![]() These three are the clear top three options at this time. With the hybrid defensive backs showing range, the Lions typically rotated just three safeties through their first two teams, with Tracy Walker and Kerby Joseph starting, then both rotated opposite Ifeatu Melifonwu on the second team. And in an effort to prove you can never have enough of a good thing, the Lions even deployed both of them on the field at the same time. Gardner-Johnson was with the first team and showed the positional range we expected from him, lining up over a receiver, attacking the line, and dropping to safety.īranch also saw some positional movement, but again, as expected, he spent time in the slot and in the box at the linebacker level. Gardner-Johnson and draft Brian Branch, it was projected that Detroit would lean on the pair to hold down the nickel spot and that came to fruition on Day 1. Hybrid nickel is the new normalīased on the Lions’ offseason moves to sign C.J. Onwuzurike got involved with the threes, alongside Benito Jones, but it was clear they were taking it slow with him. Alim McNeill and Isaiah Buggs were starting (as expected), with Christian Covington and Brodric Martin on the second line. The Lions' interior defensive line has consistently been a spot most have pointed to with some concern, but with Onwuzurike back in the mix, it gives them notable depth. Interior defensive line can roll three lines This will continue to be a battle to watch. Maybe that switch was by design, but it’s also worth recognizing that Houston made several solid plays dropping into coverage (something he clearly needed to improve on), while Okwara was on the wrong side of a coach correction immediately before the switch happened. Okwara started practice repping ahead of Houston, but it wasn’t long before they swapped spots in the hierarchy. When the Lions deployed the SAM with the second-team defense, James Houston and Julian Okwara split reps. Make no mistake, Harris is still very much an edge rusher, but this expansion of duties could make him a significantly more important player in 2023 than most expected, and could give the Lions the ability to utilize more 5-man fronts than originally anticipated. That being said, the SAM role comes with some responsibilities regarding coverage, which led to Harris working with the linebackers during some portions of individual drills. Working at the SAM is a new wrinkle for Harris but it’s not far off from the role he had during his breakout 2021 season when he was a standup edge rusher. Other shifts of the front saw the Lions bring Cominsky or Josh Paschal back at the 5-technique and Harris shifted out to the SAM. At times, Hutchinson would shift to closed end and Charles Harris would jump in with the starters on the open side. The Lions opened practices in their base defense with Aidan Hutchinson and John Cominsky in their returning starting roles but there were shifts in how and who they used. The most notable was how the Lions were using their edge rushers, specifically Charles Harris. While the Lions are in the first wave of the acclimation phase (90-minute practices without pads) and taking this slowly, there were a few notable changes from what we observed in the spring. Also of note, several injured players who were dealing with injuries last season were practice participants as well, including Tracy Walker, Frank Ragnow, and Levi Onwuzurike. and DL Zach Morton, who were placed on the NFI ahead of today’s practice, were removed from the list and participating. Just three players opened camp on an injury list with Hendon Hooker and Marvin Jones on the NFI list, along with Emmanuel Moseley on the PUP. Let’s take a closer look at what happened during the first day of camp as the players acclimated back to football. ![]() The 2023 Detroit Lions training camp is underway, and as we do every fall, we will have plenty of observations for fans to consume.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |