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Someone is going to snap up Zylstra."Your division isn't going through Green Bay it's going through Detroit for the next five years" - Rex Ryan -
Presser, no scrum: Campbell offers positive injury updates; explains why team is OK without big-bodied WR
These notes were posted before the additional Lions news made the last few hours.
Justin Rogers
Aug 26
Allen Park — Last week, Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell noted the team expected to get several injured players back on the practice field following Saturday’s preseason finale against Pittsburgh.
A couple of days after that contest, Campbell was asked Monday if everything went according to plan with that group of key contributors returning to football activities over the weekend.
“Everybody was out there that we talked about, that I mentioned,” Campbell said. “It was good to have them out there, too. We got them out, it was about an hour, we let them compete against each other, a couple of team periods, individuals (drills) so guys could get worked in and it was just kind of pushing their heart rate a little bit.
The specific players Campbell acknowledged practicing Sunday were tight end Sam LaPorta (hamstring), linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez, guard Kevin Zeitler (shoulder) and cornerbacks Terrion Arnold (pec), Ennis Rakestraw (ankle) and Carlton Davis III (hamstring).
Campbell also said it was good to see defensive tackle DJ Reader on the practice field for the first time after the team activated him off the physically unable to perform list on Sunday.
“Even though it’s walk-through and (individual drills), just to have him out there, (it was good),” Campbell said. “He is a big man. He and Mac (Alim McNeill) over there together — Mac’s going to need to do more squats if he wants to keep up with Reader.
Poor McNeill, getting body-shamed by his coach for a second consecutive year. Last year Campbell quipped about the defensive tackle looking like an underwear model after dropping 30 pounds during the offseason. Now Campbell is joking about McNeill being a lightweight next to the 335-pounder Reader.
Of course, based on the way McNeill’s been practicing, looking primed to take his game to another level as he enters a contract year, I’m sure Campbell is just fine with where the fourth-year defender is at, both mentally and physically.
As for Reader’s readiness to play in a game, Campbell acknowledged it’s fluid, but the current target is the team’s Week 2 matchup with Tampa Bay.
● Obviously, there were going to be questions about the upcoming roster cuts, but Campbell did his best to cut them off at the pass, saying he and general manager Brad Holmes would continue their meetings after the press conference and no decisions had been made.
Campbell did acknowledge some cuts could come down the pipe later Monday afternoon, but more important to the coach was thanking the roster for their efforts this offseason.
“One more time, the appreciation we have for these guys that laid it on the line, gave everything they had,” Campbell said. “A number of these guys, the lost art of when your body doesn’t feel good, you’ve got the bumps and bruises, and just for those guys that can continue to just push. Those guys, it means a lot. It really does. Because that’s what this game is; it’s still a physical game and you have to be able to put that stuff behind you and still produce.
“So tough 48 hours coming up, but really appreciate these guys.”
● Even though it feels like a played-out topic of discussion, I asked Campbell about the wide receiver battle and whether any of the perceived contenders had done anything behind the scenes that media and fans weren't acknowledging.
In short, the coach didn’t have much to add, choosing instead to highlight the speed and athleticism of Donovan Peoples-Jones and Daurice Fountain, while closing with, “It would be nice to have the size. And so, you wish that would show up a lot more, but that’s what those two guys bring.”
It wasn’t easy, because you leave the roster lacking a bigger body at that position, but I cut both Peoples-Jones and Fountain in my final 53-man projection. That said, the thing I’ve wondered in that hypothetical scenario is if it limits the offensive scheme to not have that body type available. So I asked the question.
“No, I don’t believe that,” Campbell said. “We will always be able to, with what we’ve got on this roster, (offensive coordinator) Ben (Johnson) does a hell of a job of making sure that we put guys in position to have success and let our guys go win and whatever it takes to allow them to do that.
“So, no, I wouldn’t say it limits us,” Campbell said. “But like any offense or defense, man, you want, ‘Give us everything.’ If you can have it all then you can use it all. …It would be a luxury to have (size at receiver). It helps.”
