Winners and Losers From Day 6 of 2026 Detroit Lions Training Camp

The Detroit Lions hit the ground running for their second day of padded practices on Tuesday.

After the defensive line set the tone at Monday's practice, head coach Dan Campbell said he was eager to the team's offense respond in Tuesday's session.

“Day two of pads here. Man, I thought it was competitive," Campbell said. "I thought there was some really good things yesterday. I thought the D line came off the ball. It looked like they took the sled work to team, and that was good to see. I’m looking forward to the offense responding today. That'll be good."

Here are the winners and losers, as well as what we're learning, from the sixth day of Detroit Lions training camp.

Attendance report

The Lions had three new players out of action on Tuesday. Sione Vaki (eye/nose), Anthony Firkser (fibula) and Lawrence Keys (hamstring) were all out of action, and of the three Firkser is expected to be out the longest.

Firkser is one of three tight ends that were out on Tuesday, with Miles Kitselman (leg) and Tyler Conklin (calf) once again out of action. Conklin remains on the physically unable to perform list.

Running back Jahmyr Gibbs remains out of practices awaiting a new contract, and the timeline for that new deal could be heating up after his 2023 first-round counterpart Bijan Robinson signed his new deal on Tuesday.

Defensive ends Derrick Moore (groin) and Payton Turner (back) also remained out, as did linebacker Jimmy Rolder and safeties Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph. Linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez left practice early to be evaluated for an ankle injury.

Lovett's big play

Lions second-year wideout Dominic Lovett enters training camp in a unique spot. Drafted in the seventh-round last year, he was largely unable to carve out a role both on offense and on special teams which led to him being a healthy scratch for several games.

However, he impressed throughout offseason workouts and appeared to have a good day on Tuesday. He reportedly hauled in a long touchdown from backup Teddy Bridgewater.

Whiteside, Dortch stand out in one-on-ones

After a strong start to camp over the first five days, cornerback Nick Whiteside got bumped up the depth chart for 1-on-1s and got to matchup with Amon-Ra St. Brown and Isaac TeSlaa. He fell short in his showdown with St. Brown, but had a pass breakup in his rep against TeSlaa.

Greg Dortch continues to show superb route running skills. He drew good reviews for his performance in one-on-ones. Dortch was grabbed by Avonte Maddox in one rep, and beat Christian Izien soundly on a post-corner route according to reports.

Defensive line continues to hold serve

Campbell noted the performance of the defensive line on Monday, and there were more bright spots for the group on Tuesday. Alim McNeill was a bright spot, according to reporters, as he was consistently in the backfield early in 11-on-11 drills.

Tyler Lacy also got into the backfield after breaking away from Tate Ratledge. Lacy nearly had a sack on Bridgewater's touchdown pass to Lovett, as he was reportedly in the quarterback's face and may have slowed up to allow the passer to get the throw off.

Situational work

The Lions put their situational abilities to the test late in practice. Reports indicate that the offense had the ball down by three with less than a minute to play and all three timeouts.

After a quick connection from Jared Goff to Amon-Ra St. Brown, the offense stalled out and faced a fourth-and-10. Goff gave the offense a chance, as the passer lofted the ball toward Jameson Williams but the wideout was unable to haul it in.

The second team offense was headlined by a strong performance for Jackson Meeks. The converted wide receiver continues to demonstrate an aptitude for playing tight end, as he had three consecutive catches to set up a field goal from Jake Bates.

Running back to watch

The Lions' running back room has taken on some water throughout training camp. Jahmyr Gibbs remains sidelined while awaiting a new contract, while Vaki is sidelined due to his eye/nose injury.

As a result, there are opportunities in Detroit's backfield for others. Isiah Pacheco has handled the first team duties, as expected, with Jabari Small and Jacob Saylors are also getting a chance to shine in Detroit's offense.

Small is a player the Lions may be intrigued with, as he spent most of the year on the team's practice squad and is back on a futures contract. He ripped off a big run in team drills Tuesday, according to reports, and could thrive with extended opportunities while Gibbs and Vaki are out, however long that may be.

Quick hitters

1.) Kicker Jake Bates had a solid day. According to the team website, Bates made all of his field goal attempts, with a long of 59 yards. He also had makes from 39, 44, 46 and two from 51 yards out.

2.) Ennis Rakestraw had a punch out on wide receiver Jameson Williams during one-on-one drills.

3.) Safety Thomas Harper also had a strong day in one-on-ones, as he had breakups on a pair of deep routes intended for Lucky Jackson and Sam LaPorta.

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