Detroit Free Press

They thought they found solutions in free agency, and supplemented that in the draft, but with one game left in the preseason — and five days left until rosters must be cut to 53 players — the Detroit Lions are still hammering out who fits where in their receiving corps. The Lions appear to have

Dan Campbell welcomed the intensity of his first padded practice at training camp earlier this month, when rookies Amon-Ra St. Brown and Ifeatu Melifonwu scuffled during an open-field blocking drill, and the Detroit Lions coach had to be smiling inside when another skirmish broke out on what was essentially the last day of camp Wednesday.

He spent his first full day on the job introducing himself to his new teammates in the huddle. Now, the Detroit Lions are calling running back Craig Reynolds by a new name. “We call him Netflix,” Lions running backs coach Duce Staley said Wednesday. “That’s what he was doing, right? On the couch watching Netflix,

Dan Campbell welcomed the intensity of his first padded practice at training camp earlier this month, when rookies Amon-Ra St. Brown and Ifeatu Melifonwu scuffled during an open-field blocking drill, and the Detroit Lions coach had to be smiling inside when another skirmish broke out on what was essentially the last day of camp Wednesday.

Tyrell Williams will not play in Friday’s preseason finale against the Indianapolis Colts because of a groin injury that Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell said should not cost him any time in the regular season. “We’re just being smart with him,” Campbell said Wednesday. “He’ll be down this week, but he’ll be OK. He ought

Cornerbacks are going to give up big plays in the NFL, which is why Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn has a message for everyone focused on the 43-yard bomb Jeff Okudah allowed in last week’s preseason loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. “His eyes were bad and he gave up a play,” Glenn said Tuesday. “But

The Detroit Lions will sit the vast majority of their starters for Friday’s preseason finale against the Indianapolis Colts, but it appears as if they plan to play one prominent member of their offensive line. Rookie first-round pick Penei Sewell worked with a makeshift first-team offense at his usual right tackle spot Tuesday, when the

D’Andre Swift has practiced sparingly this summer while dealing with a lingering groin injury, and now there’s concern the injury could affect his availability for the start of the regular season, too. Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell said Tuesday he is not yet sure whether Swift will be full go for the team’s Sept. 12

Depth charts in training camp can be a mirage. Like pitchers working on specific pitches in spring training, football coaches sometimes spend their summers moving players around while tinkering with their team. “Just because you see them as a starter, that’s an illusion in my eyes,” Detroit Lions secondary coach Aubrey Pleasant said. “It’s giving

When Jeff Okudah got beat deep for a 43-yard catch by Diontae Johnson in last week’s preseason loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, it gave some Detroit Lions fans flashbacks of Okudah’s rough rookie season. But Lions secondary coach Aubrey Pleasant said Monday he was happy with Okudah’s overall performance. [ Lions cut Jordan Ta’amu, ‘have

The Detroit Lions cut five players to get down to the 80-man roster limit ahead of Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline, including quarterback Jordan Ta’amu. Ta’amu signed last week to help alleviate mounting injuries the Lions were dealing with at the quarterback position. Both Tim Boyle (ankle) and David Blough (shoulder) missed a day of practice last

T.J. Hockenson will not play a down this preseason, but judging by Monday’s practice, the Detroit Lions’ third-year tight end already is in regular season form. Hockenson was one of the standouts of a short practice that Lions coach Dan Campbell used to give reps to players who  didn’t play or played sparingly in last week’s

Five lingering thoughts I have from the Detroit Lions‘ 26-20 preseason loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers: Preseason results don’t matter This should go without saying, but I feel like that’s where we need to start given the disgust some fans and pundits had over the Lions’ performance Saturday. Look, the Lions played awful in the

PITTSBURGH — His football career was in flux. The XFL had ceased operations, NFL teams weren’t calling, and Godwin Igwebuike was trying to get his mind right by going for walks on the farm his mother owns in Winchester, Ohio. Igwebuike was on one of those strolls last year, looking up at the stars, when he turned to

The Detroit Lions have played two NFL preseason games. They’ve lost both and mostly haven’t looked good in either loss, especially in the first half of their 26-20 loss to the host Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday. Don’t bother getting too caught up in the scores. It’s the substance of those losses that matters more, because

PITTSBURGH — The first half was ugly, and, in a lot of ways, it was understandable. The Detroit Lions rested 14 key players, including quarterback Jared Goff, tight end T.J. Hockenson and running back D’Andre Swift, while the Pittsburgh Steelers played most of their starters. But Lions coach Dan Campbell said the talent disparity on

What’s best for now may not be what’s best for later, and when the Detroit Lions set their 53-man roster next week, that is the conundrum they will face. Lions coach Dan Campbell said last week that he and general manager Brad Holmes have a fine line to walk with some of their pending roster

PITTSBURGH — They will be back in November, and their starters will be playing. Whether it makes a difference or not, only time will tell. But at least it will be a more evenly matched affair. The Detroit Lions lost their second straight preseason game Saturday, this one in uglier-than-it-sounds fashion, 26-20, to the Pittsburgh

NFL preseason: Detroit Lions (0-1) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-0) When: 7:30 p.m. Where: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh. TV: Fox 2 in Detroit; NFL Network. Radio: WXYT-FM (97.1; other radio affiliates).  Game notes: We’ll see if the Lions’ offense can show a little more than it did in last week’s loss at home to the Bills. We’ll

Free Press sports writer Carlos Monarrez answers three questions about the Detroit Lions’ 26-20 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Saturday’s NFL preseason game. How bad did the Lions look in their loss? You know what? I’m going to let coach Dan Campbell take this first question, based on what he told Fox 2 right