Dave Birkett

Detroit Free Press

Calvin Johnson's departure not withstanding, the biggest question the Detroit Lions face on offense this year is how much better (if at all) their offensive line will be.

After watching his team's first padded workout of training camp today, Lions coach Jim Caldwell said it's "too early" to tell.

"You can tell from a physical standpoint on paper," Caldwell said. "There’s no question, both sides of the ball we’re bigger and we’re stronger up front. But we’ve got to go through a few battles. But I think overall if we can keep them healthy it’s going to be a pretty good group both sides of the ball."

The Lions' defensive line looked well ahead of the offensive line one-on-one pass rush drills Sunday.

While Ziggy Ansah vs. Taylor Decker was the most anticipated matchup of the day -- Decker was in pads and going full speed against a Pro Bowl pass rusher for the first time since the Lions took him with the 16th pick of the first round -- that was hardly the only line battle to watch.

Ansah and Decker played to a draw on their first matchup before Ansah got the better of the rookie on Round 2.

At right guard, Haloti Ngata destroyed Larry Warford in their first matchup, but Warford rebounded with a solid second rep, holding Ngata at bay.

Travis Swanson showed the ability to anchor against Gabe Wright in his first rep, but had no chance against Khyri Thornton in his second rep.

Laken Tomlinson took two poor reps at left guard, with Tyrunn Walker proving too quick to handle both times.

And Riley Reiff had the best day of the first-team offensive linemen at right tackle. Devin Taylor got a decent push against Reiff on their first rep, but not enough to get a sack. And Reiff drove Taylor into the ground on their second rep.

Caldwell said Reiff broke at least one facemask and maybe a second on the day.

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More news, notes and observations from practice:

•The results weren't much better for the second- and third-team offensive line in pass-rush drills. Wallace Gilberry got the better of right guard Geoff Schwartz on one rep with a quick inside move, then beat rookie Joe Dahl at left guard on his second snap. It looks more and more like Gilberry will play the Jason Jones role as an inside pass rusher in nickel situations this year, and he should be tough to handle there.

•Gabe Ikard, who's battling for a roster spot at center, struggled with Caraun Reid's quickness on his first snap and got beat by undrafted rookie Louis Palmer on his second snap.

•Graham Glasgow wasn't much better. as Khyri Thornton walked him backwards in their one-on-one drill.

•Asked about the Ansah-Decker matchup, Caldwell, who did not watch the pass rush drills, said there are a number of matchups to watch and pointed to Thornton vs. Tomlinson as one to keep an eye on. Thornton has an uphill battle to make the 53-man roster given the Lions' depth at defensive tackle, but he's shown well in his first three practices after playing briefly with the team last year.

•Johnson Bademosi took first-team reps at cornerback Sunday as Nevin Lawson worked with the second-team. I'd be stunned if Lawson wasn't the starter come Week 1, but the Lions did lure Bademosi, a top special teams player, to Detroit in part by promising him a look on defense.

•Marvin Jones made the catch of the day against Darius Slay in one-on-ones early in practice. Jones has better deep speed than many realize, and he did a good job tracking the ball over his shoulder. "It was just a good throw," he said. Matthew Stafford did place the ball perfectly.

•DeAndre Levy is still on NFI because of his hip injury, but watching him in practice Sunday I got a sense of why he's so good. Levy stood 15 yards behind Jon Bostic during the team review period and went through his pass drops, shadowing every route that was run and what he'd do on the play. He even pointed to an imaginary linebacker playing next to him as if he was passing off a receiver.

•Theo Riddick and Ryan Spadola did not practice because of injuries. Riddick declined an interview request as he walked off the field, but running backs coach David Walker said his injury is "no concern."

•Finally, Ameer Abdullah is still in a red no contact jersey, but he's taken reps on punt return the last two days. While Golden Tate, TJ Jones or Jeremy Kerley should handle punt returns for the Lions this year, Abdullah, the team's kick returner, also has that in his bag of tricks.

Contact Dave Birkett: dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett. Download our Lions Xtra app for free on Apple and Android!