The Detroit Lions shined on day five of training camp. With very few mistakes made by anyone, it was easy to call this practice a success for the entire team. Disclaimer: I am in no way an expert analyst and what I saw from the bleachers may be a bit different that what was seen from the media stands. It’s a big practice field, a lot was going on. With that, here are of some of the observations I made from today’s practice:

A New Look on the Defensive Line

With Devon Kennard coming back from the NFI list, the Lions’ front four had some new faces today. The line consisted of Anthony Zettel, Sylvester Williams, Ricky Jean Francois, and Devon Kennard. Surprisingly, A’Shawn Robinson was nowhere to be seen on the first team defense. Kerry Hyder and Christian Ringo took some reps with the starters as well.

Improvement in His Second Year

Jarrad Davis made some consistent big plays today in a drill with the running backs today. The drill had the linebackers covering running backs in short yardage passing situations. On his first rep, Davis stayed on pace with Theo Riddick and forced the pass incomplete. On his next rep, he was all over Ameer Abdullah on a slant route, and the running back could not get to the ball. On his last rep, Davis smothered Dwayne Washington and the pass was incomplete. Coverage was a big issue for the 2017 first round pick, but that didn’t show today.

Extra Practice

Before the team’s practice began, former Florida teammates WR Brandon Powell and CB Teez Tabor were taking one on one reps. After practice, Powell, along with wide receivers Chris Lacy, Deontez Alexander, Bradley Marquez, and Teo Redding stayed on the field for some extra catching drills with the training staff.

Billingsley Steals the Show

Third year slot receiver Jace Billinglsey had himself a day today. During team drills with the second team, Billingsley found himself lined up in the slot against cornerback Jamal Agnew. The receiver was able to get the best of Agnew twice on short passes from Rudock. Billingsley also made two catches over Nevin Lawson, one sideline catch where the cornerback looked like he just gave up on the play, and another where he got infront of the cornerback and then outran him and the rest of the defense. He also took a snap from the backfield and ran the ball up the middle for a moderate gain. Jace Billingsley has somehow managed to make it to his third NFL training camp without recording a single stat, but his versatility as a receiver, runner, and returner could help him make a case for the 53-man roster this season.

Issues With Ball Security

Dwayne Washington fumbled once during RB drills. Later on, Brandon Powell let a pass from Rudock sail right through his hands during team drills and Golladay dropped a wide open pass from Stafford. The biggest ‘oops’ moment came when Stafford fumbled the snap from Graham Glasgow, resulting in the entire offense having to run the length of the field.

Tight End Rotation

With Michael Roberts not in pads today, the Lions had the opportunity to assess the rest of the tight end group. Luke Willson, Hakeem Valles, and Levine Toilolo split time with the starting offense. Nobody really stood out from this group, which isn’t always a bad thing.

Running Back Trick Plays

The flea flicker is coming to Detroit. The back would take the handoff, toss the ball back to the quarterback, and then move into pass protection. When implemented, the play worked perfectly. In full team drills, Theo Riddick took the handoff, tossed it back to Stafford, and the QB hit a wide open Kenny Golladay.

Special Teams Trick Plays

I missed most of this drill, but it appeared that Sam Martin and Don Muhlbach were working on some fake punt scenarios where Martin would take the snap and run with it.

Run Blocking

The offensive line ran a drill where the tackle, guard, and center would line up against two defensive lineman and a linebacker and block for a running back. The first group, made up of Wesley Johnson, TJ Lang, and Taylor Decker, made two consecutive big plays, where both LeGarrette Blount and rookie Kerryon Johnson made it through untouched. The second team wasn’t as successful though, as Blount and Abdullah were both hit behind a line made up of Dan Skipper, newly-signed Jamar McGloster, and Leo Koloamatangi.

Big Play Slay

Darius Slay made sure to let us know that he was okay after suffering a minor injury today by making two big plays. First, he stayed on pace with Golden Tate and didn’t let him make the completion. Later on, he made a big hit on Kenny Golladay the moment that the ball landed in the receiver’s hands. He later covered Marvin Jones on an incomplete pass by Stafford, but there appeared to be some pass interference by the cornerback.

CB2 Battle

The fight for the cornerback spot opposite of Slay looked one-sided today. After being burned by Billingsley, Nevin Lawson allowed a reception by camp darling Teo Redding, who outran the defense after making safety Rolan Milligan miss a tackle. DeShawn Shead had a great showing today, forcing a Stafford deep ball to Golladay incomplete. Shead spent most of the day covering Tate and Golladay.

Pass Breakups

While there were no interceptions today, two Lions defenders were able to get their hands on the ball today. While covering Luke Wilson, Tavon Wilson was able to get his hand in front of the tight end and bat the ball down before a catch could be made. Linebacker Christian Jones was also able to breakup a pass intended for TJ Jones.

Returning Kicks

Kerryon Johnson, Ameer Abdullah, Teo Redding, Brandon Powell, TJ Jones, and Jamal Agnew all took turns returning kicks from punter Ryan Santoso. Nobody made any noticeable mistakes, but Agnew bobbled a ball from the jugs machine later on in the day.

Stuffing The Run

After taking the handoff, Blount was met by both Jarrad Davis and Quandre Diggs before he could cross the line of scrimmage. Linebacker Freddie Bishop also broke through the backup offensive line to stop Ameer Abdullah dead in his tracks. In flashbacks to last season, both of Zach Zenner’s runs that I witnessed resulted in negative yardage.

A Good First Impression

First round pick Frank Ragnow impressed me today, but not by his play. Any time that I looked at the rookie while on the sideline, he was talking to the veteran lineman. At one point, it looked like Kenny Wiggins was even giving him some pointers. After practice, Ragnow took some practice snaps with Wiggins and QB Matt Cassel.

“Teo, what are you doing??”

Teo Redding had a very up-and-down day today. Though he did make the impressive catch over Lawson, he also had a moment that reminded us that he is, in fact, an undrafted rookie. During the full team drills, the receiver ran right into two defenders and couldn’t lose them, resulting in the rookie getting yelled at by his offensive coordinator.

As always, thank you for reading. If you have any questions or comments, be sure to let me know on Twitter @TheHonoluluBlue!