● Earlier this offseason, special teams coordinator Dave Fipp said it is becoming increasingly difficult to exclusively play special teams and make an NFL team, but Campbell still hammered home the importance of those role players as the roster takes shape.
Interestingly, Campbell highlighted positional upside as a desired trait for the guys expected to primarily contribute on special teams.
“Ideally you want — you like the young, promising upside of a player in a position group that you feel brings value to special teams because they can grow,” Campbell said. “They’ll only get better in that position. I think you’ve got to take it as it is in each position group. Where are you at, where’s the depth, is anybody injured, and can the kid continue to grow?”
That could bode well for one of the team’s younger safeties, Brandon Joseph or Loren Strickland. At the very least, both have practice squad jobs waiting for them if they get cut and go unclaimed off waivers.
● Campbell said he’s comfortable with Detroit’s backup quarterback situation. Within that, it sounds like there’s some fluidity with who would play if starter Jared Goff suffered an injury.
During an early answer on the topic, Campbell showed a preference for Nate Sudfeld being the guy to come off the bench to steady the ship.
“Let’s start with (Hendon) Hooker,” Campbell said. “…It's hard for me to jump in and say, man, you feel great at No. 2. I think of him as, is he growing? That's literally where my mind goes first: Is he growing, is he developing? Yes he is. He got better because he got reps. All right, that's good.
"Nate, for the most part, has done what we've asked him to do," Campbell continued. "There are a couple decisions here and there, but we know what he is. He's been around the system now going on three years.”
Where the fluidity comes in is Campbell wouldn’t dismiss the possibility of starting Hooker given the benefit of having a week to build a game plan around the second-year QB.
“It’s hard to answer that because, there again, they both bring something different and you could easily say, ‘One of them gets you out of the game and the other one starts for you if something happened the next week,’” Campbell said. “So, you’re going to use all of those guys, I guess, is the best way to say it.”
● It’s going to be a relatively quiet week, in terms of media access in Allen Park. The roster cutdown must be completed by 4 p.m. on Tuesday. Between now and next week, the only thing on the schedule is a Thursday morning press conference with Holmes and assistant GM Ray Agnew.
Email: jrogers@detroitfootball.net
X: Justin_Rogers
"I hope to see the Lions in the Super Bowl before I die"
My friend Ken LComment
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Some thoughts on Lions' first batch of reported cuts, including WR Donovan Peoples-Jones
Justin Rogers
Aug 26
Allen Park — The Detroit Lions will hold off on officially announcing any cuts until deadline day — Tuesday at 4 p.m. — but unsurprisingly, an initial wave of decisions has leaked via player agents late Monday afternoon and into the early evening.
Let me start by listing the players reportedly on their way out, along with the initial source of each report.
Wide receiver Kaden Davis (Jordan Schultz)
Wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones (Jordan Schultz)
Tight end Shane Zylstra (NFL Network)
Running back Zonovan Knight (NFL Network)
Cornerback Rashad Wildgoose (NFL Network)
Guard Bryan Hudson (Aaron Wilson)
Linebacker Mitchell Agude (ESPN)
Linebacker Ty Summers (Detroit Free Press)
Defensive lineman Pat O’Connor (Jordan Schultz)
Long snapper Scott Daly (Detroit Free Press)
There are a couple mild surprises from that group, but no true stunners.
Of course, the conversation has to start with Peoples-Jones, even if this conclusion had become increasingly inevitable as training camp progressed. It culminated with a dismal showing in the team’s three preseason games -- nine targets, two receptions, 31 yards.
Honestly, I remain baffled how it got to this point. When the Lions re-signed Peoples-Jones, I was among the group who thought it was a logical, and cheap replacement for Josh Reynolds.
Yes, Peoples-Jones is a touch shorter, but thickly built, with elite athleticism and offering desired versatility, having experience playing outside and in the slot. And for as steadily reliable as Reynolds had been during his time in Detroit, he never had a season as productive as Peoples-Jones was in 2022, when he caught 61 balls for 839 yards.
Plus, Peoples-Jones had a half-season in the system after being acquired at last year's trade deadline, which should have flattened his learning curve. On paper, it all made sense.
