Winners and Losers From Detroit Lions Training Camp Day 14 Practice

The Detroit Lions held a scrimmage style practice Monday as they started their preparations for the second preseason game.

Head coach Dan Campbell said the Lions could have a significant amount of their starters play in Saturday's showdown with the Washington Commanders, and their practice Monday had elements of a game with the structure and physicality the team showcased.

Here are winners and losers, as well as what we're learning from team reports, from the 14th day of Lions training camp.

Attendance report

Most notably, the Lions were once again without wide receiver Jameson Williams and cornerback Nick Whiteside. Williams is dealing with a shoulder injury, and Whiteside has a hamstring issue. However, Campbell noted that he doesn't expect either injury to be serious.

The Lions were also without a number of players who have been sidelined in recent days including Isiah Pacheco, Ben Bartch, Jimmy Rolder, Damone Clark, Mekhi Wingo and Payton Turner. Meanwhile, Jacob Saylors was back in action.

Rakestraw shines

Ennis Rakestraw has faced his share of criticism throughout the first two seasons of his career. The second-round pick has dealt with plenty of bad luck, leading to just eight games played up to this point. He has an opportunity to contribute this year, but has been up and down throughout camp.

On Monday, he reportedly reminded many why he was a second-round pick in 2024. He set the tone early, showing off plenty of ability and making some huge plays in the scrimmage working with the second-team defense.

Among his big moments included a key tackle for loss on a blitz and an interception that he came down with after a tip by Christian Izien. He also had another corner blitz that resulted in a deflection, and forced a fourth-down with nice coverage.

Rakestraw wasn't the only one with an interception, as Eric O'Neill and Chuck Clark also had picks.

It was a very positive performance from Rakestraw, who is coming off an injury scare. For the Missouri product, Monday was a step in the right direction.

UDFA's big moment

It was a sloppy day for the offense for a large part of the day, and one undrafted free agent played a key role in the defensive effort. Rutgers product Eric O'Neill had a massive play, picking off a pass at the line of scrimmage and running it back for a score.

O'Neill had a solid showing in the team's preseason opener against Cincinnati with a quarterback hit, and has flashed some potential throughout camp. The Lions have solid EDGE depth, but O'Neill is looking to stack days and stand out amongst the crowded room.

Offensive line struggles

The Lions struggled offensively throughout Monday's scrimmage, with a hefty amount of the blame to be placed on the offensive line. The unit struggled in good-on-good situations, with a spotty snap from Juice Scruggs and Alim McNeill getting past Tate Ratledge early in the scrimmage.

The second unit struggled with Rakestraw's corner blitz, and Kelvin Sheppard threw another wrench at the group with Christian Izien blitzing on a third-down to end the first series.

Ahmed Hassanein showed up once again with a pass-rush that forced Luke Altmyer into an errant throw. This was the one that Izien tipped and Rakestraw picked off.

Alim McNeill had a tackle for loss on Jacob Saylors, and the second team defense would later get after Josh Dobbs with back-to-back sacks from Chris Smith and a combined takedown by Hassanein and Anthony Lucas.

Another standout on the defensive line was recent veteran free agent signing Ben Stille. Formerly a journeyman, Stille has had a nice start to his Lions tenure, and had a strong day against the second team offensive line Monday.

Bright spot

The offense had some good moments amidst their struggles up front. Isaac TeSlaa had a nice catch to convert a third-and-long after the unit had gotten backed up, while Cedrick Wilson also had a long grab that went for 22 yards .

Jared Goff connected with Amon-Ra St. Brown for the first score for the first-team offense. For the second team, the Lions scored on a connection from Luke Altmyer to Lucky Jackson on a fade route against Khalil Dorsey.

The scoring was rounded out by a connection from Goff to tight end Sam LaPorta, who got a big block from TeSlaa to reach the end zone.

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