The Detroit Lions held their first training camp practice of the 2025 season on Sunday, and while most things played out as expected, there were several injury updates and a few surprises on the depth chart.
With this being the first practice of the acclimation period, the Lions were not in pads, and practice lasted only an hour and a half, which should be the shortest practice of training camp. Per NFL guidelines, the Lions can expand practices by 15 minutes over each of the next four practices, culminating in a Saturday practice—when season ticket holders arrive—that will likely be two and a half hours in length with the option of wearing shells under their jerseys. After a mandatory day off on Sunday, the Lions will return on Monday, potentially in pads and in front of the general public.
Participation report
Players’ participation levels in practice at this time of year can fluctuate day-to-day. Sometimes players are given rest days if they push things too hard the day prior, others work their way off pre-camp injury list (PUP and NFI), while others are dealing with new bumps and bruises.
In case you missed any of the activity, we have multiple articles on Sunday’s roster movement, including:
Most of the players on the PUP/NFI lists were present for practice and watching from the sidelines, including Decker, Alim McNeill, Malcolm Rodriguez, Khalil Dorsey, Miles Frazier, and Stantley Thomas-Oliver. Additionally, Pittman was working off to the side with trainers and told Pride of Detroit that he expects to practice on Monday.
First look at the new offensive line
“We need some guys to step up for us (on the offensive line),” coach Dan Campbell said at his morning press conference. “It’s a great opportunity. We lost Frank (Ragnow), and (Kevin) Zeitler’s gone. So, we have two or three more spots there for guys to step up and help us. And once that happens, then mesh. The guys that we know we can trust, this is where they’re going to play, and then getting whoever those five are together to where they start working together and start trusting each other.”
Here’s a look at how the Lions’ offensive line lined up during their 11-on-11 practice segments:
LT Dan Skipper
LG Christian Mahogany
C Tate Ratledge
RG Graham Glasgow
RT Penei Sewell
With starting left tackle Decker out through the Hall-of-Fame preseason game, the Lions turned to veteran Skipper for first-team reps at left tackle, put position-flexible second-year OL Mahogany at left guard, continued to play rookie Ratledge at the pivot, had veteran Glasgow on the right side lined up inside All-Pro Sewell.
Ratledge continues to take almost all of his reps at center—he did swap with Glasgow for a few plays during walkthroughs—but he needs the experience, and the Lions are going to give him all he can handle.
Without pads on, it’s difficult to ascertain much about how the line is functioning, but they showed smooth, unified movement throughout the day. One of the more noticeable plays of the day came from Mahogany, who absolutely buried Derrick Barnes on a pulling play in which the linebacker was asked to set the edge.
“Derrick’s a good dude, I didn’t mean to do that,” Mahogany said after practice.
Mahogany primarily played at right guard for Boston College, but last season, he split his starts between left and right guard, demonstrating his versatility. And while a shift between sides can be challenging for many offensive linemen, it feels natural for Mahogany.
“From the day I got here, I’ve been stuck in at left and right (guard),” Mahogany explained. “So, it’s not like I haven’t been practicing since last year. Coach Fraley is big about getting work on both sides, so I’ve just been doing that. But now, I’m mostly left, so it’s just adjusting and flipping my feet and working with a different guy next to me.”
As for the reserves, there was a lot of mixing and matching with the remaining nine players. Here’s a look at how most reps went for the second and third offensive line reps:
LT Giovanni Manu/Mason Miller
LG Netane Muti
C Kingsley Eguakun/Michael Niese
RG Kayode Awosika/Trystan Colon
RT Jamarco Jones/Colby Sorsdal
Manu played exclusively at left tackle, while UDFA rookie Miller spelled Manu on the third-team reps or shifted inside to guard. Guards Muti, Awosika, and Colon played on both the right and left side, while Jones (who spent last season on the practice squad) was notably repping ahead of Sorsdal.
The most interesting note amongst the reserves was that Eguakun took most of the second team center reps ahead of Niese, who was the Lions’ top reserve center in 2024. Eguakun is a promising young player, and after spending his rookie season on the practice squad, he appears ready to compete for a reserve spot on the roster this season.
Things that were expected
For the most part, things rolled out as we had been anticipating. The Jared Goff to Amon-Ra St. Brown connection is still thriving, Sam LaPorta was getting in on the fun, and we indeed saw more deep routes run by the offense.
When the first team goes head-to-head, the one-on-one matchups are glorious: Terrion Arnold vs. Jameson Williams, D.J. Reed vs. Tim Patrick, Brian Branch vs. LaPorta, and Amik Robertson vs. St. Brown. These battles were all fun to watch, but one thing to keep an eye on is when the Lions shift to only two wide receivers, and St. Brown sets up across from Reed. On Sunday, St. Brown easily won multiple reps (a common thing over the last four years, regardless of who is covering him), leaving the veteran frustrated. What happens at next practice will be telling.
