The Detroit Lions opened the padded practice section of their offseason workouts for a group of select reporters Monday afternoon.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Pride of Detroit was not on hand for the opening practice, but, do not worry, we will be there Tuesday and select days in the next four weeks. So while we wait for updates from our home, just like you, we will try to gather the best reviews from reporters who were present at Allen Park.
Out of respect for the media there and the work they have done, I will not fully quote any of the articles and will instead concentrate on the main stories drawn from the collective observations of Lions media. I would strongly suggest that you support local media – even if it means you care a little to get behind their paywall.
Anyway, here are the collections of observations of training camps that you should all read if you want more details on what happened Monday morning.
With these in mind, here are the top four stories from Day 1.
Jeff Okudah gets the rookie treatment
As you can just tell from the headlines of some recaps, Lions third general pick Jeff Okudah spent the entire day defending the second team. Last year, Amani grabbed Oruwariye from the fifth round in the starting lineup against Desmond Trufant of free agent.
That being said, Okudah got some work done against the Lions’ best receivers in one-on-one drills, which included a humbling moment for the rookie:
“But when matched against Kenny Golladay, Detroit’s No. 1 receiver spun the rookie into the ground, breaking an inbound route back to the sideline,” Justin Rogers wrote.
That being said, Oruwariye has apparently made an impression with the coaching staff, as head coach Matt Patricia explained later that afternoon.
“His movement skills are really good,” Patricia said. “I think he might be starting to open up the game a little bit in his vision.”
However, Patricia noted that no starting positions have yet been settled – with the exception of Matthew Stafford – and he expects Okudah to get some first-team rehearsals in certain packages soon.
Jonah Jackson starts on jumbled offensive line
As we learned in a video of a practice indoors, Jonah Jackson was on the right guard with the urging of the first team. But his contributions do not stop there. With Beau Benzschawel not practicing for an unknown reason, Jackson was one of the few players (Kenny Wiggins) who got reps for center.
Note: DetroitLions.com’s Tim Twentyman reported that Kenny Wiggins was on the right guard with the official of the first team, although most other reporters noted that most Jackson was on the position.
That’s a big vote of confidence from the Lions coaches to not only throw their rookie in the starting lineup, but to train him as well.
However, according to Patricia, that starting point of the right guard was seized by several different players in the previous weeks of walkthroughs, including veterans Kenny Wiggins and Oday Aboushi.
“Really, Oday and Kenny and those guys used to be through it to get out there today,” Patricia said. ‘So kind of just a rotating thing. (Jackson) just wrapped up a bit on the first day of pads. ”
And don’t be too scared of that “rotating” word out there, Patricia said they have not promised to do a rotation in the game this year … yet.
For what it was worth, Joe Dahl started on the left, per multiple reports.
Kenny Golladay en Marvin Jones Jr. continue to dominate
Last week, Marvin Jones Jr. said this with confidence to the Detroit media:
“You look to the left, you look to the right and we have ballers”
Monday balls he and Golladay. Many of the reporters told the same stories, but here’s a taste of Tim Twentyman:
Broad receiver Marvin Jones Jr. split two defenders for a long touchdown by quarterback Matthew Stafford in a 7-to-7 period. the end zone of Stafford in a period of the ‘red zone.’
Do not count out Jalen Reeves-Maybin
Speaking about the Lions linebacking corps added free agent Jamie Collins Sr. as Jarrad Davis’ last chance or Jahlani Tavai’s Year 2 jump. But none of them seemed to stand in a more positive light than Jalen Reeves-Maybin. Three several beats writers noted his solid performance on Monday, specifically in lightning drills against running backs.
Patricia, who said Reeves-Maybin made ‘great hits’ on the defensive side of the ball last year, was also impressed on Monday with his performances, specifically in one running game.
“I see that he just recognizes a lot more and is currently playing with a lot more patience,” Patricia said. ‘He also made a pretty nice play on defense today. It was a run play, he recognized it, and stepped it, came back into it. Really kinda hit the ball where he wanted with. That was a very encouraging thing, where he actually saw the big picture of it, and then could fit in, not just understand what his job was in that scheme. ”
He will have to maintain this momentum to make the final roster of 53 men, but for someone who also brings a fair amount of value to special teams – another thing that Patricia noted at his press conference (“It’s been really great to view “) – This is a very promising start for the fourth year linebacker.
Note: Tuesday I will be live at Allen Park, so observations of training camp will be based entirely on my own view and will be significantly more in-depth than this piece.
