Detroit Free Press

It has been 10 months since Levi Onwuzurike last played football, but the Detroit Lions are cautiously optimistic he’ll be back on the field this summer. Coach Dan Campbell said Onwuzurike recently began running in his rehab from back surgery and could be cleared for football activities at some point in training camp. “I would

The backflips are out, but Kerby Joseph will never stop having fun. On Thursday, at the Detroit Lions‘ sixth organized team activity practice of the spring, Joseph returned an interception for a would-be touchdown in seven-on-seven drills; danced in celebration as his offensive teammates did planks after losing a kicking competition (more on that later);

They will be without their top deep threat for the first six games of the season, but Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell said he likes the makeup of his team’s receivers room — even as five-time Pro Bowler DeAndre Hopkins sits in free agency. “I like our receiver room,” Campbell said before the Lions’ sixth

Aidan Hutchinson lived up to expectations as the No. 2 pick of last year’s draft, and James Houston far exceeded forecasts for his production as a sixth-round choice. Hutchinson and Houston gave the Detroit Lions one of the NFL’s best young pass-rushing duos down the stretch last season, and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said he’s

Apple Podcasts | Spotify • Hosts: Shawn Windsor (@shawnwindsor) and Carlos Monarrez (@cmonarrez) • Editor: Robin Chan • Executive producers: Anjanette Delgado, Kirkland Crawford • Email: swindsor@freepress.com On this episode: This week, the guys discuss Detroit Lions WR Jameson Williams’ recent news conference. Carlos and Shawn spar over professional standards vs. youthful indiscretion. Later, we talk about the Detroit Tigers, overachieving, and if it’s OK to

As a former NFL tight end, Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell knows how taxing the position can be on young players. “You have to be able to run block, pass block, you got to get open in the pass game,” Campbell said last week. “That’s one element, but also there’s the mental side of

You’ve seen the photos — or photos of the photos — and in the meta-multiverse of the Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes bromance, the vibe is what matters most. An NFL general manager wearing a sweatshirt featuring a portrait of his head coach to a post-draft news conference? An NFL head coach returning the favor

Rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs is “definitely” an option to return kicks for the Detroit Lions this fall. Lions special teams coordinator Dave Fipp said Thursday that Gibbs could see time as a return man in 2023, depending on his role on offense. Gibbs averaged 23.9 yards on kick returns during his three college seasons

Saivion Smith was back with his boys. Playing safety for the Detroit Lions. Running with the twos. This time, with a scar down his neck and another on his hip. Two vertebrae fused. But feeling great. “It’s all God, man!” he said on Thursday after coming off the practice field. “It’s all God. It’s a

Detroit Lions offensive lineman Halapoulivaati Vaitai got a taste of retired life, and he didn’t like it one bit. “There was just a bunch of stuff to do,” Vaitai said Thursday. Laid up after undergoing season-ending back surgery last September, Vaitai spent most of the fall at his home in Houston and the 205-acre ranch

The Detroit Lions took a step in the right direction last season in their effort to becoming a serious competitor, ending the 2022 season winning eight of their last 10 games. But if they want to take it to the next level, like a playoff contender, there are still some areas in need of revitalization

The NFL is investigating a fifth Detroit Lions player as part of its ongoing gambling investigation, The Athletic reported Friday. The website did not name the player, but reported he did not have a prominent role in 2022. Four Lions players, including wide receiver Jameson Williams, were suspended in April for violating the NFL’s policy

Because of the chicken Caesar wrap with sweet potato fries — that’s why I think the Detroit Lions are going to be better this year. Significantly better. OK, that’s not the only reason — I have a bunch of reasons why I think this team will be better, which we’ll get to in a bit.

Let’s give Jameson Williams a break. Or at least some time. And if he gambles where he isn’t supposed to again, or if he likes a tweet suggesting the Lions should trade for say, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, or tweets that Jared Goff is a bum? Then don’t worry, the Detroit Lions will run

Expectations can be a strange thing, especially around Allen Park. The Detroit Lions historically have handled the challenge of expectations about as well as a nail handles the challenge of a hammer. Yet, here we are. Or, literally, here we sat Thursday, in the extra-large, supersize-me contingent of media that numbered close to 60 strong

Aaron Glenn looked around at the three dozen or so reporters gathered in the media room before the Detroit Lions’ third organized team activity practice of the spring Thursday. “We’ve never had this many people here,” Glenn said. The buzz about the Lions is palpable and growing, a little more than three months from the

The Detroit Lions have a three-man kicking competition brewing. The Lions acquired kicker Riley Patterson from the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday for a conditional 2026 seventh-round draft pick. Patterson made 13 of 14 field goals with the Lions in 2021, but lost a camp battle with Austin Seibert for the kicking job last summer. More:

Jameson Williams felt “sick” when he first learned of his six-game suspension the night before the NFL announced it last month, but the Detroit Lions receiver insisted Thursday he did not knowingly violate league rules on gambling and still does not know the specifics of what led his punishment. “The suspension, it pretty much, it

Not a day goes by without someone in the national NFL sphere professing their love for the Detroit Lions. It seems that way, right? “Get on the bandwagon!” folks keep imploring. “There won’t be any room if you don’t.” The love is everywhere, all the time, and it’s not even June. Call it the summer

The cold war isn’t over quite yet, but the ice is starting to thaw in the frosty relationship between Calvin Johnson and the Detroit Lions. A new sign of détente between the two parties is the football camp the Hall of Fame receiver will host in tandem with the Lions on June 11 at the