Detroit Free Press

Practices are for starters, games are for backups. At least during the joint practice portion of training camp. Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell said this week that is how he planned to approach his team’s workouts with the New York Giants and Friday’s preseason opener, when key players for both teams likely will not see

The Detroit Lions are looking for a kick returner once again. The Lions placed backup running back Justin Jackson on the reserved/retired list Thursday, three weeks after they re-signed Jackson on an incentive-laden one-year deal. Jackson was the favorite to win the No. 3 running back job and play a key role on special teams.

Apple Podcasts | Spotify • Hosts: Shawn Windsor (@shawnwindsor) and Carlos Monarrez (@cmonarrez) • Editor: Robin Chan • Executive producers: Anjanette Delgado, Kirkland Crawford • Guest: Dave Birkett, Free Press Lions beat writer • Email: swindsor@freepress.com On this episode: This week, the guys are joined by Free Press Lions beat writer Dave Birkett to talk who’s impressing us and who’s struggling in training camp so far. The trio

Jahmyr Gibbs turned the corner and burst through the New York Giants defense on Wednesday afternoon. He was untouched, unbothered. Then, David Montgomery had a massive gain through a massive hole, and Jared Goff hit rookie tight end Sam LaPorta for an easy touchdown, and Goff hit Amon-Ra St. Brown for an easy first down,

When the Detroit Lions signed C.J. Gardner-Johnson this spring, defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said he planned to use the NFL’s reigning co-interception leader in a role similar to what he played early in his career with the New Orleans Saints. Gardner-Johnson, who spent last season with the Philadelphia Eagles, played primarily as a slot cornerback

While Derrick Barnes and Jack Campbell are battling for one starting linebacker spot, Alex Anzalone is feeling as comfortable as he ever has in the other. Anzalone, the Detroit Lions‘ leading tackler last season, is playing more weak-side linebacker this summer, his natural position, while Barnes and Campbell have split first-team reps in the middle.

Affirmation, not revelation. That’s what Dan Campbell was looking for from his rookie class this week against the New York Giants — affirmation they belonged, not some big revelation in play. And in two joint practices, that’s exactly what he got. “You want to see growth,” the Detroit Lions head coach said before Wednesday’s practice.

The question was simple. The answer was not. Does Jared Goff get enough respect from people outside the Detroit Lions’ facility? “I mean, I don’t know,” Dan Campbell said in response to my question Tuesday. “I don’t even know how to answer that, honestly.  I don’t know.” The Lions coach was at a loss for

Jahmyr Gibbs scored his first semi-real touchdown Tuesday afternoon. Real in the sense that he was lined up against another team. Finally. It’s still practice, technically, but you can bet the New York Giants tasked with tracking him out of the backfield and stopping him were keen on doing it. They couldn’t. Partly because a

When Barry Sanders came to Detroit as the second pick in the 1989 NFL draft, he joined a 4-12 team that hadn’t made the playoffs in six years, with a likable new head coach. “I think the slogan was ‘Restore the Roar,'” Sanders said Tuesday. One of the best running backs in NFL history, Sanders

Practice? We talking about practice? Indeed we are, and with all due respect to Detroit casino legend Allen Iverson, Tuesday’s Detroit Lions-New York Giants joint practice felt like something a little more to some of the parties involved. Lions coach Dan Campbell came to the podium for his morning news conference sounding like he had

Teddy Bridgewater spent two seasons with the New Orleans Saints and made quite the impression on Dan Campbell during that time. On the field, Bridgewater went 5-0 as a fill-in starter for Drew Bress in 2019 after Brees broke his thumb early in the season. Off it, he helped nurture the Saints’ skill position talent,

Jonah Jackson didn’t have joint practices as a rookie when the NFL put a temporary stop to them due to COVID, and in his second season, the Detroit Lions didn’t schedule any training camp workouts with other teams because Dan Campbell was still settling into life as an NFL coach. The Lions visited the Indianapolis

Dan Campbell never hid the Detroit Lions’ interest in signing Teddy Bridgewater, and it’s clear now that interest was mutual. The Lions signed Bridgewater to be their new backup quarterback Monday, on the eve of their joint practices with the New York Giants. Bridgewater, 31, was considered on the top backup quarterbacks on the market