But, for whatever reason, Peoples-Jones delivered an offseason reminiscent of Breshad Perriman in 2021. He was another big-bodied burner who had a decent resume before he failed to click in Detroit, and like Peoples-Jones, Perriman got cut before the regular season.
The obvious downside is it leaves the Lions with a roster hole they thought they had filled. And while coach Dan Campbell downplayed the need to have a larger-framed receiver on the roster, you have to wonder how it could impact things. That extends from the ability to throw a back-shoulder fade in the red zone to having a reliable perimeter blocker beyond Amon-Ra St. Brown.
There is going to be a lot of chatter about Tim Patrick, who Denver has reportedly put on the trade block. I'm familiar more with his measurables than his film, but he appears to check a lot of boxes. The bigger questions are his health and the state of his athleticism after missing the last two seasons with a torn ACL and torn Achilles.
But we all know GM Brad Holmes won't hesitate to take a chance on a guy coming back from injury, and Patrick does have a couple of 700-yard seasons on his resume. It's worth the phone call, at the very least.
Beyond Peoples-Jones, we’ve already misfired on two predictions with our final 53-man roster, making it a perfect 12 years we’ve failed to get it 100% correct.
By cutting Zylstra, the Lions are opting to go a different direction with their No. 3 tight end than I had predicted. But if it wasn’t clear when I switched the pick for that job in each of my three projections, none of the challengers stood out.
Unless the Lions do something wild and go with only two tight ends, the decision appears to be between former fifth-round pick James Mitchell and the superior blocking option, Parker Hesse. When in doubt, I generally favor Holmes’ draft picks. Admittedly, I should have stuck with my gut and did that in the first place.
The other misfire was with the long snapper. Obviously, I saw the appeal in rookie Hogan Hatten — who keeps Detroit’s streak of rostering at least one undrafted rookie alive — but I had a difficult time projecting the team would move on from Scott Daly, the veteran who knocked off Don Muhlbach a few years ago and had done nothing worthy of losing his job.
As for practice squad potential from the above list of cuts, there’s a lot. Agude clearly fits after spending last year on the unit. It would give him space to continue developing his SAM linebacker skills.
I’ve also made it clear I believe Kaden Davis would be a good fit on the unit. His stride length, acceleration and top speed are awesome, he just needs a little more development on his releases and beating press coverage.
O’Connor and Summers are experienced veterans who make sense, especially Summers, given his extensive special teams background (more than 1,300 snaps). And Knight has a power-running style that would give the Lions some added insurance if David Montgomery ever gets banged up.
Finally, Wildgoose has my vote, based on his name alone.
With Emmanuel Moseley and potentially John Cominsky heading to injured reserve, and rookie guard Christian Mahogany expected to stay on the non-football injury list, the Lions still have more than 20 cuts to make as of 7:40 p.m. Monday.
We’ll add to the list above if anything changes tonight and reset the table Tuesday morning as the team works toward its 53-man limit.
Email: jrogers@detroitfootball.net
X: Justin_Rogers
"I hope to see the Lions in the Super Bowl before I die"
My friend Ken LComment
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"I hope to see the Lions in the Super Bowl before I die"
My friend Ken LComment
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"I hope to see the Lions in the Super Bowl before I die"
My friend Ken LComment
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Dan Campbell: Lions have options at QB2. Hooker, Sudfeld 'both bring something different.'
Paywall News article.
Richard Silva
The Detroit News
Allen Park — It's a question no Detroit Lions fan wants to ever have to answer, but it's a potential reality head coach Dan Campbell must prepare for: Where do the Lions turn to at quarterback if Jared Goff goes down?
Goff has been a pretty reliable ironman throughout his career. Since becoming a starter down the stretch of his rookie season, Goff has appeared in 117 of 122 possible games. He's 51-for-54 in Detroit over the last three seasons, with all of his absences coming in 2021 due to a positive COVID-19 test result and a couple of injuries to his knee and oblique.
But football is a violent sport, and it's Campbell's job to have a plan.
