Boyle. If he ever gets a shot in the regular season, people might find out his impressive arm talent plays there, too. Boyle signed a one-year deal in March to be Jared Goff’s backup with the Detroit Lions, something he made clear he was

If you’re into NFL training camp battles and keeping track of who will make the Detroit Lions’ 53-player roster, I’ve got a name for you to watch: Drake Jackson. If you don’t know who Jackson is, I’ve got two things to tell you. First, you’re probably not alone. Second, you’re probably not Kevin Richardson, a

When Tyrell Williams made the switch from quarterback to wide receiver in high school, there were two players at his new position he tried to model his game after: Randy Moss and Calvin Johnson. Now that Johnson is set to join Moss in the Pro Football Hall of Fame this weekend, just the seventh first-ballot

Offensive holding penalties plummeted in the NFL last season, and after hosting officials for the second straight practice Wednesday, Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell said there is reason to believe that trend will continue in 2021. “That was one of the things that I had kind of wondered about, like, ‘Are those going to stay down?

Tyrell Williams left Tuesday’s practice with a hand injury, but the Detroit Lions’ No. 1 receiver avoided serious damage. Lions coach Dan Campbell said Wednesday that Williams dislocated the pinky finger on his left hand and will return to practice today. “He’s good,” Campbell said. “He dislocated it, (popped it) right back in, he’s good

For Penei Sewell, the Detroit Lions’ first padded practice of training camp Tuesday was “like when you’re out in the desert and you take that first sip of water.” “To be out there again, to strap it on, to put the helmet back on again, it’s a feeling that I forgot about,” Sewell said. “It’s

The “pajama warriors” finally turned into good, old-fashioned, pad-wearing football players Tuesday in Allen Park. And not a minute too soon. Not long into the Detroit Lions’ first padded practice of training camp, the whapping, thwacking and thunking sounds synonymous with football collisions rang out across the practice fields to everyone’s delight. Players hollered. Fans

Dan Campbell set the bar low for rookie defensive tackle Alim McNeill before the first padded practice of training camp Tuesday. And like everything McNeill has done in his short time as a Detroit Lion, he cleared it impressively. “If I’m being totally honest, I expect him to get maybe pushed around a little bit today,

When Dan Campbell played for Bill Parcells with the Dallas Cowboys in the early 2000s, the Detroit Lions coach was Parcells’ designated antagonizer. When the Cowboys were dragging through the dog days of training camp, or if they needed a jumpstart on an otherwise dull day, Campbell was the player Parcells pulled aside and asked

The NFL’s vaccination rate is near 90%. That’s good news. It’s better news that the most popular sports league in the country achieved this without a strict COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Not that mandates are wrong, they just hit too many the wrong way. Oh, the league made it more inconvenient for those who shunned the shot, requiring masking, social distancing, more

Dan Campbell had 13 surgeries during his playing career, so the first-year Detroit Lions coach can relate to what pass rusher Austin Bryant is going through as he tries to return from another injury. “I know what enters the brain when” you’re coming back from injury, Campbell said. That’s why Campbell said it will be

The NFL’s vaccination rate is near 90%. That’s good news. It’s better news that the most popular sports league in the country achieved this without a strict COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Not that mandates are wrong, they just hit too many the wrong way. Oh, the league made it more inconvenient for those who shunned the shot, requiring masking, social distancing, more

Jonah Jackson changed his diet this offseason and added a new training regimen in an effort to build on his solid rookie season — martial arts. Jackson, the Detroit Lions’ second-year guard, said Monday he spent two days a week this offseason working on hand fighting with Lions assistant strength and conditioning coach Morris Henry,