After a day of rest, the Detroit Lions were back at Allen Park for day 3 of padded practice at training camp. Again, Pride of Detroit was unable to make the trip to give us first-hand observations of the practice. However, we do not want to leave you empty-handed.
There were several media members on Thursday morning to break down all the big plays, key moments and in-depth analysis. I highly recommend reading each one because nothing can really compare to first hand analysis.
That being said, we read them all, and drew from what we believe to be the four most important stories from Thursday’s practice. In connection with the people on the ground giving the direct reports, we will not draw any direct quotations from their articles. If you like it, we provide links below.
Matthew Staffordis the almost perfect day
Just about everyone noticed how sharp the Lions quarterback was on Thursday. MLive’s Benjamin Raven tweeted that out he did not see the ball hit the field once with Stafford throw. DetroitLions.com’s Tim Twentyman confirmed this, saying he did not see any imperfections during team drills.
2. Matthew Stafford missed maybe two throws I saw today, and he was pissed over one – a short run to Golladay, fighting tight coverage from Okudah (!). Everything else was on point. Deep, short, avoid the rush … just a great day of no. 9.
– Chris Burke (@ChrisBurkeNFL) August 20, 2020
This is just what we expected from Stafford in training camp, but it’s always good to hear, especially considering the tumultuous year he and his family have had.
A new candidate for fullback is emerging
With the recent cuts of rookie Luke Sellers and Nick Bawden battling an injury, the Lions brought a new fullback into the fold on Thursday. Linebacker Jason Cabinda grabbed the offense ‘white jersey on Thursday according to Detroit Free Press’s Dave Birkett. According to reports, he helped the Lions practice two short-yardage situations.
It’s interesting to see Cabinda get the reps over a man like Isaac Nauta, a player many believed would fight for Bawden’s roster given his playing time in the late 2019 season.
Kerryon Johnson, Jeff Okudah bounce back to slow start
Earlier on Thursday, we expressed our concern that Kerryon Johnson’s injury could prevent him from becoming a major contender in 2020. However, Johnson came down after two days and saw the part, according to several media members.
Third Lions practice downward. Will drop some thoughts on this for a moment. Pair of backfield notes:
* Kerryon a full participant, had some fun routes
* Never saw Scarbrough. He did not look 100% on Tuesday, will see if Patricia has an update tomorrow
* Cabinda played the whole FB
– Chris Burke (@ChrisBurkeNFL) August 20, 2020
Johnson was also featured in Twentyman’s Camp Spotlight on Thursday. Twentyman noted Johnson’s success in receiving drills vs. linebackers and in team periods. Although, he noted one fumble that was recovered by the defense.
It is worth noting that Johnson probably saw an increase in chances at least in part because Bo Scarbrough was out. As we noted in Tuesday’s observations, Scarbrough came to the rescue after a head-on collision with Jalen Reeves-Maybin in one-on-one drills.
As for Jeff Okudah, it seems he looked much more like the player the Lions expected when they took him third overall. Here are a few tweets from the Lions beat:
Much smoother day for Jeff Okudah after the off-day. Sit more around the ball. Better with his breaks. Stumbled a shoulder in a back in run support. Still learning. But you can already see areas where he makes a profit.
Nick Baumgardner (@nickbaumgardner) August 20, 2020
That’s right, he’s so versatile he can be smooth en sharp.
One interesting remark from Birkett: Okudah has mostly played the position of left-back – the position that Desmond Trufant is currently converting to for the first time.
Jason Huntley make an impression
While Ty Johnson regularly returns for Jason Huntley (Johnson even got some first-string action), the fifth-round rookie of the Lions managed to turn heads on Thursday.
His speed is probably his best quality, and he flashed that in one-on-one coverage sources. But on Thursday, he even showed some improvement in passport protection, according to both Justin Rogers of Detroit News and Twentyman.
Huntley has some stiff competition in a full offensive backfield, but with more days like this he could not only make a case for a roster spot, but some playing time as well.
