Colby Sorsdal got his first live first-team reps with the Detroit Lions‘ offensive line Thursday, and for the rookie fifth-round pick, it was an eye-opening experience.
“It was great,” Sorsdal said. “It’s like a different attitude kind of coming in there with the ones and seeing those guys, with J.G. (Jared Goff) running the huddle and all that. It’s kind of surreal, but it was awesome. It was an awesome experience. I thought I did really well.”
Sorsdal played one series with the starting group at right guard in the Lions’ controlled scrimmage. He matched up multiple times with rookie defensive tackle Brodric Martin — one of the most pleasant surprises of camp — had one of the key blocks on a Jahmyr Gibbs run and did not allow a pressure.
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An offensive tackle at FCS-level William & Mary, Sorsdal has spent his summer working as an interior lineman in Detroit.
He said he was initially taken aback by the space difference playing inside rather than the edge, but he has settled into a rhythm in camp.
“At guard, it’s a knife fight in a phone booth, right?” Sorsdal said. “You’re just kind of squeezed in there, so definitely getting on somebody, getting on them quick, using your feet, staying strong in that. You maintain the depth of the pocket and being strong. Just not giving up ground or anything like that.”
The Lions have a clear-cut top six on their offensive line, with Taylor Decker, Penei Sewell, Jonah Jackson and Frank Ragnow locked into starting spots and either Graham Glasgow or Halapoulivaati Vaitai expected to win the job at right guard.
They need a swing tackle for one backup spot, and Sorsdal almost certainly will win another backup job.
Lions coach Dan Campbell said earlier this week none of his team’s backups had stood out with their early-camp play, though Sorsdal was “getting a little bit better” each day.
Sorsdal said his play Thursday was another step in that progression, which will continue with joint practices against the New York Giants next week.
“I feel great,” he said. “Obviously there’s a lot of stuff that I still need to work on and that’s both the change of position and the change of level. But I’m proud of where I’ve come so far, and I’m excited to see where I can go from here.”
Injury update
Campbell said injured cornerback Emmanuel Moseley is day-to-today as he makes his way back from a second procedure on his surgically-repaired knee.
Moseley reported to training camp Tuesday after spending the start of camp rehabbing at his home in California.
“We’ve got him back and so his will be just day-to-day,” Campbell said. “We know where he’s been, so he’s back here and we’ll take it as it comes.”
Wide receiver Trinity Benson avoided serious injury, Campbell said, after leaving practice Wednesday on a cart. Benson watched part of Thursday’s practice on the sideline with a sleeve on his right leg.
Cornerback Jarren Williams was carted off the field Thursday with an apparent leg injury. Williams is the third Lion to be carted off this summer, along with Benson and safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who also avoided serious injury. Tight end Shane Zylstra, who suffered a likely season-ending knee injury earlier this week, left under his own power after taking a hit to the knee.
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Walker ‘dialed in’ in injury recovery
Tracy Walker has split his time between the first- and second-team defense this training camp, but Campbell said he is “pleased” with the strides Walker has made in his return from a torn Achilles.
“He’s recovered well and, look, he grinded now,” Campbell said. “That’s a credit to him. He has really put the work in since he’s had the surgery to get back from this.”
The Lions are blessed with good depth at safety and are looking for the right combination in the back of their secondary. Kerby Joseph, who led the team with four interceptions last season, and C.J. Gardner-Johnson have taken first-team reps at safety most of this week with rookie Brian Branch playing in the slot.
Walker has not forced takeaways at the same rate as Joseph and Gardner-Johnson have in their careers, or Branch did in college. But Campbell said Walker’s savvy and know-how are important to a group that could have four new starters this fall.
“He’s somebody that’s got to be dialed in all the time, which is part of his game,” Campbell said. “Smart, reliable, dependable guy back there on the back end, but I’ve been pleased with where he’s at.”
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.