The first week of Detroit Lions training camp is in the books and if you have been following along with the plethora of reports, there have been some ups and downs along the way.
Here are what I believe are the 10 most important takeaways from Week 1 of training camp.
Matthew Stafford has weapons for days
Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones, D’Andre Swift, Kerryon Johnson, T.J. Hockenson, Quintez Cephus, Marvin Hall, Jamal Agnew, Danny Amendola. Enough said.
The WR group is set
As I projected before training camp even started, 6 wide receivers are going to make the 53-man roster and those 6 wide receivers are obvious. Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones Jr., Danny Amendola, Quintez Cephus, Marvin Hall, and Jamal Agnew have this on lockdown.
T.J. Hockenson is on a mission to destroy footballs
As a rookie, Lions TE T.J. Hockenson showed flashes of brilliance but in order for him to live up to the hype a No. 7 overall pick, he will have to be much better moving forward. We have all seen Hockenson’s offseason workout videos floating around the internet and during the first week of camp, he has proven he is on a mission to destroy footballs (and opposing defenses).
Quintez Cephus belongs
I am not going to lie. When the Lions first selected Quintez Cephus, my first thought was that he did not have the speed needed to be a solid NFL receiver. But after taking a closer look at his film from Wisconsin, I realized he had a knack for catching the football in tough situations. Cephus has done nothing but improve his stock in his first week of camp with the Lions and he could be a diamond in the rough for Bob Quinn.
The starting offensive line has been revealed
If the first week of training camp is any indication, it looks as if the Detroit Lions starting offensive line has been written in pen. Each day of practice it has been Taylor Decker-Joe Dahl-Frank Ragnow-Jonah Jackson-Halapoulivaati Vaitai.
Pump the brakes on Jeff Okudah
I have made it clear that I believe Jeff Okudah will be a Pro-Bowl type cornerback by his third year in the league. That being said, playing corner in the NFL is much different than playing college in college and we can expect growing pains along the way for Okudah. Fans who think he will come in and dominate starting with Week 1 really need to pump the brakes. But don’t worry, his time will come.
Matt Patricia is evolving
In his first season with the Lions, Matt Patricia made is pretty clear with his actions that he was not here to make friends. That coaching style did not exactly make him the most-loved person amongst the media (or amongst some of his players) and he realized he needed to change. Since then Patricia has continued to make a more noticeable effort to show how he is actually a pretty likable guy. Will being likable win football games? Not necessarily, but it sure will help to improve the overall feeling in the locker room.
Lions players are taking COVID-19 serious
When training camp opened for Lions’ players to be tested for COVID-19, they immediately had to place a whopping eight players on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. Since then, not a single Lions’ player (or coach) has been put on the list which is a sign that they are taking this seriously. Let’s hope this continues as the 2020 regular season is right around the corner.
Matthew Stafford is prepared
Matthew Stafford missed the final eight games of the 2019 season with a broken back but by all accounts, he looks like he is 100% and ready to roll. Stafford has looked very good in the first week of training camp and there is no reason to believe he will not play at a very high level right off the bat when the regular season begins.
Injuries suck
The worst part of a football training camp is the injuries and that has been no different for the Lions during their first week of camp. Bo Scarbrough, D’Andre Swift, and 1st Round pick Jeff Okudah are among those who have already missed practice and rookie Jashon Cornell tore his Achilles and will miss the entire 2020 season. Let’s hope the Lions have luck on their side moving forward when it comes to injuries.