There are two options if Goff were to get hurt: A veteran in Nate Sudfeld, who is entering his third season with the team, or a sophomore in Hendon Hooker, who saw his first NFL reps this preseason after missing his entire rookie year in 2023 while recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in college.
But what about a third answer?
"Yeah. I mean, I think — it's hard to answer that because they both bring something different," Campbell said Monday when asked if Sudfeld is ahead of Hooker on the depth chart. "You could easily say one of them gets you out of a game and the other one starts for you if something happened the next week. You're going to use all those guys, I guess is the best way to say it."
Hooker and Sudfeld are certainly different archetypes. The latter is more of a traditional QB who operates out of the pocket, while the former isn't afraid to make plays with his legs if necessary. Hooker showed that mobility off by rushing for 93 yards on 10 attempts in Detroit's 24-17 preseason win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday.
Using his feet is nothing new for Hooker, who logged 50 or more rushing yards in 20 of his 49 collegiate games across three seasons at Virginia Tech and two at Tennessee. Hooker broke the 100-yard marker four times in college, and he went for 150 or more rushing yards twice.
"It is one of my weapons that I bring to the table, but I really just do it when I need to," Hooker said after Saturday's preseason finale. "If things break down, just try to make a play and keep plays alive as well. Keep my eyes downfield and hit open guys.”
Sudfeld didn't play Saturday — the Lions gave the last bit of work to the recently signed Jake Fromm, who impressed given the expectations but has a tough road to making the team — which seemed to confirm what was already expected: Detroit is likely keeping three QBs on the 53-man roster. Campbell essentially confirmed that again Monday by mentioning both Hooker and Sudfeld when talking about what he'd do in the event Goff couldn't go.
"I would feel comfortable (if a backup QB had to play)," Campbell said. "We’ll find a way to get out of the game; that’s why you play with three phases."
Campbell added: "They’ve all shown something a little bit different. Look, let’s start with Hooker ... I think of him as, 'Is he growing?' Literally, that’s where my mind goes first is, 'Is he growing, is he developing?' Yes, he is. He got better because he got reps. All right, that’s good. Nate, for the most part, has done what we’ve asked him to do. There’s a couple of decisions here and there. But we know what he is. He’s been around the system now going on three years."
Sudfeld's experience could put him in a better position to be Goff's main understudy, especially if opportunity were to arise closer to the beginning of the season. Hooker, while his skill has certainly flashed, is still learning. Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson's system is no easy thing to master, and having extra time in it is an advantage Sudfeld can enjoy.
But as Campbell said, it may not be so cut and dry as No. 2 and No. 3 on the depth chart. Maybe Sudfeld would finish a game if Goff went down, but then with time to prepare, the Lions would turn to Hooker the next week. Perhaps it'd be the opposite, with Detroit injecting Hooker's escapability midway through a game against a defense that wasn't prepared for a mobile QB.
Whatever the decision, Campbell has options he says he feels good about.
He just hopes to never be in a situation in which he has to turn to anyone but Goff.
"We’ll find a way to do what we need to do," Campbell said. "And then we’ll go onto the next week and set it up to where we’ll be able to have success and play a certain way if we have to."
rsilva@gannett.com
@rich_silva18
"I hope to see the Lions in the Super Bowl before I die"
My friend Ken LComment
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Lions offense not limited by futile search for WR3 — but their play calling options are
Another paywall News article.
Nolan Bianchi
The Detroit News
Allen Park — The Detroit Lions' search for an X receiver is coming down to the wire.
On Monday, head coach Dan Campbell mentioned two players — Daurice Fountain and Donovan Peoples-Jones — as guys who fit the big-bodied profile they're looking for. Peoples-Jones was reportedly released a few hours later.
While Campbell doesn't think his offense will be handcuffed without a true X receiver, he must admit there will be certain situations where they'll be at a size disadvantage if they don't have somebody to fill that role.
"They've got length to them, and for their size, they can run pretty good," Campbell said Monday. "So there's that element of that, 'Can he play big-boy ball outside of red zone?' That comes into play, and so if you don't have it, sometimes you do feel a little small. ... It would be nice to have the size."
