Inside Allen Park: Summer's Over

Observations from the Detroit Lions' first training camp practice of 2022.

Summer is officially over for the members of the Detroit Lions organization. 

After several weeks away from the grind of a football season, the time has come to put in the work before the start of the regular season. 

Lions head coach Dan Campbell, speaking in front of many more cameras and reporters, made a point to express how satisfied he was with the commitment level of the roster. 

"Everybody’s committed, we're all-in," Campbell said. "It’s one goal, and it's about getting better and getting ready for a season now. It’s not necessarily about ‘Hey, let's get this working a little bit better, now we got summer vacation’. ... I wanted to make a point of this. I was real proud of our guys. When they come back and they weighed in and they tested, the conditioning test, that pretty much tells you what their commitment was, how serious they were over the summer. Man, our guys were outstanding." 

Campbell continued, "Everybody made weight, and we had all but one guy who passed the conditioning test. And, that's the guy who just started running a week ago who didn't make it. So, that's a credit to our guys. They look good, they're in shape and they look ready to go."

Coach Campbell joining the squad for up-downs to kick off #LionsCamp 😤 pic.twitter.com/orxKOoUTjU

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) July 27, 2022

Attendance

Three more members of the roster will miss the start of training camp, as fullback Jason Cabinda, safety C.J. Moore and offensive lineman Dan Skipper were added to the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list on Wednesday. 

They join Romeo Okwara, Josh Paschal, Jameson Williams, Jerry Jacobs and Natrez Patrick as non-participants during the early days of training camp. 

Second-year jump

If the Lions are going to have any sort of success, the play of the second-year players has to improve. 

It has been discussed all offseason, the jump that is made from a player's rookie season to their second season in the NFL. 

"We’re counting on it, we’ve got to have it," Campbell said. "I mean, if they don’t make a jump, we’re in trouble. That’s the bottom line, because those guys are kind of our core and our foundation. I mean, (Amon-Ra) St. Brown’s got to be better. (Penei) Sewell’s got to be better. Levi (Onwuzurike) has got to be better. Mac’s (Alim McNeill) got to be better. (Derrick) Barnes’ got to be better, because if they’re not, we’re not going to go anywhere. So, we’re looking forward to it, and we’re going to push him to be there and get there.”

St. Brown, a second-year wideout, looks poised and ready to make that leap. Detroit starting quarterback Jared Goff told reporters after practice that St. Brown has made significant gains, since he last stepped foot out on the field. 

Observations

• The media room received a makeover, as more Lions artwork has made its way into the room where reporters work. 
• "Hard Knocks" has a significant presence at the practice facility, as there are many separate work areas for the team to capture and edit film. The increased presence seems to not have impeded any work being done out on the field. There are just many, many more people documenting events occurring at training camp.  
• Campbell joined his players for another round of up-downs during the first practice of training camp. 
• The early days of training camp are considered an acclimation period, as players return to the field before pads can be worn. 
• Wide receiver Quintez Cephus made a spectacular one-handed grab on a ball delivered by Goff. He ended the play with a dunk through the goal post. 
• Defensive back Will Harris has been listed as a cornerback, while Ifeatu Melifonwu has been listed as a safety on the team's roster sheet. 
• Okudah and Harris split reps on the first-team defense. The former No. 3 overall pick in Okudah looked healthy, and was moving around well in coverage. 
• Goff was sharper than Tim Boyle on Day 1, as Detroit's backup quarterback is still struggling to connect with receivers. A few of Boyle's tosses sailed high, while working with the second-team offense.
• In an awkward moment, Goff acknowledged not inviting wideout Trinity Benson to his latest workout in California, but acknowledged the wideout has also made significant strides learning the offense. 
• Running back Jamaal Williams brought the same intensity as last season, regularly dancing while waiting for the next positional drill to begin.