Winners and Losers From Day 7 of 2026 Detroit Lions Training Camp

The Detroit Lions are ramping it up in training camp.

After a walkthrough day on Wednesday, the Lions returned with padded practices on Thursday. It marks one week until their preseason opener at the Cincinnati Bengals, and as a result the team is keeping on schedule with its preparations.

With Sirius XM making a stop at the team's facility as part of its training camp tour on Wednesday, head coach Dan Campbell noted the wait and anticipation he has for the team putting pads back on and eventually getting into game action.

"It's been an eternity. It takes forever. You get through that last game, and then you go spring, that's nice," Campbell said Wednesday. "First four days, okay, but inevitably some of these guys you get real excited about, half of them fall right away when you put pads on. Then the other ones are who you think they are. That's when you really get a good evaluation, when the pads come on."

Here are winners and losers, as well as what we're learning, from the Lions' seventh training camp practice including insights provided by the team website.

Gibbs arrives

For the first time in training camp, Jahmyr Gibbs was suited up with his teammates for practice. It was a quick day for the running back, as he went through stretching and walkthrough before spending the rest of practice working with trainers on the side.

This seemingly ends his hold-in, as Gibbs had been at practice but not participating in the past while awaiting a new contract. With the Atlanta Falcons and Indianapolis Colts both getting deals done with their respective marquee running backs, the Lions are now on the clock to get their contract finished up with their star running back.

Gibbs did not speak with reporters after practice, but reportedly gave one reporter a thumbs up when asked if he was close to finalizing a deal.

Humidity leads to absences

With the nature of the heat leading to some cramping, the Lions either limited or held several players out of practice all together.

In addition to injured players such as Jimmy Rolder, Sione Vaki, Malcolm Rodriguez and Sione Vaki, quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, running back Isiah Pacheco and offensive lineman Juice Scruggs were all out.

Two players left practice early to be evaluated for possible injuries in Mekhi Wingo (groin) and De'Shawn Rucker (ankle). Tyler Lacy also went inside early, according to reports, but the team did not provide an update.

On a more positive note, tight end Tyler Conklin was on the practice field for the first time since training camp started. He had been on the Physically Unable to Perform list with a calf injury, but passed his physical officially Wednesday night.

Hassanein continues to rise

Ahmed Hassanein had his rookie season cut short due to a preseason injury, with the Lions waiving him with an injury designation then re-signing him to the practice squad when the settlement expired.

While the injury hampered some of the optimism surrounding him last year, he appears to be catching plenty of eyes with his performance. Particularly, Hassanein has by all accounts taken a step forward as the pads have come on this week.

In one-on-one work, he beat rookie Blake Miller with a bull-rush and took Colby Sorsdal by getting around the edge.

Hassanein was credited with would-be sacks on back-to-back plays during second team reps on Thursday. The first came when he crushed the pocket, with the second following a rep in which he overpowered veteran Larry Borom.

To round out his day, Hassanein got through for a sack during situational work at the end of practice.

Goff sharp early

Despite Thursday being a dialed back day for many of the Lions' veterans, quarterback Jared Goff was surgical during a red-zone seven-on-seven period. The veteran quarterback threw three touchdowns, according to the team website, with the recipients being Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and Sam LaPorta.

Goff also had a very nice throw in one-on-ones to St. Brown, as he placed it nicely into the breadbasket of the two-time All-Pro receiver.

New nickel candidate emerges

Given his background at the position, Roger McCreary entered training camp as a favorite to win the nickel cornerback position after signing a one-year deal with the team. However, McCreary has reportedly struggled throughout camp, and may be losing his grip on the spot.

According to reports, McCreary was beaten on reps by Tom Kennedy and Malik Cunningham before giving up a touchdown during the red-zone period to Dominic Lovett.

Campbell had noted that the Lions were inclined to see Christian Izien playing some nickle once healthy after he started the season on the Non Football Illness list. It appears as though he could be better suited than McCreary for that role at this point in camp.

Saylors and Small make most of opportunities

The Lions were down each of their top three running backs for team periods, as Jahmyr Gibbs, Isiah Pacheco and Sione Vaki are all sidelined. As a result, the team turned to Jacob Saylors and Jabari Small in their session.

Both Saylors and Small have caught some attention throughout camp, in part due to their extended opportunities. Each had a rushing touchdown in red-zone work on Thursday. Small also was credited with a solid run that helped set up a long completion from Jared Goff to Amon-Ra St. Brown.

Situational period

To end practice, the Lions put their offense in a position to close out a game with the lead and 3:30 remaining. It was between the second team units both offensively and defensively. After a punt was downed at the 6-yard line, the offense and Luke Altmyer had a long way to go.

After a penalty and the sack from Hassanein, the offense started over. The second time was much more successful for the offense, as Altmyer reportedly fired six straight completions. This led to the offense running the ball to bleed the clock, then a Jake Bates field goal to close it out.

Quick hitters

1.) Dan Jackson had a big pass breakup to force a turnover on downs from the second team offense during a red-zone segment.

2.) Bates finished 6-for-8 on field goals, with the two misses reportedly coming from 48 and 39 yards out.

3.) Sports Illustrated NFL reporter Albert Breer was in attendance, and shared his thoughts about where the team stands after practice.

4.) 97.1 The Ticket's 'Costa and Jansen' show was broadcasting live from the team's facility. During their show, they interviewed cyclist Bond Almand who is biking across the United States to visit all 30 NFL stadiums prior to the season opener. He is traveling with a game ball, and will deliver it to the Seattle Seahawks when he finishes his route at the NFL's first regular season game of the season.

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