Roster cutdowns become finalized on Tuesday at 4 p.m., and most people thought there'd be clarity by now regarding who the — X receiver, WR3, whatever you want to call it — would be. One could argue there's even less clarity than when the whole process began, with the exception that there are now fewer players in the room (receiver Kaden Davis was also released, according to reports).
The Lions have had a revolving door at X receiver over the last few years. Josh Reynolds held down the gig last year and had 40 catches for 608 yards and five touchdowns; it was DJ Chark (30 catches for 502 yards and three touchdowns) the year before that, with Reynolds featuring more as a Z (the No. 2 outside receiver) who sometimes had to fill in as the No. 1. The entire receiving room was a revolving door in 2021.
And while Campbell doesn't believe the absence of a big-bodied X will limit the offense as a whole in 2024, he laid out how it can limit their play-calling options.
"I wouldn't say it limits us, but like any offense or defense, man, you want, 'Give us everything.' If you can have it all then you can use it all," Campbell said. "But no, it's not going to limit what we do. It would be a luxury to have, it helps, and I think a lot of it is — it comes into those one-on-ones where...'if you like the matchup, who cares if he's pressed? Our guy is going to beat your guy.'
Given Peoples-Jones' pedigree and past production in Cleveland — he had 839 yards in the 2022 season — many people assumed he'd walk right into the role when Reynolds pursued a two-year deal with the Denver Broncos this offseason.
Fountain was quickly thrown into first-team reps when he had a handful of good days to start camp but followed up the opportunity by making just two catches for 15 yards on seven targets in his three preseason game appearances. Peoples-Jones didn't get the first-team practice treatment until the very late stages of training camp, almost as if there was some reluctance to give him that opportunity.
Of course, over the next 48 hours or so, there will be a batch of newly available receivers on the market via trade, the waiver wire and free agency, so by no means is the situation settled. And at the end of the day, Detroit has weapons at other positions — running backs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs and tight end Sam LaPorta — who can make up the production in their own way.
But if you want to make an enchilada, it helps to have all the necessary ingredients.
nbianchi@detroitnews.com
@nolanbianchi
"I hope to see the Lions in the Super Bowl before I die"
My friend Ken LComment
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"I hope to see the Lions in the Super Bowl before I die"
My friend Ken LComment
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Kinda surprised that they cut Zylstra along with DPJ & Davis. Zylstra was originally a big receiver, so I thought he could fill that role on the roster.
Everyone worries about an X, but we can keep in mind that we still have LaPorta, who often lines up wide and basically plays that position at times.Last edited by El Axe; August 26, 2024, 08:22 PM.Comment
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"Yeah, we just... we don't want them to go. So that's our motivation."
Dan Campbell at Green Bay, January 8, 2023.Comment
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"Your division isn't going through Green Bay it's going through Detroit for the next five years" - Rex RyanComment
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Updated list:
Tuesday
CB Steven Gilmore (source)
Monday
LS Scott Daly (source)
DL Pat O’Connor (source) — Per Aaron Wilson, Lions want to sign him to practice squad
LB Ty Summers (source)
EDGE Mitchell Agude (source)
iOL Bryan Hudson (source)
CB Rachad Wildgoose (source)
RB Zonovan Knight
TE Shane Zylstra
WR Donovan Peoples-Jones
WR Kaden Davis
Lions will place CB Emmanuel Moseley on IR-to-return (story)
Lions will place G Christian Mahogany on NFI/reserve (story)
"This is an empty signature. Because apparently carrying a quote from anyone in this space means you are obsessed with that person. "Comment
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Nate Sudfeld cut and possibly to the practice squad. W for the fans. Good job, Lions. SMART.
James Mitchell has that valuable 2 year, dirt cheap, rookie contract remaining. I’m not that surprised Mitchell won TE3, but he was right there on the bubble. Lions showing patience with him. It seemed like a total toss up between Mitchell and Zylstra.AAL 2023 - Alim McNeillComment
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I think Hesse is still there though? I didn't see anything about him getting cut yet.Comment
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There's no "possibly" about it. In a league desperate for QB talent, no team other than the Lions want Sudfeld.Originally posted by Cody_Russell View PostComment
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