For Jared Goff, David Montgomery and most of the rest of the Detroit Lions starters, the preseason is probably over.
Lions coach Dan Campbell said before practice Tuesday his personnel plan for Friday’s exhibition finale against the Carolina Panthers likely would look “a lot like” the past two weeks, when the Lions sat most of their key players for games at Ford Field against the New York Giants and Jacksonville Jaguars.
Campbell left open the possibility that would change.
“I’m still trying to think about that one a little bit, and really I want to see how today and tomorrow goes,” he said.
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But after the Lions had their most physical practice of summer, a scrimmage that was mostly tackle-to-the-ground with the first-team offense playing 52 snaps against the first-team defense, there’s not much reason for starters to see the field again until the regular season opener Sept. 7 in Kansas City.
“It’s just needed,” Montgomery said after practice. “Us not being able to play the first two games and just being able to get ourselves acclimated to being hit. I know me, I like getting hit, so I got to get out there and make sure I get hit every now and then so I can get my pads loose so I can be ready to run into somebody.”
Montgomery clarified that he likes “hitting somebody” much more than getting hit, and in a practice in which the Lions covered nearly every situation — from red zone to two-minute to goal line to backed up in their own end to fake punts and onside kicks — the team’s new-look backfield, Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, were two of the day’s biggest stars.
Montgomery delivered the day’s most thunderous hit late in practice, when he cut back across the line and broke a 30-or-so-yard run down the sideline before lowering his head and colliding with safety Kerby Joseph.
“Oh my God,” cornerback Chase Lucas said of the hit after practice. “Him and Kerb, I’ll never forget it.”
Montgomery, the Lions’ top offseason free agent addition on offense, showcased some of his tackle-breaking ability Tuesday, dragging Joseph for a several yards after first contact on a red-zone play and scoring a touchdown on a 1-yard run. And Gibbs had the offensive highlight of practice, weaving through half the Lions defense for about 25 yards to cap the scrimmage’s first half.
Lucas called the Lions’ backfield an “upgraded version of what we had last year,” when the Lions finished 11th in the league in rushing (128.2 yards per game) with Jamaal Williams and D’Andre Swift splitting the workload.
“Swift, I told him to his face and I tell everybody I see, he was one of the most elusive backs I’ve ever seen in person,” Lucas said, comparing Swift and Gibbs, the No. 12 overall pick in April’s NFL draft. “And to see 2.0 right there (in Gibbs) is kind of — is very, very impressing and it actually makes me want to say I think Brad Holmes does his job very, very well. Like, for somebody to be seeing that type of talent and go that high on a player, pretty good.”
Gibbs and Montgomery are expected to share the running back load this fall. They’re complementary pieces who both have receiving ability, and if Tuesday’s practice is any indication, they’ll be a central focus of the Lions offense this year.
“I think it’s going to be lethal. I think it’s going to be real deadly,” Montgomery said. “Jah does some special things, and I think I can do a lot of special things, too. It’ll be fun just to be able to get behind those guys up front and the way those wide receivers block, too, so I’m definitely blessed to be where I’m at.”
More observations from Tuesday’s practice:
St. Brown works with trainers
The Lions have one practice left in training camp, and as physical as Tuesday’s practice was, Campbell might pull back some Wednesday, so this could be my last heavy set of observations of the summer.
Amon-Ra St. Brown (ankle) and Ifeatu Melifonwu, who had his quad wrapped, spent part of practice working on the side with trainers, while Jameson Williams (hamstring) and Saivion Smith were among those who did not practice and were not in the rehab group.
I wouldn’t expect to see St. Brown or Melifonwu in Friday’s game, though Campbell said St. Brown is “doing good” in his recovery from the injury he suffered last week.
“We weren’t going to play him Carolina, but he’s doing great,” Campbell said.
Cramming for the Chiefs
Campbell also said the Lions will spend some of Wednesday’s practice working on their opener vs. the Chiefs.
“We’ve got some work done on those guys and we’re still thinking about it, just like they do on us,” he said. “They’ve been looking, it’s been a long offseason. But I still think our focus is on us right now.”
Inside the scrimmage’s scoring system
The defense won Tuesday’s scrimmage, 63-27, and I think I figured out the scoring system, in collaboration with Pride of Detroit’s Jeremy Reisman. It appeared as if the offense scored points for touchdowns and field goals as it would in a regular game (three touchdowns, two field goals Tuesday), while the defense got points for turnovers, fourth-down stops, forced punts and, perhaps, three-and-outs.
Brandon Joseph (on Teddy Bridgewater), C.J. Gardner-Johnson (on Goff) and Brian Branch (on Goff) had interceptions that scored six points each, and the defense was awarded five points after two fourth-down stops and four after a third. The defense got three points for getting off the field on regular downs and picked up another four points after one series when it forced a field goal after a three-and-out when the offense took over deep in enemy territory.
