Dan Campbell Explains Absence of Josh Paschal
The only rookie who remains away from Detroit Lions minicamp is defensive lineman Josh Paschal.
The Kentucky product hasn’t been with the team, and has yet to sign his rookie contract. Despite that, there’s little concern in the eyes of Lions head coach Dan Campbell.
In fact, Campbell said the main reason he’s been inactive is because of an injury.
“We’re trying to be smart with him,” Campbell said. “He’s got a lower extremity injury. Trying to be smart. There will be a couple guys we back off of (Wednesday). Just trying to be smart, get him out of here healthy.”
Drafted in the second round, Paschal was a three-time captain at Kentucky as a defensive end. General manager Brad Holmes was a fan of him, so much so that he wasted little time selecting him in the second round.
"The entire building was just in love with the player," Holmes told 97.1 The Ticket in a May interview. "The first time that I watched him on film, I just saw the film and I was like, 'This guy is unbelievable.' Just in terms of his versatility and his explosiveness. He's high-motor. He fits all the intangibles that we look for. But, then when you learn more about the human being, that was just the icing on top. It was like okay, he was one of those guys, and I told Dan (Campbell), I said, 'If we don't come off with this guy, I'm going to be mad.'"
Paschal is the only Lions draft pick who remains unsigned.
Pair of wideouts making impressions
Acquired in a trade at the end of last preseason, wide receiver Trinity Benson didn’t make a concrete impact in his first year as a member of the Lions.
In eight games, he caught 10 passes for 103 yards. Now, in his first offseason with the team, he is making a solid impression on his head coach.
“I thought Trinity Benson did a hell of a job (Tuesday),” Campbell said. “He’s having a helluva spring.”
Campbell explained that the full year with the team has benefitted Benson. After all, he didn’t join the Lions until the week before the regular season.
“He’s kind of started all over, as far as verbiage with everyone else,” Campbell said. “We’ve changed enough things to where everyone’s learning at the same rate now. I think the fact that he’s been here for six weeks now, he’s built a rapport with the quarterbacks. They trust that he’s gonna be where he needs to be. Because of that, you see the confidence and he’s playing faster. He’s running, our defense feels it. To this kid’s credit, I know it’s early, I know we’re in pajamas, but he came up and said, ‘Coach, what do I need to do?’ We talked about it, and he took it serious. He’s always put in the work, and that’s a credit to him.”
Campbell said the best skill Benson has to offer is his speed. The 6-foot receiver has been unleashing this speed as his confidence has grown, which has led to his strong offseason to this point.
Though plenty of attention in Detroit’s wide receiver room goes to Amon-Ra St. Brown, who deserves it after setting the Lions record for receiving yards by a rookie in 2021, Quintez Cephus served as an under-the-radar option early in the season.
In five games, he caught 15 passes for 204 yards and two touchdowns. However, his season ended in that fifth game when he suffered a broken collarbone against the Minnesota Vikings.
He’s currently working his way back from the injuries, and has been active in camp. Campbell said he was impressive in competitive drills Tuesday.
“At this point, it’s very much like last year to an extent,” Campbell said. “He was here, he put in the work. He’s doing what we ask him to do. Last year, it was kind of like, put him in a competitive environment and he shows up. That’s when you really feel him. We don’t ignore those things. I don’t ignore them.”
