Detroit News

Allen Park — The flip side to effective roster building in the NFL is that when you add a new piece to the puzzle, whether through free agency or the draft, it likely means another player needs to be cast aside. So after the Detroit Lions re-signed Charles Harris this offseason, then drafted Aidan Hutchinson and Josh

Allen Park — Here are some notes and observations from Thursday’s training camp practice. ► Fight! Ok, maybe the exclamation point is excessive, but with Detroit’s longest (and padded) practice of the offseason came some added aggressiveness that carried well beyond the whistle on multiple occasions. The largest fracas came during a full-team scrimmage where offensive

Allen Park — In a red-zone period during training camp Thursday, second-year defensive back Ifeatu Melifonwu picked off David Blough. It was a nice play, but one that usually wouldn’t be too noteworthy beyond a simple mention. What made the interception unique was that it came when Melifonwu was playing safety, a new role he’s taken on this

Allen Park — Lions safety Tracy Walker had options. The money elsewhere was better, he said. But ultimately, Walker chose to stay in a place where he could continue evolving as a leader and re-signed with Detroit on a three-year, $25 million deal this past offseason. “I definitely had more teams, I had more money

Allen Park — Aidan Hutchinson. Charles Harris. Alim McNeill. Levi Onwuzurike. Josh Paschal. So on and so forth. There have been several additions to the Detroit Lions’ defensive line in the last two years, and there’s plenty of excitement about who will emerge as difference-makers in a season where everything is being cranked up to 11. But did you forget about

Allen Park — From the outside looking in, the Detroit Lions invested surprisingly little in its linebackers this offseason.  Whichever way you slice it, the group underperformed a year ago, the first season under coordinator Aaron Glenn. But instead of adding a high-profile upgrade via free agency or the draft, the Lions retained most of last

Allen Park — The Detroit Lions received good news on Quintez Cephus, a day after the wide receiver had to be helped off the field following a hard landing. “Yeah, I think he’ll be OK,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “It was much more optimistic once we got him in and got an image. Looks like he’ll be

Allen Park — Here are some notes and observations from Tuesday’s training camp practice. ► If you haven’t bought a passenger ticket for the Malcolm Rodriguez hype train, hurry up, because those seats are filling up quickly. The rookie linebacker, a sixth-round pick out of Oklahoma State, is quickly becoming a favorite of Detroit’s coaching staff for

Allen Park — Over the weekend, the Lions released a hype video featuring practice highlights and a voiceover from running back Jamaal Williams, who was giving a speech to teammates with a tagline of “Lock the gates.” Williams, a fan favorite for his goofy personality off the football field, said that he’s “just trying to

Allen Park — Aidan Hutchinson got knocked down on Monday — and he’s fine with that. He would not have been fine with a similar fate Tuesday, though, as the Detroit Lions embarked on the second day of training camp in full pads. Internally, Hutchinson is focused only on two things — earning the respect of

Allen Park — Detroit Lions wide receiver Quintez Cephus suffered an injury early during Tuesday morning’s training camp practice, requiring assistance from multiple trainers to return to the practice facility for further evaluation.  Battling against Jeff Okudah in a one-on-one receiving drill, Cephus overpowered the cornerback on a deep route, making a difficult catch against the tight

Allen Park — There was a theme at Lions training camp on Monday. With pads going on for the first time this year, Detroit’s offensive and defensive linemen couldn’t help but use that old cliché: “Iron sharpens iron.” But, to be fair, it’s a cliché because it’s true. And the supposed strength of Detroit’s team, its offensive

Allen Park — It was hardly a fair fight. But that’s how you win on a football field: By creating mismatches … and then exploiting them. So there was poor Jeff Okudah — the Lions’ hard-luck cornerback in the midst of an early-career comeback this summer — in a team drill Monday at training camp,

Allen Park — The Detroit Lions forced Aidan Hutchinson out of his self-imposed shell this week. In his first couple months with the franchise, Hutchinson has been all business, largely keeping his head down and his mouth shut. That’s exactly what he said he would do the night he was drafted by the franchise No. 2 overall.

Allen Park — Here are some notes and observations from Monday’s training camp practice. ► The pads were on for the first time this offseason and the Lions wasted little time exposing the players to contact, conducting a one-on-one, open-field tackling drill early in the day. Running rapid-fire reps every five or so seconds, defenders had to

Allen Park — Former Lions offensive tackle Tyrell Crosby made news over the weekend when he told the Detroit Free Press that the people leading the Lions’ current regime “truly just don’t care about the players.” Crosby laid several claims against general manager Brad Holmes, head coach Dan Campbell and then-offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn. Crosby claimed

Allen Park — DeShon Elliott didn’t sign on the first day of free agency, or even the first week. The former Baltimore Ravens safety patiently waited for the right opportunity before joining the Detroit Lions nearly a month into the process. So far, it’s been everything he could have hoped. In making a sales pitch prior to

Allen Park — Here are some notes and observations from Saturday’s training camp practice. ► In the first session open to fans, season-ticket holders were given access to Saturday’s practice and the turnout was impressive compared to recent years. Approximately 2,500 were in attendance, completely filling the stands running parallel to the sideline of the main

Allen Park — The Detroit Lions know they have one of the NFL’s most dynamic dual-threat running back talents in D’Andre Swift. They also understand his availability, due to durability, has been an issue his first two seasons. That’s something the team is looking to rectify heading into the 2022 season, starting with managing Swift’s workload in

Allen Park — What does a second-year leap look like for a player who has established themselves as one of the best in their draft class? Lions head coach Dan Campbell said Friday that for wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, there might actually be a decline in sheer production in 2022 — and that’s not a bad