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Lions training camp observations: 10 standouts from Thursday
Detroit Lions defensive tackle Alim McNeill (54) walks off the field after practice during training camp at Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park on Wednesday, July 29, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co
The Detroit Lions were back on the practice field on Thursday as they went through their second day of 2026 training camp. As the team continues through the acclimation process, they were able to add a bit more time to their practice schedule, and they continue to implement a lot of their base schemes.
For the most part, attendance was the same; no one was removed from an injury report, and no one was noticeably injured at practice. However, Giovanni Manu (who was placed on NFI on Wednesday night) and Payton Turner (dealing with a back injury) were both absent from practice on Thursday.
Blake Miller locking up RT role, welcomed to the NFL
For the second straight practice, Blake Miller started every first-team rep at right tackle, pointing to the fact that he is locking up the RT battle, if he hasn’t outright won the job already. Larry Borom has been exclusively with the second team—save operating as a sixth offensive lineman in big sets—and appears to be preparing for a swing OT3 role.
While Miller has been solid through the first two days of camp, every rookie has a “welcome to the NFL” moment, and Blake Miller may have gotten his on Thursday.
During 11-on-11s, Aidan Hutchinson lined up opposite Miller, giving us a glimpse of a battle we’ve been looking forward to for some time. Miller was square in his setup, and at the snap executed a well-timed drop, taking two fast steps backward into a pass pro set. Hutchinson took one strong step upfield, then unleashed his patented inside move and left the rookie leaning awkwardly in the wrong direction and grasping at air. I’m not sure Miller got a finger on Hutchinson as the All-Pro got into the backfield with ease.
For the most part, Miller has been solid, but this play offered a solid reminder that he’s still a rookie and needs to gain experience like this to grow.
Defensive line shows up during team drills
Beyond Hutchinson looking strong, the rest of the starting defensive line had a great day overall.
Defensive tackles Alim McNeill showed up in my notebook several times, earning positive marks for shooting gaps and/or getting pressure (Juice Scruggs struggled against McNeill), while Tyleik Williams also created pressure and showed the range to get out into space. Levi Onwuzurike was limited in practice on Wednesday, but on Thursday he was rotating with the first team at the three-technique and even took a handful of reps at the big end. While he was working a bit farther down the depth chart, it’s worth recognizing that Mekhi Wingo was also able to generate noticeable pressure, which is a good sign, considering we’re starting to see more reps for rookies Skyler Gill-Howard and Tyre West.
DJ Wonnum also had a solid day, registering a sack and another pressure, while also jumping into a passing lane to disrupt a quick screen pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown. Tyler Lacy continues to get first-team reps at big end, but it was Ahmed Hassanein who showed up in my notebook for gaining pressures.
Installing the base of the offensive playbook
The defense certainly deserves a lot of credit for disrupting the offense on Thursday; it’s worth pointing out that the offense looked heavily focused on installing certain parts of the playbook. They restarted multiple plays after missed assignments or players lining up incorrectly, and coaches had to call players out on a few occasions.
When running plays, several resulted in repeated outcomes—multiple screen passes, quick outs, etc.—but the offense arrived at them in different ways. They appeared focused on installing a variety of plays that would get them specific outcomes and wanted to execute them perfectly.
Mixed in with the base installs, we saw the introduction of a few more playbook staples we expected from offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, including finding unique ways to get mismatches. My favorite, and most effective, of the day was using motion to get Jameson Williams matched up against Malcolm Rodriguez. Williams quickly chewed up the zone coverage and peeled off into the gap between the corner and the safety along the sideline for a solid result.
Petzing looks like he’ll have a few fun wrinkles in his playbook that we haven’t seen from this offensive scheme in a few seasons.
Cedric Wilson makes the catch of the day
Greg Dortch looks to have solidified himself as WR4 and is mixing in with the starters, but the battle amongst the depth reserves looks wide open. On Thursday, Cedric Wilson made his case for the WR5 job.
During 7-on-7s, Wilson set up on the outside and ran a quick out, which drew in defender Khalill Dorsey. Wilson then turned his route up the field in a variation of a wheel route, and while Dorsey did a nice job of sticking with him, Teddy Bridgewater took advantage of Wilson’s frame and placed a perfect ball on his outside shoulder. What initially looked like an overthrow ended up being a spectacular catch, as Wilson elevated and snagged the ball out of the air with one hand, landed in bounds, and scampered up the sidelines.
5 more standouts from Thursday
Avonte Maddox had a terrific day, showing great breaks on passes and run plays, and also made a highlight-reel pass breakup, coming from range and elevating over St. Brown to prevent a big play.
Derrick Barnes showed great instincts on Thursday, shooting gaps to generate pressures, as well as fake blitzing and dropping into coverage, with one of those drops resulting in the first interception of camp.
Rookie Jimmy Rolder continues to rep at second-team MIKE and already looks surprisingly comfortable. He’s showing solid play recognition and even got credited with a would-be sack on a blitz.
Jackson Meeks may have officially switched to tight end, but he still showed he can move like a wide receiver on ...
LionsThursday’s Detroit LionsDetroit LionsAlim McNeillMeijer Performance CenterAllen ParkThe Detroit LionsHoweverGiovanni ManuNFIPayton TurnerBlake Miller
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