A lot of checkdowns for Goff
Goff completed 16 of 28 passes by my count with two interceptions, and I’m not even going to try and guess the yardage because it was impossible to tell from the media viewing area. St. Brown’s absence was an absolute killer for the offense, and Goff spent most of his day passing in check-down mode.
His first interception came on a bomb to Gibbs, when Gibbs lined up as a receiver and had Derrick Barnes in man coverage. Barnes, in trail coverage, threw his hands up to deflect what looked like a slightly underthrown pass right before it arrived, and Gardner-Johnson came over to catch the ricochet and toe-tap his way into the sidelines.
Goff’s second pick came on a third-and-4 on the final drive, when launched another deep ball to Kalif Raymond that he left short of his target.
More praise for Branch
I’ve written this a handful of times in camp already, but Branch is a stud.
He’s always around the ball, he’s a good blitzer and he brings the wood when he hits. On the final series, Branch came flying into the backfield and smashed Gibbs for a short loss on the play before his pick.
Branch played slot corner with the first-team defense Tuesday and appears to have that job locked up heading into the regular season. I think he’ll have a Budda Baker-like impact on the Lions secondary, and the only thing that could prevent him from being a really good player in the NFL for a long time is injuries, a la Bob Sanders.
Bridgewater still not sharp
Bridgewater handled all the second- and third-team reps Tuesday, with Nate Sudfeld and Adrian Martinez watching from the sideline. I had Bridgewater completing 10 of 15 passes with a touchdown and interception. I might have missed a play while monitoring injuries, but I don’t think he looked particularly sharp.
Bridgewater’s turnover came on the first play of a second-quarter series, when he severely underthrew Maurice Alexander on a ball. He had several other incompletions nullified by penalty, and his lone touchdown drive was a five-play series that opened with a long run by Craig Reynolds.
Bridgewater also led one short field goal drive and had another drive that ended in a missed 30-yard field goal by Parker Romo. He made a nice throw on his TD pass, bootlegging to his right and finding an open Antoine Green streaking across the front of the end zone.
Drumm-ing up support
Green was the only receiver to score Tuesday, but of the players in contention for the No. 5 receiver job, I thought Dylan Drummond (Eastern Michigan) had the best day. Drummond, who was playing with a sleeve on his right leg, made a nice diving catch two plays before Green’s TD to set up a first-and-10 at the 12-yard line and reached high to catch another pass on Will Harris.
Chase Cota got a first-team rep or two, replacing Josh Reynolds after one long pass, but Drummond remains the most consistent of the quintet that includes Green, Cota, Alexander and Trinity Benson.
Barnes banged up
Barnes, Gardner-Johnson, Joseph and Levi Onwuzurike were among those who got medical attention at Tuesday’s practice, though no one appeared to suffer an injury of any significance.
Barnes limped off the field, got his right ankle taped and re-entered after a series or two. Joseph banged his right thumb on a tackle but got it re-taped and stayed on the field. Onwuzurike, who got some first-team reps at defensive tackle — with Alim McNeill playing the nose — appeared to be working on his arm at one point. And Gardner-Johnson got hit at the end of practice, perhaps in a sensitive area.
Quick hits
∎ Romo’s missed field goal clanged off the right upright from 30 yards out. I don’t think he’s been consistent enough to take the job from Riley Patterson, though his leg talent is worth keeping around on practice squad.
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∎ Malcolm Rodriguez had the hit of the day, dump-trucking Reynolds after a short third-and-8 catch in the flat. Barnes and Jack Campbell continue to battle for the starting job next to Alex Anzalone — they both got first-team reps Tuesday — but Rodriguez has had a nice camp, too. The Lions have four capable inside linebackers for the first time I can remember.
∎ Halapoulivaati Vaitai got first crack at right guard Tuesday, but he and Graham Glasgow rotated every series with the first-team offense. It’s a toss-up who wins that job, but I thought Glasgow blocked hard in the little bit of time I watched him Tuesday.
∎ Jalen Reeves-Maybin continues to work as the top personal protector on punts, and Starling Thomas and Khalil Dorsey took first-team gunner reps Tuesday. Dorsey played well in the Lions’ exhibition opener and I would expect him to get plenty of playing time Friday. He’ll have to earn a roster spot on special teams, and he may have saved a punt from going into the end zone in practice; I thought he stepped on the goal line on the play, but officials did not signal touchback and Campbell spotted the ball at the 4.
Lucas, who’s competing with Dorsey for a roster spot, and Drummond played gunner on the second punt team.
∎ The Lions got a bit sloppy with eight penalties Tuesday, including a handful of procedure calls. Jerry Jacobs and Steven Gilmore also drew flags for pass interference and Tracy Walker got penalized for a horse-collar tackle on Reynolds. Reynolds saw the bulk of the playing time at running back with the second-team offense Tuesday and is probably the most capable rusher of the backs competing for that job. Jermar Jefferson limped off at one point after appearing to aggravate the calf injury that kept him out of practice earlier this summer.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.