Inside Allen Park: DJ Chark Is That Fast, Josh Paschal Did Not Participate
The Detroit Lions returned to the field this week for the fifth session of organized team activities.
Lions head coach Dan Campbell explained the team has been working through situational football, ahead of mandatory minicamp next week.
"I think we're trying to hit really the bulk of our situations. Obviously, you're hitting base. We're in third down right now. We'll hit red zone tomorrow," Campbell explained. "And, next week, two minutes. We're already doing some of this stuff. We're not going to worry about goal line or short yards, but just get in what you're going to live in for most of the season -- the criticals. Just get a good baseline for all that. Give us a good foundation and feel good about it."
Campbell continued, "Get the vets to where they'd knock some of the rust off. They know what we're trying to do. Then, see if we can start building to develop the young guys. Get that crew from last year a little bit better. Get these rookies a little bit better, so that when when we put pads on in training camp, we're not starting over from scratch."
Attendance
It appears as if John Penisini is the only player not at the Lions' Allen Park practice facility this week. It is expected that he will attend minicamp next week.
During the portion of practice open to the media, other players not spotted included T.J. Hockenson, Garrett Griffin, Taylor Decker, Romeo Okwara and Josh Paschal.
Those spotted but not warming up included Jameson Williams, Derrick Deese, James Mitchell, Eric Banks, Jerry Jacobs and Ifeatu Melifonwu.
Austin Bryant was limited in his participation in drills on Thursday.
Jeff Okudah steadily increasing his workload
The young defensive back, who intends to play cornerback for the duration of his career, was more active during the early portion of walkthroughs.
He did not participate in 11-on-11 drills, as Amani Oruwariye and Will Harris remain the first-team cornerbacks.
Aidan Hutchinson gets first-team action
Detroit's 2022 No. 2 overall pick played on the top two-minute defense, alongside Julian Okwara, Charles Harris and Jashon Cornell.
It was nice to see the first glimpse of Hutchinson lining up across from Penei Sewell and Jonah Jackson.
Both Jackson and Frank Ragnow battled Hutchinson, with both sides coming out the better as the result of the competitive drills.
DJ Chark is that fast
Chark, an offseason free-agent acquisition, demonstrated the ability to turn on the after-burners, securing receptions from Jared Goff with regularity.
It is the hope that the addition of Chark and rookie Jameson Williams will make the offense that much more explosive and open up play-action opportunities, which Goff thrives in.
Notable
- Tim Boyle had a day to forget, regularly tossing incompletions and even an interception to rookie Kerby Joseph.
- It appears Goff's deep ball has improved, as there was much more crispness to his passes all afternoon.
- Detroit's offense struggled to effectively get things going. Had there been contact allowed, both Goff and Boyle would have been sacked regularly, as both struggled to move the football down the field.
- On one particular fourth-and-1 call, Goff targeted, and connected with Josh Reynolds, whom Goff appears to have supreme confidence in during portions open to the media.
- Will Harris appears increasingly comfortable being in the right position in coverage throughout practice. Detroit may have to continue playing Harris in various roles in the secondary, to see what he can accomplish in the secondary.
- Cornell is a player that is getting in the backfield and winning his individual battles. He may be a player that benefits tremendously from the scheme change on defense. Detroit defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn needs to find out more about what the team has in the young defensive lineman.
- Trinity Benson continues to quietly impress, regularly being targeted and hauling in receptions.
- Craig Reynolds took more of a backseat to Jermar Jefferson in drills, as Jefferson was on the receiving end of more targets on Thursday.
