The Detroit Lions donned pads for the first time during their 2026 training camp, and while they spent a bit less time on the field than in previous practices, the intensity was ramped up. Monday’s practice was roughly only an hour and a half, but according to coach Dan Campbell, this was just a precursor for what should be a week of intensity that will separate players between those hoping to make an NFL roster and the ones who are ready.
“I told the players last night that by the end of this week,
this roster will begin to separate itself. So, this is where we’ll find out. We’re about to get four really, really good days of pads. And this is day one just to kind of break them in for the other three.”
Injury updates
Campbell gave injury updates on rookies Blake Miller, Derrick Moore, Jimmy Rolder, and Miles Kitselman in his morning press conference, and then Jeremy Reisman followed up practice with a second update, including a participation report, along with notes on the three players who left practice on Monday.
“Time will tell”
Star running back Jahmyr Gibbs, who is still not participating in practices due to a presumed contract holdout, watched his teammates from the sideline of the practice field on Sunday and was back again on Monday. While he was able to avoid the media over the weekend, Gibbs walked through the media on Monday but did not shed any light on his situation.
When he was asked when he expected to return to the field to practice, his response was simply: “Time will tell.”
Campbell, at his morning presser, made sure to emphasize that Gibbs is in the building, attending meetings, getting some work inside the training facility, and is “still part of us; and the guys, our players, love him. We love him. And he’s a part of what we do.”
Opening with 1 vs. 1, but with a twist
As has become tradition under Campbell, the first practice in pads opens with a one-on-one tackling drill, where the team gathers in a large semi-circle, and two players square up in the middle. At the whistle, the player with the ball needs to get past the defender, while the defender needs to make a stop. While this drill is typically full go and a way to increase intensity, the Lions scaled back this year’s opening drill and eliminated the tackling portion, instead asking the defenders to two-hand touch the offensive player.
The Lions have been criticized for their practices in the past, and this is the drill Ennis Rakestraw was injured in in 2025, so it appears as if the Lions are being more cautious with their players this year. However, as Campbell mentioned previously, this practice is part of the ramp-up period, so it’s possible this drill could add tackling back in the coming days.
As for the drill itself, the defense got the majority of the wins (two-hand touch certainly helps them), but I did award some offensive wins:
- RB Jabari Small was the only player to earn two wins, utilizing a cutback on the first and a speed-to-the-edge move on the second.
- WR Dominic Lovett got past his defender on a slick cutback.
- WR Lawrence Keys used a hesitation move to catch his defender throttling down.
- WR Tay Martin won with speed-to-the-edge.
- DB Aamaris Brown switched to offense for a snap and executed a juke move on his defender
Offensive linemen impress in pads
Weather in team drills or one-on-ones with defensive linemen, the offensive line showed fans a lot of optimism on Monday.
On Monday, the Lions offense spent a fair amount of time working on their rushing offense, and that meant a variety of blocking schemes on display. While it can be challenging to sift through the bodies to see which individual players are standing out in the trenches, it gets much easier when they end up out in space, either by pulling or running their blocks out of the play.
We saw Cade Mays and Christian Mahogany stand out on pulls during this practice, with the center walling off a hole for the back to run through, while Mahogany—fresh off returning from injury—pulled from his left guard spot and overpowered Aidan Hutchinson, a difficult thing to do. Mahogany’s power has been evident since his return, and now that he has flashed on pulls the last few days, it’s easy to see why I believe he’ll fit into Drew Petzing’s blocking scheme.
The most impressive offensive lineman in camp has to be second-year utility lineman Miles Frazier, who continues to not only show off ridiculous range and endurance, but also execute at a strong level. After starting camp in the battle for the left guard position, he’s since shifted to right tackle on the second unit, while also contributing on the third team at both guard spots and sometimes left tackle as well.
The offensive line also showed well on 1-0n-1s with the defensive line, showing nice patience and the ability to anchor versus power.
OL vs. DL 1 vs. 1 recap:
Starters
- Penei Sewell and Hutchinson split their two reps
- Mahogany bested Alim McNeill twice
- Tyleik Williams overpowered Mays, but Mays rebounded by taking down Chris Smith
- Tate Ratledge got wins against Mekhi Wingo and Levi Onwuzurike
- Blake Miller took care of Tyler Lacy, but DJ Wonnum caught him with a snatch-and-pull
Reserves
- Larry Borom beat Wonnum and Ahmed Hassanein
- Miles Frazier (at RT) stallmated with Anthony Lucas, beat Eric O’Neill, then shifted inside to RG and beat Wingo
- Juice Scruggs locked down Skyler Gill-Howard, but lost to Lacy
- Melvin Priestly beat Gill-Howard and Tyre West
- Seth McLaughlin beat Myles Adams and Aidan Keanaaina
Jacob Saylors stepping up
With Gibbs holding out and Sion Vaki leaving practice early after getting poked in the eye, Jacob Saylors stepped into a larger role behind Isiah Pacheco. Saylors made the most of his opportunity, bursting through a right side gap for a 20+ yard gain during 11-on-11s, then closing out practice with a 40+ yard wheel route that he took untouched for a touchdown.
Saylors has quietly had a solid camp, and depending on Gibbs and Vaki’s situations, could suddenly be in line for more touches and a chance to prove his worth.
The Christian Izien domino effect
Christian Izien has worked past the flu bug that kept him from practicing the first three days of camp, and while he returned to the field on Sunday, Monday was a truer representation of how his presence can create a domino effect on the secondary depth chart.
At practice, Izien opened as the starting nickelback, working inside of D.J. Reed and Rock Ya-Sin or Ennis Rakestraw. However, when the second team took the field, Izien shifted back to safety alongside Thomas Harper.
As a result of Izien’s presence, Roger McCreary shifted to the second team, operating on the outside opposite Khalil Dorsey when only two corners were on the field, then kicking inside when they went to nickel. When Izien took a breather from second-team safety, it was UDFA rookie Aamaris Brown who stepped in as his replacement, who appears to have possibly jumped Dan Jackson and Loren Strickland on the depth chart.
With McCreary on the second team, rookie Keith Abney was bumped to the third team. Like McCreary, Abney worked as an outside corner in two CB sets (opposite Nick Whiteside), then kicking inside in nickel sets.
Quick hitters
- The Tyler Lacy hype looks deserved and is gaining momentum. On Monday, during 11-on-11s at big end, he burst into the backfield and forced Jared Goff to throw the ball away. A few plays later, he kicked inside to defensive tackle and overpowered a second-team guard right into Teddy Bridgewater.
- DJ Wonnum sets a mean edge.
- Ahmed Hassanein delivered a powerful double-swipe and swim move to beat Colby Sorsdal in 1-on-1s.
- Hassanein’s intensity is ramping up on the field. After beating Thomas Gordon on a special teams drill, he stared down the tight end, the two exchanged words, then Hassanein let out a guttural yell that may have rattled the windows inside the building.
- Damone Clark executed a perfect tackle for loss on a run play, darting into the backfield and locking up the RB five yards behind the line of scrimmage.
- Reed forced a pass breakup against Amon-Ra St. Brown on a quick inbreaking route; a rare unsecured catch for St. Brown, who typically vacuums in everything thrown his way.
- Abney continues to stack impressive days. During 11-on-11s, he blitzed from nickel and got a no-doubter tackle-for-loss.
- In the lead for the gunner roles: Dorsey, Rakestraw, Izien, Abney, Ya-Sin.
