ALLEN PARK, Mich. — The Detroit Lions have completed four days of practice, and the ramp-up period is over. After an off day Sunday, the next time they meet, they’ll be in full pads for the first day of contact and hitting.
This is where things get fun, folks.
But until then, let’s recap the week that was. The first few days of training camp allowed us to see a few new developments, continued progress and a handful of early standouts. Here are a few things we learned.
Brian Branch to safety is a real thing
At the owners meetings in March, Dan Campbell foreshadowed what might be in store for his second-year defensive back, Brian Branch.
“Certainty Branch has got flexibility to be able to play the safety position, we believe, here in time,” Campbell said in March. “And we already feel very confident about the nickel. He’ll only get better and better. …We do believe he’ll be able to get there. It’s how fast do you get him there.”
With Branch out for the spring with a lingering ankle issue, we had to wait until training camp to see just how involved he’d be at safety. But now that he’s back on a limited basis, joining the team for walkthroughs each morning, it’s clear that the team is mentally preparing him for a move to safety. Each time he’s practiced, he’s been a starter at safety, as Kerby Joseph and Ifeatu Melifonwu rotated next to him.
After letting him learn the nickel position as a rookie, the Lions believe Branch is ready for more.
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“Branch is a guy that’s got a lot a lot of flexibility and versatility in what he can do,” Campbell said. “Certainly, we know he can play the nickel position. …You can make a lot of plays at the nickel and produce in this defense, but safety is, I mean…you talk about making plays, you can make some plays there. We just feel like Branch — it can suit him well and (we’ll) give him a chance to see where he can go with it.”
When you’re talking about the differences between safety and nickel, it’s easy to see why the Lions didn’t want to overload Branch in Year 1. At nickel, you can focus on your individual responsibility. You’re playing from the slot, worrying only about the man in front of you. It also allowed him to get involved as a blitzer — one of his best traits going back to his Alabama days.
But at safety, you can see the whole field. You’re tasked with communicating calls and looks to the rest of your teammates, and have to be keenly aware of your surroundings. For a rookie getting his first taste of action, it’s easy to see how that could be a lot to handle. But now that he’s more comfortable with a year in Aaron Glenn’s system, the Lions seem ready to let a dawg like Branch off the leash. He seems ready for it, too.
“I’ve gotten better with communicating,” Branch said. “I feel I was kind of a silent dude last year. That’s why they didn’t really play me at safety. But I feel like I’m opening up more out of my shell. Just making sure everybody’s at where they need to be at and just trying to be the quarterback.”
Nate Sudfeld (left) and Hendon Hooker (right) bring different things to the backup quarterback position behind Jared Goff (center) and both could be worth keeping for different situations. (Eric Seals / USA Today)
There will be a competition for the backup job
A year ago around this time, the Lions signed Teddy Bridgewater — an experienced backup quarterback with a pedigree as a former first-round pick. It was the perfect signing for a team with playoff aspirations. Bridgewater once quarterbacked the Saints to a 5-0 record when Drew Brees went down with an injury. That insurance offered peace of mind to the Lions, even though they ultimately didn’t need him.
This year, things are different. The Lions are trying to get the best of both worlds in Hendon Hooker and Nate Sudfeld. Hooker is the talented yet inexperienced option. While I think he looks better than he did in the spring, he’s still prone to errant throws. Sudfeld offers meaningful game reps and a knowledge of the offense, without Hooker’s upside.
It’s why coaches are eager to see how this plays out.
“I mean, look, that’s a competition,” Campbell said. “It is. We like both of those guys, but there is a reason Nate’s here. Nate has played before, he’s got a lot of experience and he’s just — that’s what he’s got, he’s got more years and a little bit more experience, certainly, than Hooker does. But this is a competition, I mean, at the end of the day, both of those guys are going to roll between the twos and threes, and by the time we get to the end of camp we need to know who our two is and we’re not going to have our two be somebody we don’t trust in the moment.”
