Observations: Scuffle Halts Practice, Arnold Intercepts Goff

Defense wins the day in second open session of OTAs.

Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams (9) / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Detroit Lions conducted their fifth session of organized team activities Thursday at the team's Allen Park practice facility.

Detroit continues to get its work in as a collective team, even though several veterans have not participated in the voluntary workouts.

Here are observations from the Lions' most recent open session of OTAs.

Scuffle stops practice

The Lions momentarily halted practice when a pair of scuffles occurred Thursday. While it occurred on the far side of the field and was difficult for reporters to observe who was in the middle, Dan Campbell wasted little time diffusing the situation and addressing the team. Levi Onwuzurike had his helmet off, and Dan Skipper was reportedly on the ground.

It was unclear what set off the scuffle, but Aidan Hutchinson said it was born out of the defense wanting to be more fired up.

"Just trying to change the mindset on the defense," Hutchinson said.

Hendon Hooker expressed following practice the defense has been much more aggressive than last season, and is out to make a point during practices.

“Yeah, they’re a lot more aggressive, and I like that," Hooker said. "I like that a lot. I like the competitive nature that we have in practice, because everyone is going extremely hard trying to better themselves. Them doing that creates better camaraderie for the whole team getting better.” 

Safety options

Second-year defensive back Brandon Joseph lined up opposite Ifeatu Melifonwu at the safety position Thursday. The Notre Dame product was a practice squad elevation for two games early last year, but has yet to log meaningful snaps on the defensive side.

Joseph began his collegiate career at Northwestern before transferring to Notre Dame in his final collegiate season. In four seasons at the collegiate level, he had 159 tackles and 10 interceptions.

With safety depth depleted currently as Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch deal with injuries, Brandon Joseph will likely get more opportunities to run with the top defense. Other options in the secondary include C.J. Moore and undrafted rookie Chelen Garnes.

Strong defensive day

Even without Carlton Davis, the secondary had a strong day in team drills. Steven Gilmore picked off Hooker for a pick-six, and Amik Robertson nearly had an interception off Detroit's veteran starting quarterback. Rookie cornerbacks Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw also got more opportunities than last week.

Arnold had a big moment during team drills when he picked off Goff on a pass intended for Jameson Williams. The rookie's confidence was on full display in his opportunities Thursday, and Goff later dapped him up for his performance.

Detroit's 2024 first-round pick showcased physically with Jameson Williams at the line of scrimmage, and did not back away from the wideouts he was covering.

The pass-rush also had its moments, as Mathieu Betts would've had a sack on Hooker during team drills had the play been fully live.

The defensive unit as a whole would have recorded multiple sacks, and was credited with coverage sacks. The competition level was high all throughout the practice.

Aidan Hutchinson going to work Inside Allen Park #NFL pic.twitter.com/e1lle9V0V1

— DetroitSportsPodcast (@DetroitPodcast) May 30, 2024

Offense makes more plays, Hooker inconsistent

Jared Goff and Jameson Williams connected on a deep ball Thursday during team drills. Williams beat Kindle Vildor utilizing his pure speed, and hauled in the deep pass from the veteran quarterback.

However, Goff threw an interception to Arnold, and nearly had another against Robertson. Additionally, he had a pass dropped by Daurice Fountain during situational drills.

Hooker was inconsistent on Thursday, much like the first open portion of practice on May 23. He has clear arm talent, but layering the ball on time and in an accurate manner has proven to be a struggle.

The second-year passer was picked off by Gilmore, and couldn't connect on separate occasions with Tom Kennedy and Fountain. There were issues at times with the exchange from center, but the second-year quarterback did showcase the ability to extend plays and throw off platform.

The Tennessee product also had a difficult time during a team period. He had a pass broken up by C.J. Moore and another fell incomplete with Morice Norris in coverage. Hooker also took a sack on that drive.

Hooker's best throws were directed at Fountain and tight end Shane Zylstra, but it was an overall shaky day. Still, he has received all the second-team reps in the team's open sessions this spring.

Nate Sudfeld connected on passes with undrafted free agent wideouts Isaiah Williams and Jalon Calhoun, but would have had a coverage sack on his attempt between the two completions.

Kalif Raymond split Melifonwu and Joseph for a deep connection from Goff just prior to the halt in practice.

Football -- Inside Allen Park #NFL pic.twitter.com/613YPo9VCm

— DetroitSportsPodcast (@DetroitPodcast) May 30, 2024

Notes

1.) The kicking competition took another turn on Thursday. Michael Badgley continued to show off his added range, knocking down several consecutive kicks from 50-plus yards. His final kick was a 61-yard boot that would've been good from two-three yards longer.

His competition, James Turner, was up and down. Turner hit a 55-yard attempt at one point, but also had two misses in that span. Additionally, the long snapper battle could be heating up, as Scott Daly had multiple inaccurate snaps and UDFA Hogan Hatten was perfect in limited reps.

2.) Jameson Williams impressed at points Thursday, continuing his upward trajectory over the course of this offseason. He beat Vildor and Ifeatu Melifonwu over the top, but also had a tough drop on a slant route just reps later.

3.) Goff was able to right the ship in a tough situational period that involved the offense starting at its own 30 with 0:24 remaining. He hit Amon-Ra St. Brown for seven yards, then Williams on his best pass of the day to move into field-goal range.

The drill ended with a field-goal attempt, which Badgley missed and Turner made.

4.) Hooker led a rough sequence that included what would have been a five-yard sack on first down, tossing the ball short of Tom Kennedy on second down and throwing an incompletion to Alexander, with Norris in coverage, on third down.