Winners and Losers From Day 5 of 2026 Detroit Lions Training Camp

Monday marked the start of padded practices for the Detroit Lions.

As their preparations for the 2026 NFL season continue, the Lions ramped up the intensity with their first contact practice of the new season. Head coach Dan Campbell expressed his excitement, as well as noting how impactful that these practices will be for the overall decisions that come with cutting down the roster at the end of camp.

"Here we go. First day (of pads). I thought we got really good work in yesterday. It was the last day without pads. Red zone for us, got quite a few reps so we'll back the reps down today, won't be on the field as long, but the intensity goes way up naturally with pads," Campbell said. "This is good. I told the players last night that by the end of this week, this roster will begin to separate itself. So this is where we'll find out, we're about to get four really, really good days of pads. This is day one, just to kind of break them in for the other three."

Here are winners and losers, as well as what we are learning from the Lions' fifth training camp practice.

Attendance report

Campbell updated the status of several Lions dealing with injuries prior to the start of practice. Blake Miller was back to full go after the team limited his reps Sunday, while Jimmy Rolder is confirmed to be out for a stretch with a hamstring injury.

Meanwhile, Miles Kitselman is expected to be out for a while after leaving practice to be evaluated for a leg injury Sunday, and defensive end Derrick Moore is believed to be out between a week and 10 days.

The Lions had three players leave Monday's training camp practice to be evaluated for injuries, according to the team.

Tight end Anthony Firkser, wide receiver Lawrence Keys III and running back Sione Vaki all left early. According to reports, Firkser and Keys are both being evaluated for leg injuries while Vaki departed after being poked in the eye.

Safety Brian Branch was observed getting work in with trainers on the side along with positional counterpart Kerby Joseph. Defensive end Payton Turner remains sidelined with a back injury.

Left guard updates

With practices featuring more contact now that the pads are on, things could ramp up quickly in Detroit's offensive line position battles. Particularly, the left guard spot could start to gain some clarity.

According to reports, the Lions featured both Christian Mahogany and Juice Scruggs getting reps with the first group at the left guard spot. Mahogany is the incumbent starter, while Scruggs was acquired in the David Montgomery trade.

Ben Bartch continues to be held out of team drills, and was observed working on the side without pads on during Monday's practice. Miles Frazier, who has the versatility to play both guard and tackle, also could have some intrigue in this position battle

Mahogany had a solid day, handling Alim McNeill in one-on-ones. Time will tell if he can keep the performance up, but he appears to be in a good spot to make it tough for the team to take him out of the starting lineup.

Miller's strong start

The Lions' first-round pick Blake Miller got his first taste of contact practices on Monday, and by most accounts had a strong day. He was beaten once by D.J. Wonnum in one-on-ones, but ultimately came away drawing solid reviews.

Miller also had a rep highlighted against Aidan Hutchinson, who has given him some fits early in camp. However, Miller had a good counter for Hutchinson's rush move and was able to keep him out of the backfield.

Lacy and Hassanein stand out

A player who continues to make a strong impression in the early portion of training camp is defensive end Ahmed Hassanein. The Boise State product was unable to contribute as a rookie last year due to a preseason injury, but appears poised to have a role of some sort based on his early production.

Hassanein nearly got to Teddy Bridgewater for a sack in team drills, and appears to be catching eyes with the energy that he possesses. He also earned a couple of wins during one-on-ones against the offensive line.

Another player making headway up to this point in camp is Tyler Lacy. The veteran has the ability to play both on the interior and at defensive end. If his start to camp is any indication of what he can offer the team, it could be a solid year for Lacy in Detroit.

Rookie defensive linemen struggle

One of the defensive linemen who reportedly had a tougher day during one-on-one drills was rookie Skyler Gill-Howard. He's been off to a quiet start in camp thus far, and lost reps in this drill to Mason Miller and Scruggs.

Tyre West, the team's seventh-round pick, split his two showings with a loss to undrafted free agent Melvin Priestly and a win against Mason Miller.

Rodriguez won't go quietly

The signing of Devin White is viewed as potentially serious competition for Malcolm Rodriguez in his quest to win the third linebacker spot. Entering training camp, he was viewed as a favorite given his experience playing within Detroit's scheme for four seasons.

However, White is an intriguing veteran who has produced at a high level throughout his career. Yet, Rodriguez continues to bank most of the reps with the first unit. He had a solid day again on Monday, and it will be intriguing to see whether this continues as White gets more comfortable in Detroit's scheme.

Onwuzurike falling

It's still early, but Levi Onwuzurike has reportedly been getting an increasing amount of work with the third team defense. Some of this can be attributed to the emergence of Lacy, as well as a reported solid start from undrafted free agent defensive lineman Aidan Keanaaina.

Quick hitters

1.) Lions legend Calvin Johnson was in attendance for Monday's practice, as were Sheila Hamp and her mother Martha Ford. Other former Lions that were at practice include linebacker Tahir Whitehead and running back turned agent Zach Zenner.

2.) Undrafted free agent Anthony Lucas had a nice move on Frazier, getting past him in one-on-one drills.

3.) The consensus amongst reporters at Monday's practice was that it was one of the least physical first days of pads in Campbell's tenure. Based on the coach's comments before practice, this was likely by design as they get ready to raise the bar on Tuesday.

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