At this point, it would be a bit surprising if the Lions only carry two quarterbacks. We know Hooker isn’t getting cut, and if Goff goes down for an extended time, you have to think they’d prepare Hooker to be the guy. However, it’s clear they value Sudfeld’s experience. In a pinch — a short absence for Goff — Sudfeld could get the nod over Hooker. He could also play the David Blough role as a veteran who helps Goff prepare each week. Don’t be surprised if you see three QBs on the initial 53-man roster.
The reports out of spring were that Williams was one of the most improved players on the team. It was exactly what you wanted to hear about a third-year player with all the talent to become a difference-maker, but you needed to see more in training camp.
It’s still early, but at this point, Williams is firmly entrenched as one of the guys. This is the best I’ve seen him look with Jared Goff. This time a year ago, we’d see drops, overthrows on deep balls because of their lack of time together, a bit of everything. But now that they’ve got some much-needed time on task, it’s starting to come together.
Williams has been getting open against the secondary routinely. He’s been getting the ball on end-arounds. He’s coming off the sideline after a series and picking the brain of Goff or Ben Johnson. He’s also playing with a competitive energy that hasn’t quite been there since his days at Alabama. I like what I’m seeing early on.
Defensive line snaps are up for grabs
One thing I’ve noticed when watching the defense is how the Lions insist on mixing and matching their fronts in practice. It’s fascinating to watch. At times, it feels like they’re trying to blur the lines between edge and tackle, and they might feel like they have the personnel to do so.
Alim McNeill can play nose or three-tech. Josh Paschal and Aidan Hutchinson are edges who can rush inside as tackles. Levi Onwuzurike and Mekhi Wingo are tackles that can kick out to edge. James Houston and Mathieu Betts are playing some Sam linebacker and edge. Derrick Barnes is playing some Sam and some Mike. There’s just a ton of versatility here.
One front I saw on Saturday included Marcus Davenport, Brodric Martin, Wingo and Onwuzurike. I know it’s camp and this is the time to experiment, but it’s fun to watch all the pieces incorporated on a given snap. It’s a lot of rotating and varying skill sets. A game of chess for Glenn.
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Early standouts
As we wrap up Week 1, it felt like a good time to give some love to a few players who’ve caught me eye early on.
• Hutchinson: He obviously doesn’t fall under the typical underrated category, but I think there’s a level of excellence we expect from Hutchinson — and he’s exceeded that in camp. He’s got a handful of sacks already, and that’s without pads. He’s gotten them going against Penei Sewell on several occasions. He’s also setting things up for others with his high-pressure rate. He looks fantastic.
• Jack Campbell: He’s been a mainstay at Mike linebacker and seems to be growing into his voice. Eager to see him with the pads on. That’s when you’ll really be able to know if he’s ready.
• Daurice Fountain: He’s been making plays and getting more and more opportunities with the first-team offense. When you’re trusted by Ben Johnson to line up next to Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam Laporta, you’re doing something right. He’s trending toward a roster spot if the Lions can make the numbers work and he can contribute on special teams.
• Emmanuel Moseley: We were all curious to see where Moseley would fit into this defense. The starting outside corners appear to be Carlton Davis III and Terrion Arnold. But a move inside to nickel could be just what Moseley needed. He could kick back outside in a pinch if needed while competing with Amik Robertson for a starting gig inside. He’s had some good reps early on.
• Sudfeld: This deserves a caveat because Sudfeld looked sharp in training camp last year before the pads came on and things got more physical. But right now, he looks very good and has overtaken Hooker for the first set of backup reps.
• Craig Reynolds: There’s been a decent amount of buzz for fourth-round pick Sione Vaki, but Reynolds refuses to go away. With the Lions limiting Jahmyr Gibbs’ touches in team periods a bit, Reynolds has received a ton of work after David Montgomery and has looked good doing it.
• Onwuzurike: He’s been a regular in the lineup with the first-team defense. There have been a few times I look up on a run play and he’s right in the middle of the action. The Lions have been playing him at edge and defensive tackle, which is something I’d like to see more of. He’s also been in the mix for a few kerfuffles and post-play shoves. The intensity is there.
• Paschal: He’s quietly doing what’s asked of him. Picking up some pressures, setting the edge. Nothing too flashy, but he’s been very solid.
(Top photo of Jameson Williams: Eric Seals / USA Today)
