Hendon Hooker has tried to be the first player at the Detroit Lions practice facility most days this spring. On Tuesday, Day 1 of mandatory minicamp, the rookie quarterback was the last player on the field. Hooker took an important step in his recovery from the torn ACL he suffered last November, throwing routes on
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Allen Park — Marvin Jones Jr. was born and raised in Southern California. But after a few weeks back in Allen Park, the veteran receiver said Tuesday “it feels like I’m back home.” “Even though it’s a different squad, different mentality, still feels like I’m back home,” Jones said. “These are the practice fields I’ve
Allen Park — Here are some notes and observations from Tuesday’s mandatory minicamp practice, the first of the three-day offseason event. ▶ The Lions put the offense in a difficult situation Tuesday, giving them the ball at their own 25-yard line with 28 seconds remaining, down one, needing a score to win. It wasn’t all bad
Dan Campbell believes Jared Goff is a better quarterback for him than he was playing for Sean McVay’s Los Angeles Rams. Look at Dan Campbell driving the Jared Goff hype train, man! Together, the Detroit Lions are well on their way towards building something special. After narrowly missing out on the NFC playoffs a year
More than two years after the Detroit Lions traded quarterback Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams for quarterback Jared Goff and draft picks, the Stafford and Goff worlds are intersecting again. Kelly Stafford, who is married to Matthew Stafford, recently interviewed Christen Harper, who is engaged to Goff, for her the latest episode of
The Detroit Lions are in no rush to add more competition to their quarterback room, even if Hendon Hooker is forced to take a redshirt season this fall. Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson said last week he likes where the team is at with the quarterback position. Nate Sudfeld is currently ticketed for backup duties
The Detroit Lions are closing in on the end of their formal offseason program. The Lions host three days of mandatory minicamp Tuesday-Thursday, and if tradition holds, this will be the last time most of the team’s veterans will be in Allen Park until summer. The Lions have their final four organized team activities next
There’s a temptation in sports to tinker, often out of fear, because the status quo is an enemy of improvement. This is especially true in football, where 95% of the work done during the season comes via practice, meetings and the film room every week. For coaches then, the offseason is damn near nirvana: A
This is Part 1 of the Free Press’ “Five most important players” series, in which we’ll take a look at the x-factors for the six major beats. Freep Lions beat writer Dave Birkett consulted on this list. Starting this series with a look at the Detroit Lions is an interesting challenge. That’s because there are
He’s not this year’s first-round pick or last year’s star of “Hard Knocks,” and that’s why it was a surprise to see Derrick Barnes taking first-team reps at linebacker when the Detroit Lions opened organized team activities last week. Barnes, a fourth-round pick out of Purdue in 2021, has been the most overlooked member of
Allen Park — One of the first times I noticed that Penei Sewell’s voice really was starting to carry for the Lions came in a quiet moment last October. It was at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., in the aftermath of an embarrassing 29-0 loss to the Patriots that head coach Dan Campbell called “rock
Allen Park — With the NFL reportedly investigating a fifth Detroit Lions player for violating the league’s gambling policy, the team is taking an active approach to making sure these issues don’t come up again. “I think, for us, it’s much more an emphasis from us, as opposed to just leaving it to the league,”
Allen Park — Kerby Joseph isn’t a gambler, so he didn’t have any interest in discussing the league’s gambling policy. He also didn’t object to Jameson Williams’ six-game suspension handed out by the league in April for placing bets, nor did he offer an excuse for his teammate’s actions. But still, following Thursday’s OTAs in
I listened to Jameson Williams last week. Then I listened to Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell on Thursday. And now, with a week of careful consideration between the two, I have something to say. Williams must do two things: He has to grow up — fast — and he should apologize to Jared Goff.
Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell said he has taken a more proactive approach to educating players on the NFL’s gambling policy after at least four Lions were found to have violated league rules on betting. “I think, for us, it’s much more an emphasis from us, as opposed to just leaving it to the league,”
It has been 10 months since Levi Onwuzurike last played football, but the Detroit Lions are cautiously optimistic he’ll be back on the field this summer. Coach Dan Campbell said Onwuzurike recently began running in his rehab from back surgery and could be cleared for football activities at some point in training camp. “I would
Allen Park — It was far from perfect, but the Detroit Lions’ offense exceeded most reasonable expectations in Ben Johnson’s first year as offensive coordinator. To recap, in 2022 the Lions finished fourth in yards per game, fifth in scoring, committed the fewest turnovers in the NFL and posted the franchise’s best rushing average in
The backflips are out, but Kerby Joseph will never stop having fun. On Thursday, at the Detroit Lions‘ sixth organized team activity practice of the spring, Joseph returned an interception for a would-be touchdown in seven-on-seven drills; danced in celebration as his offensive teammates did planks after losing a kicking competition (more on that later);
Allen Park — It took some time. But, as Derrick Barnes goes through OTAs for a third time, he’s exactly where he feels he should be. Barnes, drafted in the fourth round of the 2021 draft, said after Thursday’s OTAs in Allen Park that he’s gotten “to the stage where I can just constantly get
Allen Park — Here are some notes and observations from Thursday’s OTA practice, the second of the offseason open to the media. ▶ As of last week, it appeared the Lions had an interesting kicking competition brewing. There’s the incumbent, Michael Badgley. Last year’s midseason acquisition was sharp in his 12-game audition, making 20-of-24 field goals and