Detroit Free Press

Dan Campbell wants players who will bite off your kneecap. His defensive coordinator is after a different body part. Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said Thursday he appreciated rookie defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike’s colorful draft day news conference because that’s the type of player he wants on his team. “We want ass kickers,” Glenn

When T.J. Hockenson and Jahlani Tavai, the Detroit Lions‘ first two picks in the 2019 NFL draft, went out to dinner in Los Angeles earlier this spring, Hockenson made sure to order dessert at the end of his meal  — and get on his good friend about not being able to do the same. After

There are things Matthew Stafford can do that few NFL quarterbacks can do. His arm talent is superb and that gives him the confidence to throw into some of the tightest windows you ever saw. Stafford also became a good leader over time for the Detroit Lions. He worked with his receivers off to the

The Detroit Lions opened organized team activities to the media Thursday for the first time this spring, and while there weren’t many competitive periods to write about — these are pad-less practices, so there were no one-on-one offense vs. defense drills — I got enough of a glimpse of Dan Campbell’s new team to share some

The Detroit Lions are planning for Penei Sewell to be their starting right tackle this fall, but the No. 7 pick of April’s NFL draft — a left tackle throughout his college career — said Thursday the position change is trickier than it looks. “It is not that easy,” Sewell said on Day 3 of Organized Team

Free agent running back Todd Gurley is visiting the Detroit Lions on Thursday, ESPN reported. Gurley, a three-time Pro Bowl selection and two-time first-team All-Pro, and new Lions quarterback Jared Goff played four seasons together (2016-19) with the Los Angeles Rams. The Lions visit the Rams this season on Oct. 24. Gurley, who turns 27 in August, ran

The Quick Lane Bowl is back, but it will kick off slightly earlier than in years past. The Detroit Lions announced that the bowl game at Ford Field, which was one of several that were canceled last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will return for the 2021 season. The game will be Dec. 27 but will

The Detroit Lions have lost defensive tackle Joel Heath to a torn ACL. NFL Network reported that Heath suffered the injury in a bag drill during the individual portion of practice. Heath, who played at Michigan State, signed a futures deal with the Lions in February. He opted out of the 2020 season due to

Capacity crowds will be a thing again at Ford Field this fall. The latest rollback of COVID-19 restrictions in Michigan, announced last week by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, means the Detroit Lions will not have limits on crowd size for home games in 2021. Whitmer’s latest plan called for indoor capacity limits to increase to 50%

T.J. Hockenson earned a Pro Bowl nod with his breakout season in 2020. Now, his position coach with the Detroit Lions said Hockenson is poised for even bigger things in 2021. “I think it’s been a fairly consistent message all offseason from Coach (Dan) Campbell to A-Lynn (offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn) that there’s plenty meat still

They are not opting out. They are showing up in droves. Six weeks after releasing a joint statement saying they planned to sit out voluntary spring workouts, players for the Detroit Lions — and most other NFL teams — reported Monday for the start of Organized Team Activities. The Lions posted pictures on social media of some

It is one of the most difficult things to find in the NFL — offensive line depth — and now that the Detroit Lions have it, they seem reluctant to let it go. When the Lions open organized team activities on Tuesday, they will do so with essentially six starters on their offensive line. Frank Ragnow

The best cornerback new Detroit Lions secondary coach Aubrey Pleasant has been around isn’t a cornerback at all. “I joke and tell people that the greatest corner I’ve ever played with is Aaron Donald,” Pleasant said of the Los Angeles Rams future Hall of Fame defensive tackle. “In order to be a successful football team, things have

The Detroit Lions did not swing and miss on Matt Campbell in their winter coaching search because they did not swing at all. CBS Sports reported Wednesday that Campbell, the well-respected Iowa State coach, turned down an eight-year, $68.5 million offer to coach the Lions and perhaps take full control of the organization. But a Lions

Jahlani Tavai’s future with the Detroit Lions seems murky as a scheme-specific linebacker who has struggled in his first two NFL seasons. But new Lions linebackers coach Mark DeLeone insisted Thursday that he’s excited about Tavai and what he can do for the Lions’ defense this fall. “I’ve been really impressed with Jahlani,” DeLeone said. “He’s

Here we go again. Another embarrassment for the Detroit Lions. Another black eye for the franchise that’s had so many, it should change its color scheme to Honolulu Black and Blue. The latest punch to land on the Lions’ kisser came courtesy of Iowa State coach Matt Campbell, who reportedly spurned the team’s $68.5 million,

Aaron Rodgers may want out of Green Bay, but one current Detroit Lions assistant — someone who knows Rodgers well — has a hard time seeing it happen. Lions senior defensive assistant Dom Capers, who spent nine seasons as the Green Bay Packers’ defensive coordinator from 2009-17, said Thursday he thinks Rodgers and the Packers

Two years after he signed a $90 million contract that made him one of the highest-paid defensive ends in football, Trey Flowers is changing positions to fit the Detroit Lions‘ new defensive scheme. Defensive line coach Todd Wash confirmed Thursday that Flowers and Romeo Okwara will play outside linebacker in the Lions’ base defense this

Breshad Perriman had the best season of his NFL career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2019, when he got the one thing he should have plenty of in Detroit: opportunity. Perriman, a first-round pick by the Baltimore Ravens in 2016, played most of his one season in Tampa as the team’s No. 3 receiver. But

The Detroit Lions made some coaches available to reporters on Wednesday on a conference call that included offensive line Hank Fraley, who has three first-round draft picks on his unit and will be in charge of guiding the career of the team’s prized first-round pick, Penei Sewell. Also included on the call was Antwaan Randle