Things that were unexpected
While most of practice went as expected, there were a few notable wrinkles worth paying attention to.
2 RB sets
The Lions showcased a variety of offensive combinations that featured two running backs on the field at the same time. While NFL guidelines prohibit me from divulging the details beyond that, Detroit’s backs were excited by the possibilities these formations can lead to.
“It’s super exciting,” Montgomery said. “Being able to have me and him (Jahmyr Gibbs) on the field at the same time, it’ll be tough for defenses to prepare for us.”
Pat O’Connor taking over Onwuzurike’s 4i role
When the Lions deploy a SAM linebacker, they prefer to shift one of their defensive ends into the 4i position, allowing the SAM to set up on their outside shoulder. In the past, the Lions have utilized Marcus Davenport, Levi Onwuzurike, Josh Paschal, and Mekhi Wingo in this important role. However, with Onwuzurike done for the season, Paschal on NFI, and Wingo on PUP, the Lions have turned to Pat O’Connor. Last season in Detroit, O’Connor played mostly at the nose tackle position, but when he was in Tampa Bay, working under now-Lions defensive line coach Kacy Rodgers, he rotated through defensive line roles, including the 4i, so this is not a new role for him.
Zach Cunningham is taking on a bigger role with Anzalone not present
While the Lions have returned Jack Campbell at the MIKE and Derrick Barnes at the SAM, starting WILL, Alex Anzalone is not practicing. On Day 1, when the Lions were in two linebacker sets, they shifted Barnes to the WILL alongside Campbell. However, when the Lions were in three linebacker sets, they turned to Zach Cunningham to fill the void at WILL.
But that wasn’t the end of Cunningham’s day. When the Lions brought on their second-team linebackers, Cunningham served at MIKE2, while Grant Stuard got reps at the WILL, and Trevor Nowaske took over at SAM.
In our roster preview series, we asked the question: Who will take over LB4 duties while Malcolm Rodriguez recovers, and it appears Cunningham is the leader for that role.
Morice Norris and Loren Strickland are capitalizing on experience in system
Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph are firmly entrenched at the Lions’ starting safeties, while Avonte Maddox looks poised to take over S3 and Nickel2 duties, leaving the S4 job up for grabs. While most have pegged seventh-round draft pick Dan Jackson for this role, returning UDFAs Morice Norris and Loren Strickland have made sure to remind folks not to overlook them.
When the second-team safeties took the field, Norris and Maddox were the primary safeties, and when Maddox shifted inside to nickel, Strickland took over safety duties alongside Norris. It’s important to remember that Norris is an ascending talent who finished last season on the active roster and is stacking his successes. On Sunday, he saw reps at both safety positions, and he told Pride of Detroit that he is expected to get reps at nickel during camp as well. That kind of experience can go a long way on a staff with former players as coaches.
Ian Kennelly makes the play of the day
To illustrate how deep the Lions’ safety room is right now, it was UDFA rookie Ian Kennelly—who is repping on the third and fourth string—who made the play of the day. On the 7-v-7 rep, Hooker couldn’t find an open receiver, rolled out to his right, and tried to find veteran tight end Kenny Yeboah, who was working his way to the sideline. But right as the ball arrived at Yeboah’s hands, a diving Kennelly swatted the ball away, causing an audible thud that sounded like a heavyweight boxer landing a knockout blow. The sideline erupted as the local kid got his moment in the spotlight.
“Just being the hometown kid playing for the Lions, it means everything to me,” Kennelly said after practice. “I’ve been working hard for this day for a long time, and just to be here in this moment is a dream come true.”
More UDFAs making plays
While not as impressive as Kennelly’s play, it’s worth noting that a few other UDFA rookies made plays on their first day of training camp. Wide receiver Jackson Meeks caught a pass during 7-on-7s, as did tight end/H-back Zach Horton. Horton is a bit of a sleeper for the Lions’ TE3 role, as his range of positional flexibility is quite large. He showed a bit of that off on Sunday and should be on people’s radars moving forward.
Special teams notes
While there is no drama with the Lions’ kicker, punter, and long snapper positions, there are some other important special teams roles to keep an eye on.
With Jalen Reeves-Maybin no longer with the team, the Lions’ all-important personal protector (PP) role on punts is up for grabs. Last season, Ezekiel Turner assumed the role when Reeves-Maybin was on injured reserve; however, it was Grant Stuard in the PP first-team role on Sunday. Stuard is known for his special teams, so this isn’t overly surprising, and it does add some clarity.
At gunner, the Lions ran several people through blocking/shedding drills, but when they did live punts, corners Amik Robertson and Rock Ya-Sin worked together, as did rookie wide receivers Dominic Lovett and Isaac TeSlaa.
Lastly, Sione Vaki and Craig Reynolds return as the outside “wings” in the punt block formation, and were backed up by Maddox and Norris—which is another notable feather in his cap for the second-year safety.
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