Detroit Lions training camp isn’t over, but the team is starting to shift into preseason mode. Before we start previewing the exhibition opener on Thursday, let’s take inventory of the biggest winners and losers from the first two weeks of training camp.
Winners
CB Nick Whiteside
Whiteside, in my opinion, has been the story of training camp. After starting with the second and third teams, Whiteside just kept making play after play to the point where Dan Campbell could no longer ignore him. He’s since climbed
the depth chart and has been getting first-team reps for nearly a week while D.J. Reed has been sidelined with an injury. It feels like he’s now comfortably above the roster bubble after starting camp as a relative long shot.
EDGE Ahmed Hassanein
If Whiteside is the biggest story of training camp, Hassanein isn’t far behind. Thus far, he has proved that he is far more than just a good origin story and a high-energy player. He’s consistently making plays on a daily basis both on special teams and against the second-team offense. At this point, I think he’s the unquestioned backup to Tyler Lacy at the big defensive end position, and is firmly off the roster bubble.
DT Alim McNeill
McNeill’s 2025 season was certainly a disappointment. Though expectations were relatively low coming off a torn ACL, there was certainly hope he would be back to normal by the end of the year. He wasn’t, but the 2026 version of McNeill suddenly looks more like what we’re accustomed to seeing. His explosiveness is back, and his strength never really left. He could be in for a big year if he stays healthy.
S Chuck Clark
Fans were understandably concerned about the safety position following the news that Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph were at risk of missing the start of the season. However, Chuck Clark should ease some of those concerns. In the spring, coaches praised Clark’s knowledge and ability to communicate at a high level. In camp, he’s followed that up with disciplined play, great instincts on the field, and an aggressive mindset in the run game. He’s looking like one of the Lions’ best offseason additions so far.
CB Rock Ya-Sin
Ya-Sin has done a pretty darn good job quelling one of Lions fans’ other big concerns: the outside cornerback position. The loss of Terrion Arnold was a gut punch and a big loss in terms of potential of that room, but Ya-Sin has come in, assumed a starting role, and gone toe-to-toe with every single one of the Lions’ starting talented receivers.
Certainly, there is still some concern about the outside cornerback depth, but things have been going pretty well with Reed and Ya-Sin in the starting lineup this camp.
QB Luke Altmyer
Altmyer has a real chance to win the backup quarterback job following the retirement of Teddy Bridgewater, but the truth of the matter is the undrafted rookie quarterback was already making a pretty strong impression before that news broke.
“He did some really good things,” Campbell said. “He was put in some really tough positions for a young player that you absolutely have to be put in, you just do. You’ve got to be thrust in it and really you need to fail, you need to make mistakes so that you can grow. And we thought he handled it really well, we did.”
I’ve been impressed with Altmyer’s poise during situational drills, his relative accuracy, and his arm strength. He still needs to speed up his progressions, but that’s to be expected of someone this young.
RB Jabari Small
The Lions have a legitimate RB4 competition between Small and Jacob Saylors. That alone is saying a lot because this team really likes Saylors as a special teamer. But Small has been shifty, strong on special teams, and he’s been tough. He’s clearly been battling through some knee discomfort for the past few practices, but has shown his grit by practicing through it. I wasn’t sure how close he was to really competing for a spot with Saylors, but Campbell all but confirmed he’s thoroughly in the mix.
“Small’s having a good camp,” Campbell said. “I mean, I feel like those two guys are just jockeying with each other right now. One guy’s a little bit ahead. The next day, the other guy’s a little bit ahead. And I love where they’re at on special teams because that’ll be big for both of those players
The entire linebacking corps
Be it some early big plays from Derrick Barnes and Damone Clark, or the late addition of Devin White, the Lions’ linebacking corps has been all over the place early. The entire crew has been impressive in how fast and downhill they play, and I’ve been surprised by how decent they’ve been in coverage during team drills—slowing down the likes of Sam LaPorta early in camp. Even undrafted rookie Erick Hunter is really starting to come on as of late.
While Barnes and Malcolm Rodriguez still have a lot to prove, I do like the depth that this room has to offer. Clark, White, Joe Bachie have all splashed on defense, and even a guy like Troy Reeder could help on special teams.
Losers
OT Giovanni Manu
Giovanni Manu seemed like 2026 was going to be the last year to make an impression with the coaching staff and justify a spot on this roster moving forward. Unfortunately for him, he made the complete wrong impression by failing to report an offseason injury and promptly being stashed away on the Non-Football Injury list indefinitely.
WR Isaac TeSlaa
I’m not panicking about TeSlaa’s slow start to camp, and I don’t think you should either. But I’m also not going to ignore the fact that the second-year receiver has struggled, both in one-on-one drills and team sessions. He’s particularly been ineffective against press coverage, failing to use both his size and length to create separation.
His hands are still impeccable, but I was hoping to see a little more progress in his releases by now.
EDGE Payton Turner
Turner arrived in Detroit hopeful to shake the injury prone label and finally live up to his draft status as a former first-round pick. Instead, he practiced once, tweaked his back, and hasn’t practiced again. With the rise of Hassanein and the imminent return of rookie Derrick Moore, it’s hard to imagine Turner returning in time to win a roster spot.
CB Ennis Rakestraw
Rakestraw has certainly had an up-and-down camp, and I’m not ready to put his roster spot in jeopardy, but the fact remains that he has been jumped in the depth chart by Whiteside. Rakestraw could find new life after entering the competition for the nickel job, but Dan Campbell said it himself: he needs to start stringing some good days together.
“He’s had some ups and downs. He needs to string a few days together here of some good stuff, but he can do that and he’s gifted,” Campbell said.
