Observations from Lions camp: Don't sleep on DT Cudjo

George Johnson was the out-of-nowhere star of training camp last year, and the Detroit Lions might have another defensive line gem on their hands this summer.

I mentioned the other day that defensive tackle Jermelle Cudjo always seems to find a way into my notes at practice, and he was at it again today.

In a 9-on-7 run period early in practice, Cudjo shoved his way past rookie left guard Laken Tomlinson to stop everyone's favorite running back, Ameer Abdullah, for a loss in the backfield.

Cudjo, like Johnson, just might end up playing his way onto the 53-man roster. He had a nice game Thursday against the New York Jets, when he recovered a fumble and had a tackle for loss, and he does something every practice that opens eyes.

"He had a very good game the other night," Lions coach Jim Caldwell said. "I mean, he played well. Tough, hard-nosed, scraps, comes off the ball with some power, and he's willing to work at it. He's a hard worker, so those are the kind of things we thought we'd get from him and first preseason game, he delivered that. But we'll see what happens in the second one."

Cudjo is the Lions' fifth defensive tackle for now, and that isn't likely to change barring injury. He's outplayed rookie Gabe Wright so far, though Wright has fared well for a rookie and is secure in his roster spot after the Lions traded a third-round pick in 2016 to draft him.

Typically, the Lions keep just four defensive tackles -- Jason Jones and Devin Taylor can play inside on passing downs -- but Cudjo could force their hand.

More notes and observations from today's practice:

■Larry Webster has had a slow start to camp and right now appears to be the Lions' fifth defensive end, firmly behind Ziggy Ansah, Jones (who's still on the PUP list), Taylor and Darryl Tapp. In position drills, the Lions pit linemen against each other in get-off-the-ball drills. Webster went against Corey Wootton at the end of the drill, and when Wootton beat him three straight times, some of Webster's vocal teammates let him hear about it. Webster is practice-squad eligible. Keep an eye on how he plays the next few weeks.

■The Lions worked on their red zone nickel package some today, mixing and matching personnel in 11-on-11 action. Teryl Austin's tendency is to blitz inside the 20, and expect the Lions to try and manufacture pressure with their defensive backs plenty this year. Josh Wilson is a solid blitzer from the nickel spot and Austin isn't afraid to use his safeties to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

■Inside that red zone period, the Lions actually ran one snap of dime defense, with Isa Abdul-Quddus lined up as an extra linebacker, playing a role not too different from what Deone Bucannon did for the Arizona Cardinals last year. Abdul-Quddus jumped high to disrupt a passing lane and force an incompletion on his lone snap in the set.

■Tomlinson worked with most of the first-team offensive line in that 9-on-7 run period and didn't have his best day. Along with the Cudjo play, he got beat easily by Caraun Reid on one play. Manny Ramirez played center in that period with the 1s, while Travis Swanson worked with the second-team offensive line on the other side of the field.

■Calvin Johnson is good for a dazzling play or two every practice. Today, he made a diving catch on a post route over top of DeAndre Levy in seven-on-seven drills. Matthew Stafford completed 5 of 6 passes in that period, with his lone miss coming when he overthrew Johnson.

■Stafford went 3-for-5 in a team period late in practice. Rashean Mathis made a nice breakup on an out to Johnson to start the period, and Stafford threw incomplete to Corey Fuller on the second play when the defense blitzed two linebackers and Fuller did not appear to adjust quick enough. Stafford and Fuller did hook up later in the period for a touchdown against an all-out blitz. Stafford hit Fuller in stride on a quick slant against Chris Owens and Fuller pulled away from the cornerback as he raced down the middle fo the field.

■Kicking on the skinny Arena League goalposts, Matt Prater made 3 of 4 field goals from 40 yards, pushing his lone miss wide left. Kyle Brindza made just 1 of 4 kicks.

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett. Download our free Lions Xtra app on your Apple and Android devices.