The Daily DLP from the Detroit Lions Podcast breaks down all the observations and takeaways from the team’s second padded training camp practice. Tuesday, August 4th saw a few players rise and fall on the practice field at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park.
Among the big winners was RB Jabari Small. With Sione Vaki out with a broken nose suffered in Monday’s practice, and with Jahmyr Gibbs still not practicing, Small stepped up on the depth chart and looked like he belonged. His quick footwork and nifty cuts created a couple of big gains for the Lions offense.
Teddy Bridgewater had his best day of training camp. It was certainly his most accurate, though the final drive in team drills saw the veteran backup QB fall back a bit. This was the first practice of the summer where Bridgewater looked clearly better than undrafted rookie Luke Altymer.
Devin White showed why the Lions signed the former All-Pro LB. He is fast and he closes hard on the ball in the run game. Coverage looks to be an issue, as he ran himself out of position on a couple of different routes. He had some nice reps with the first-team defense, better than when he played in the nickel package with some reserves.
Ahmed Hassanein had his best day of the summer, too. The fan favorite EDGE worked well playing outside Mekhi Wingo in heavier packages. Hassanein did appear to suffer a minor groin or upper leg injury late in the practice that caused him to take to the turf a couple of times, but he didn’t seem distressed when talking to reporters after practice. His bull rush is getting better by the day. Hassanein also wasn’t shy about getting after some offensive linemen after plays, showing fire that the team needed.
Hassanein’s fire was matched on the offense by WR Greg Dortch. The word “feisty” came up twice in the notes. It’s not all negative-tinged either; Dortch and rookie UDFA LB Erick Hunter started jawing a bit after a special teams rep. After Dortch threw Hunter the ball, the two came together and Dortch appeared to praise the youngster, tapping Hunter’s helmet and clapping.
It was not a good day for Keith Abney, as the rookie CB struggled. Veteran Ennis Rakestraw also got victimized with a bad coverage lapse. It didn’t look like the best day for new starting center Cade Mays either, notably in the run game–though he did have a couple of nice reps.
That’s training camp. Good players have bad days, and lesser players rise up at times.
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