Thursday marked the final organized training activity of the 2019 offseason for the Detroit Lions and while observations showed us much of the same information we’ve seen over the past few weeks, there were a few notable changes stood out.

Participation report

Heading into six-week break period before training camp the Lions were playing it safe with the health of their players and held out a few more than they have in previous practices.

Running backs C.J. Anderson and Theo Riddick were both missing from today’s practice and no reason was given for their absence. While linebacker Christian Jones was a new addition to the non-participation group as he was not able to take the field today.

The rest of the participation was pretty close to what we have recently witnessed, although some improvement was seen among the tight ends groups, as both Isaac Nauta and Jerome Cunningham returned to practice, with Nauta only doing positional drills and Cunningham back in full.

Cornerback Justin Coleman also an upgrade in health, as he took reps in defensive back drills but sat out the team activities.

Wide receivers Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones continue to put in work (jogging and catching) on the sidelines and travel with their position group, but are sitting out the physical portions of the workouts. Chris Lacy and Tommylee Lewis — both of whom were injured during previous workouts — spent them beginning of practice indoors (presumably) with trainers and watch practice from the sideline, occasionally playing catch but not jogging.

Fullback Nick Bawden continues to stand on the sidelines with no participation in workouts, as does EDGE rusher Trey Flowers, JACK linebacker Austin Bryant and linebacker Steve Longa.

Darius Slay and Damon Harrison continue to not be in attendance as they are looking for adjustments to their contract.

Offensive line rotation

After last weeks practices saw the Lions swapping their guards out for full sessions, today they were rotating them every series. Kenny Wiggins and Joe Dahl swapped time at left guard, while Graham Glasgow and Oday Abboushi altered at right guard.

Frank Ragnow anchored the center position with the first team, while Leo Kolomatangi and newly acquired Luke Bowanko each saw time at center with the second team.

The new signal caller

Newcomer David Fales was worked in slowly and his snaps were limited but he showed nice touch in red zone situations. It’s still too early to know if he was truly an upgrade over Connor Cook.

Plays of the day

Play of the Day went to Kerryon Johnson who got loose down the right sidelines blowing past Tavon Wilson who was caught flat-footed. Wilson showed nice acceleration to catch up but Johnson was already by him and Matthew Stafford placed a 40-plus-yard bomb that Johnson leaped/dove to grab for the score.

Runner up for the play of the day went to rookie Travis Fulgham who flashed down the sideline and beat tough coverage from Mike Ford. Fulgham perfectly high-pointed the ball 40-yards downfield and strolled into the end zone as defenders fell to the ground around him.

It’s worth noting that Fulgham stayed after practice with a coach working on his routes in the end zone. From what I saw, he was the last player on the field after putting in the extra work.

Another contender for the play of the day came from Logan Thomas who, in red zone drills, high pointed a ball over the extended arms of Tracy Walker. With Walker’s reach, that’s no small feat.

While Johnson, Fulgham and Thomas made some flashy plays, rookie T.J. Hockenson was easily the most versatile and reliable player on offense. Hockenson saw snaps all over the field — inline, outside, and in the backfield — catching anything close to him. Whether he was covered by Wilson, Walker or Will Harris, none of them had the answer for the first-rounder who had arguably his best day of the offseason.

Special teams, positional work and film review

In somewhat new news, Quandre Diggs field a punt today. It was likely just practiced for emergency situations as Diggs has filled in on punt returns in the past, receiving two during the 2018 season for four-yards.

The rest of the usual suspects were there for remaining returns. Danny Amendola and Jamal Agnew were in on both punt and kickoff situations, Ty Johnson got in on the action on kicks, while Brandon Powell and Tom Kennedy saw some time returning punts.

When the majority of the team worked on special team situations, a few key players (who don’t play on special teams) spent time with the quarterbacks and their position coaches, including Jermaine Kearse and Kerryon Johnson.

The offensive line spent this time productively, using it to review the previous 11-on-11 practice session on one of the big screens on the side of the field. The linemen were able to see what just happened, discuss with coaches and make adjustments for the next session. When Kerryon Johnson wasn’t doing drills with running backs coach Kyle Caskey, they joined the linemen in the film review.

Next man up at linebacker

With Christian Jones sidelined, second-round pick Jahlani Tavai stepped into the starting role at WILL linebacker. The second-team saw a lot of rotating bodies including Miles Killebrew and undrafted rookie edge rusher Malik Carney who illustrated his range to play multiple spots. Keep an eye on Carney come training camp who could be playing himself into a roster spot.

Yet another interception for Tabor

After a day that appeared to favor the offense, it was the defense who closed things out on a positive note.

Near the end practice, the team worked on what looked like two-minute drills, where the offense was given the opportunity to move the ball down the field to try to score. The first team drove down the field but when they got into the red zone, Tabor once again secured a pivotal interception, ending the drive. It looked the ball was headed Andy Jones way, but Amendola’s reaction — chucking his helmet 25-yards in disgust — made me question if he was the one who made a mistake.

When the second team took the field it was another interception ending drive, this time by safety C.J. Moore. Moore caught a ball that ricocheted off a tight end and into his waiting arms. He fell to the ground just outside of the end zone, ending the drill.

On a fun final note: After the Moore interception, Tyrell Crosby hovered over Moore as he was in the fetal position guarding the ball. When he lingered on the ground a bit too long, Crosby picked him up by the arm and carried him like a small child back a few yards, dropping him into the end zone. He then turned and looked towards the other offensive lineman and humorously signaled for a safety.

Other apps just deliver sports. The USA TODAY Sportswire app lets you pick specific team sites to get only the news that you want to know.

newsletter Get 10 hot stories each day Thanks for signing up.

Please check your email for a confirmation. Thanks for signing up.

Please check your email for a confirmation.